Stained glass pattern maker from a photo, free
Turn a photo into a numbered stained glass pattern you can actually cut. Free, and nothing is uploaded: the pieces follow the photo's edges, every piece is checked for narrow parts, sharp points and pieces inside pieces at your finished size, and the pattern PDF prints at full size with a glass list.
Updated : Counts of exactly one now read "1 colour", "1 sheet", "1 word" and "1 picture", where they said "1 colours" and so on. What's new
Stays on this computer · no signup · no watermark
Faster with the free Chrome extension: right-click any picture on a website and send it straight to the stained glass pattern maker. Add to Chrome · what it does
Extension installed. Right-click any picture on a website and choose Makerfern → Open this picture in… to bring it here.
A pattern you can cut, not just a picture
Most photo-to-pattern tools draw lines around colour areas and stop there. Glass is less forgiving: a thin tail snaps, a sharp inside curve cracks the sheet, and a piece that sits inside another cannot be cut at all. This tool reshapes the pieces at the size you will build, so the pattern it hands you is one the guides would call cuttable, and it tells you plainly about anything it could not fix.
What you control
- Finished width. In inches or centimetres; the pattern prints at this size.
- Glass colours. From 3 to 16, lettered by how much glass each needs.
- Piece size. Larger pieces for a simpler panel, smaller ones for more of the photo.
- Narrowest part. 1 in, 1/2 in or 1/4 in: no part of any piece is narrower.
- Copper foil or lead came. Sets the line width and the length of foil or came to buy.
- Extra glass. The share added to each colour for waste.
What it does not do
- It does not use AI or redraw the photo: the pieces come from the photo's own edges.
- It does not match glass brands or textures: pick real glass by eye from the colour list.
- It is not a cutting or grinding guide: the numbers are starting points from glass guides, and your own tools and glass may want more room.
Next steps
- Print the PDF at 100% and measure the 1 in bar.
- Make two copies: one to cut apart for the pieces, one to build on.
- Selling the panel? Work out a price with the craft pricing calculator.
Questions
How do I turn a photo into a stained glass pattern?
Drop the photo here, set how wide the finished panel will be, and pick how many glass colours you want. The tool cuts the picture into numbered pieces that follow the edges in the photo, checks every piece can be cut at that size, and gives you a pattern PDF at full size, an SVG and a glass list. Nothing is uploaded.
What does the cut check look for?
The cuts glass guides call hard: parts of a piece narrower than the narrowest width you set, sharp points, deep inside curves, pieces that sit inside another piece (glass cannot be cut around a hole, so those get two lead lines out to the edge), and pieces too small to cut and foil. The tool fixes these first by merging and reshaping pieces; anything it could not fix is ringed in red on the preview and the PDF.
How narrow can a piece be?
The default is 1/2 in at the narrowest point. That is our middle step, not a rule: a stained glass teacher at stainedglassbasics.com suggests first-project pieces at least 1 in wide at their narrowest, and calls points under 1/4 in too hard for a beginner, so 1 in and 1/4 in are the other choices. A narrower setting keeps more detail and needs more careful cutting.
How wide are the lines on the pattern?
As wide as the gap the foil or lead takes between pieces, so you cut along the inside of each line: about 1/32 in (0.8 mm) for copper foil and 1/16 in (1.6 mm) for lead came, the amounts pattern shears for each method take out. If your shears or your foil differ, the line is a starting point, not a measurement of your kit.
How many glass colours should I use?
Eight is the default. Fewer colours make a simpler panel and fewer sheets of glass to buy (beginner guides suggest two or three for a first project); more keep more of the photo. Each colour is lettered A, B, C... by how much glass it needs, and every piece is labelled with its number and letter.
How much glass do I need to buy?
The glass list gives the area of each colour and the amount to buy with an extra share for waste. 25% is the default; Everything Stained Glass suggests adding 15 to 25% for waste, up to 30% if your cutting is rusty. It also gives the copper foil length (every piece wrapped on its own) or the lead came length, with the same extra.
How many pieces is too many?
That depends on you. stainedglassbasics.com calls a pattern with more than 15 pieces too hard for a first project, and the tool says so when yours has more. For fewer pieces, choose larger pieces, fewer colours, a wider narrowest part, or a smaller photo subject.
Will the pattern print at the right size?
Yes, if you print the PDF at 100% (actual size, not "fit to page"). A panel bigger than the paper is tiled across Letter or A4 pages with dashed join lines, and every page has a 1 in bar to measure before you cut.
Why does a small panel lose detail?
Because no part of a piece can be narrower than the width you set. A 12 in panel with a 1/2 in narrowest part cannot hold an eye or a letter smaller than about half an inch. Choose smaller pieces or the 1/4 in setting, or make the panel wider, to keep more detail.
Does it use AI or match glass brands?
No to both. The pieces come from the photo's own edges and colours, worked out in your browser. The glass colours are the photo's colours, so pick real glass by eye from the list; the tool does not know any maker's range.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The photo is read, cut into pieces and saved in your browser. Close the tab and nothing is left.
Can I sell what I make with it?
Yes. Everything Makerfern makes is yours to use and sell, free or Pro, as long as you have the right to use what you start from: your own photos and drawings, or pictures whose license allows it; somebody else's art or characters only with their permission. Makerfern adds no watermark and takes no rights in your file. One Pro covers every tool: there is no per-tool plan.