| Image type | When to use | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Photos, paintings, realistic art | Preserves shading and fine detail during color reduction |
| Illustration | Stylized art, logos, anime, flat-color designs | Keeps edges crisp, reduces color noise |
| Pixel Art | Pixel art, sprites, retro game art | Preserves blocky pixels, 1 pixel = 1 stitch (for clean PNGs) |
Image Import
Upload a photo, crop and rotate it, choose image type, then use the tab-based settings flow to dial in size, colors, cleanup, adjustments.
Location: Home → Import Image, or Editor → Menu → Import Image
Keyboard & modifiers
- + =
- Zoom in on preview
- -
- Zoom out on preview
- Cmd+0 Ctrl+0
- Reset preview zoom
Basics
Image Import turns a photo, illustration, or pixel art image into a cross-stitch pattern. Upload an image, tweak the settings, and the photo-to-pattern converter generates a stitchable grid matched to real thread colors.
The flow has three stages:
- Preprocessing — Crop, rotate, flip, and tell the app what kind of image it is (photo, illustration, or pixel art).
- Settings — Use the five-tab bar at the bottom to dial in pattern size, color count, confetti cleanup, image adjustments, and stitching details. The preview canvas fills the screen and updates live.
- Open in Editor — Create the pattern and switch to the full editor for painting, backstitch, palette tweaks, and export.
Every setting updates the preview in real time. Nothing is final until you tap Open in Editor.
Uploading an image
Three ways to get an image in:
- Click to browse — The file dialog opens automatically on first visit. Pick any image file.
- Drag and drop — Drop an image anywhere on the canvas. A colored overlay confirms the drop zone.
- Replace Image — Already have an image loaded? Open the menu (top-left) and tap Replace Image to swap it out.
Accepted formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WebP.
Preprocessing: crop, rotate & image type
After you select an image, the preprocessing modal opens. It has two views:
Preview view — Shows your image with a radio card selector: Photo, Illustration, or Pixel Art. The app auto-detects the best option and shows a "Suggested" badge.
Crop & Rotate view — Click "Crop & Rotate" to enter the interactive crop tool.
- Aspect ratio presets: Free, 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9.
- Rotation: 90° left/right buttons, or fine-tune with a slider (−180° to +180°).
- Flip: Horizontal and vertical toggle buttons.
- Reset: Restores to the original when any transformation has been applied.
Click Done Cropping to apply and return to the preview. Click Continue to move on to the import settings.
Auto-detection details:
- Small PNGs/WebPs (≤200px on both axes) are auto-classified as pixel art.
- Larger images run through a photo-vs-illustration classifier.
- Upscaled pixel art (e.g., a 32×32 sprite saved at 256×256) is detected automatically — the app finds the scale factor and downscales to the true pixel grid.
- Pixel art mode blocks images larger than 1,000px on either axis (with a warning to crop or switch to Photo/Illustration).
Pro tip: If the auto-detection picks the wrong type, just tap the right one. The choice affects how colors get simplified — if the preview looks off after import, come back and try the other option.
The tab bar
Once preprocessing is done, you land on the import canvas with a five-tab bar pinned to the bottom of the screen. Tap any tab to slide up its settings panel. The preview canvas fills the rest of the screen above it.
| Tab | Panel title | What's inside | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Pattern Size | Smaller / Larger scale buttons, width × height inputs, margin toggle | Control the finished size |
| Colors | Color Palette | Color swatch grid, color count slider, complexity hint | Fewer colors = simpler stitching |
| Cleanup | Cleanup | Confetti toggle + intensity slider | Remove isolated stitches to simplify the pattern |
| Adjust | Image Adjustments | Detail, brightness, contrast (+ saturation, hue behind "More adjustments") | Fine-tune the source image (optional) |
| Stitching | Stitching Details | Fabric type, thread strands, thread brand, fabric color | Physical stitching settings (optional) |
Tap a tab to open its bottom sheet. Tap the same tab again to dismiss the sheet and get back to a full-screen preview. Each panel has a title and a short hint explaining what it does.
Pattern size
The Size tab controls how many stitches wide and tall your pattern will be.
Photo and Illustration mode:
- Smaller / Larger buttons — Quick scale nudge (~12% per tap). One tap to resize, no math needed.
- Width × Height inputs — Type exact values (50–500 stitches). Linked by default to preserve aspect ratio.
- Margin — Toggle on to add empty cells around all sides (1–50 stitches). Useful for framing.
Pixel Art mode:
- Original (default): Read-only — uses the source pixel dimensions (1 pixel = 1 stitch). This is usually what you want.
- Custom: Editable width/height with linked aspect ratio. Smaller / Larger buttons nudge by ~12% per tap. Range: 3–1,000 stitches.
Note: Free tier has a lower size limit. The UI shows your maximum — upgrade when you need larger patterns.
Color count
The Colors tab controls the maximum number of thread colors in your pattern. A swatch grid at the top shows you exactly which threads are in your palette right now, mapped to your chosen thread brand.
Photo and Illustration mode:
- Slider: 2–256 colors.
- Label: "Maximum X colors" — the actual count may be lower if the algorithm merges similar shades.
- Complexity hint below the slider tells you what to expect:
| Color count | Hint | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 8 | Very simple · Fewer thread changes | Quick weekend project |
| 9–20 | Balanced · Good detail | Sweet spot for most patterns |
| 21–50 | Detailed · More stitching time | Richer gradients, more thread swaps |
| 51+ | High detail · Longer project | Lots of subtlety, lots of patience |
Pixel Art mode:
- Slider: 2 to the original palette size (auto-detected from the source image).
- Default: All colors preserved. Drag the slider left to merge similar colors.
Practical guidance: More colors doesn't mean more detail — it usually means more confetti. For most photo conversions, 15–25 colors hits the sweet spot. Start low and increase if you're losing important detail.
Tap any swatch to see its thread name and brand code in a detail popup.
Note: Free tier limits how many colors you can export. You can use more colors during import and editing, but export is capped. The UI shows a banner when you exceed the limit.
Confetti cleanup
The Cleanup tab lets you reduce scattered single stitches during import. It's recommended and enabled by default.
- Toggle: Enable / Disable.
- Intensity slider (when enabled): 1–100.
- Gentle (1–40): Light cleanup, preserves most detail.
- Moderate (41–70): Good balance for most photos.
- Aggressive (71–100): Heavy cleanup, simpler pattern.
- Default intensity: 40 (moderate).
The preview updates live as you adjust. You can always do more cleanup later in the editor with the Confetti Cleanup tool.
Note: Confetti cleanup is automatically disabled when dithering is active — the two approaches conflict (dithering intentionally scatters colors for a blended look).
Image adjustments
The Adjust tab lets you fine-tune the source image before conversion. Detail, brightness, and contrast sliders are always visible. Tap More adjustments to reveal saturation and hue.
| Slider | Range | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detail / Sharpen | −10 to +10 | 0 (or auto-detected) | Sharpen edges or soften noise |
| Brightness | 30–200% | 100% | Lighten or darken the source image |
| Contrast | 30–200% | 100% | Expand or compress tonal range |
| Saturation | 0–200% | 100% | Boost or mute color intensity |
| Hue | −180° to +180° | 0° | Rotate the color wheel |
A Reset all button appears when any value differs from the default.
A small note at the top says "Defaults work well — adjust only if needed", and it's true. Most images convert great without touching anything here.
Pro tip: Adjustments are most useful for underexposed photos (bump brightness), washed-out images (bump contrast + saturation), or when you want a deliberate color shift (hue rotation). The Detail slider is hidden in Pixel Art mode since sharpening creates artifacts on crisp pixels.
Stitching details
The Stitching tab handles the physical side — what you'll actually be stitching with. A summary line at the top shows your current setup at a glance (e.g., "14 · 2 strands · DMC").
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fabric type | Set the fabric thread count (14-count, 18-count, etc.). Affects finished-size calculations and preview rendering. |
| Thread strands | Number of strands per stitch. Affects the preview appearance. |
| Thread brand | Choose which thread library to match colors against — DMC (default), Anchor, Cosmo, Madeira, and others. Colors are matched using CIEDE2000 perceptual distance, so thread suggestions look right under real lighting. |
| Fabric color | Choose the background fabric color (white, cream, black, etc.). When set to Auto, it follows your app theme (light or dark). |
The preview
The canvas shows a live preview of your pattern as you adjust settings. Every slider change triggers a regeneration to keep things in sync.
- Zoom: Pinch to zoom, or use the floating zoom pill that appears at the bottom-right when you zoom. It shows your current zoom percentage and has zoom-in, fit-to-screen, and zoom-out buttons.
- Pan: Drag to pan around the preview.
The zoom controls auto-show when you pinch and auto-hide after a few seconds of inactivity — they stay out of your way until you need them.
The preview is a real pattern — same grid, same thread colors, same stitch data that you'll get in the editor. What you see is what you get.
The menu
Tap the hamburger icon (top-left) to open the side menu. It gives you access to things that don't fit in the tab bar:
| Menu item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Back Home | Leave the import flow and return to the home screen (asks for confirmation) |
| View Options | Stitch style (simple, lines, realistic), grid, rulers, fabric texture |
| Crop Image | Re-open the crop & rotate tool on your current image |
| Replace Image | Pick a new image file (opens the preprocessing flow again) |
| Theme toggle | Switch between Light, Dark, and Auto themes |
| Sign In / Profile | Auth and profile settings |
FLOW indicator
A small circular badge floats near the zoom controls showing your pattern's FLOW quality score — a 0–100% rating of how stitcher-friendly the pattern is. It pulses briefly each time the score changes as you tweak settings.
Tap the badge to expand it into a full metrics panel with breakdowns for fragmentation, locality, optimization, and workability. Tap the close button to collapse it back.
The FLOW score is a quick gut-check: if it's high, your settings are producing a clean, pleasant-to-stitch pattern. If it's low, try reducing colors or bumping up confetti cleanup.
Open in Editor
When you're happy with the preview, tap Open in Editor (top-right). This creates the pattern and switches to the full editor.
From the editor you can:
- Paint and erase with Brush and other tools.
- Add backstitch, partial stitches, and text.
- Adjust the palette with Palette Tools.
- Clean up remaining confetti with the Confetti Cleanup tool.
- Organize content across Layers.
- Export to PDF, PNG, or other formats.
Note: If preview generation is still in progress, the button shows a percentage. Wait for it to finish before opening.
Re-importing from the editor
Already in the editor and want to try a different image or different settings? Open the menu and tap Import Image.
This reopens the full import flow:
- Your previous import settings are preserved (dimensions, colors, adjustments).
- A Cancel button appears so you can bail and return to your current pattern.
- When you tap Open in Editor, a confirmation dialog warns: "This will replace your current pattern. Any edits you made in the Editor will be lost."
- Confirm to replace, or cancel to go back to your existing work.
The re-import creates a fresh pattern — it doesn't merge with or layer on top of your existing edits. If you want to keep your current work, export or save it before re-importing.
Tips & gotchas
- Crop tight. The less background clutter in your source image, the better the conversion — tips for choosing the best photo apply here. You can also crop later from the menu.
- Start with fewer colors. 15–25 colors for photos, 10–15 for simple subjects. You can always increase later, but reducing after the fact is harder.
- Photo vs Illustration matters. If your converted pattern has weird color noise around edges, try switching to Illustration mode. If flat areas look too uniform, try Photo mode.
- Pixel Art mode is strict. It expects clean PNGs with crisp pixel boundaries. JPEGs and heavily compressed images won't work well — the compression artifacts create false colors.
- Confetti cleanup during import is a first pass. You can always do more precise cleanup in the editor with the Confetti Cleanup tool.
- The preview is the real thing. No "final generation" happens when you tap Open in Editor — the pattern you see in the preview is exactly what you get.
- Tap a tab twice to dismiss it. If the bottom sheet is covering too much of the preview, tap the active tab again to slide it away and go full-screen.
- Check the FLOW badge. A high FLOW score means the pattern will be pleasant to stitch. If it's low, try fewer colors or stronger cleanup.
- Re-import replaces everything. It doesn't merge with your current edits. Save your work first if you want to keep it.
- Undo doesn't cross the import boundary. Once you're in the editor, you can't undo back to the import settings. If you want to try different import settings, use the re-import flow.