Gridely
Diamond painting

Turn your own photo into a diamond painting pattern

Convert a photo into a drill-by-drill chart sized to your canvas, with a symbol in every cell and the nearest DMC code for every colour โ€” the numbering diamond painting drills use.

  • Start without an account
  • Free charts up to 500ร—500
  • Works on phone, tablet and desktop
A golden retriever puppy photo converted into a diamond painting chart with a symbol in each cell

A custom diamond painting in three steps

Your photo, your size, your colours.

  1. Step 1

    Size it to your canvas

    Upload a photo and set the width in drills. Standard square drills are 2.5 mm, so a 40 ร— 50 cm canvas is about 160 ร— 200 drills.

  2. Step 2

    Choose the colours

    Set how many drill colours the picture uses, then merge or swap any you don't want.

  3. Step 3

    Get the chart

    Show a symbol in every cell and export a PDF with a legend matching each colour to its nearest DMC code.

Everything a diamond painting chart needs

Free to start, no account needed to convert your first photo.

Photo conversion you control

Pick the width, the colour count and the filters, and watch the chart update as you change them.

Symbol chart

Every colour gets its own symbol, just like the printed canvas of a shop-bought kit.

DMC colour codes

The PDF legend names the nearest DMC number for every colour, the code drill suppliers sell by.

Drill counts

See how many cells use each colour, so you know how many drills of each code to order.

Square or round preview

Show cells as squares or circles to preview square or round drills.

Printable PDF

Numbered rows and columns, symbols and a legend, printed in sections you can follow across the canvas.

Getting a good diamond painting from a photo

Drills catch the light and blur together at a distance, which forgives a lot โ€” but a few choices still make the difference.

Choose a photo with one clear subject

A face, a pet or a landmark against a simple background converts best. Busy scenes with many small people turn into noise at drill size. Crop tightly so the drills go where the interest is.

Size it from the canvas

Most diamond painting drills are 2.5 mm, so every 10 cm of canvas holds about 40 drills. Decide the canvas size first, then set the chart width to match. The table below gives drill counts for common canvas sizes.

How many colours?

Kits typically use 20 to 50 colours. More colours give smoother skin and skies; fewer are cheaper and easier to sort. Start around 25 and merge any two shades you can't tell apart on screen.

Ordering drills

Drills are sold by DMC number, which is why the PDF legend uses DMC codes. Order 10 to 20% extra of each colour: drills go missing, and a few always come out chipped.

Approximate size in 2.5 mm square drills, with no border.
CanvasDrills wideDrills high
30 ร— 40 cm (12 ร— 16 in)120160
40 ร— 50 cm (16 ร— 20 in)160200
50 ร— 70 cm (20 ร— 28 in)200280

Diamond painting pattern maker โ€” questions

Is the diamond painting pattern maker free?

Yes. Converting a photo, editing the chart and reading it on screen are free, on charts up to 500ร—500 drills with up to 20 colours. Exporting needs a free account and includes a watermark; clean exports come with the Studio plan or a one-off unlock for a single pattern.

Does it give DMC codes?

Yes. The PDF legend matches every colour in your palette to the nearest DMC number, which is how diamond painting drills are sold.

Does it print the canvas?

Gridely makes the chart: a printable PDF with a symbol in every cell. To work on an adhesive canvas you'll need it printed by a custom canvas service, or you can work from the chart onto a blank one.

Square or round drills?

Both work with the same chart. Switch the preview to circles to see how it looks in round drills.

What about the rights to the photo?

Use photos you took yourself or have permission to use.

Ready to Make Your First Pattern?

Start designing patterns, charts, and pixel-based creations with Gridely. Designing is free, it's easy to get started, and it's growing with its community.

    Custom Diamond Painting Pattern Maker โ€” From Your Photo