How to make a Perler bead pattern from a photo
- Choose a simple, bold photo. One subject, clear outlines and strong colours work best: a pet, a logo, a game character you drew, a flower.
- Pick your bead brand. The colours and colour numbers change to match Perler, Hama, Artkal or MARD, so the pattern uses beads you can actually buy.
- Set the width in beads. 29 beads is one large square pegboard; 58 is two boards across. The height follows the photo.
- Choose the number of colours and check the ironed preview.
- Download the PDF: a cover page, a colour key with counts, and one chart page per pegboard.
Bead art size: beads, pegboards and centimetres
Midi beads (Perler, Hama Midi, Artkal S, MARD) are 5 mm beads on pegboards with pegs about 5 mm apart. A large square pegboard has 29 × 29 pegs.
| Width in beads | Pegboards across | Finished width |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | 1 | about 14.5 cm (5.7 in) |
| 58 | 2 | about 29 cm (11.4 in) |
| 87 | 3 | about 43.5 cm (17.1 in) |
| 116 | 4 | about 58 cm (22.8 in) |
Bead art shrinks very slightly when ironed, by roughly a few percent depending on how long you iron it.
Brands and colour numbers
| Brand | Colours in this tool | Shown in the key as |
|---|---|---|
| Perler (midi) | 103 | Item number, e.g. 80-19001 White |
| Hama Midi | 92 | Colour number, e.g. 01 White |
| Artkal S | 199 | Code, e.g. S01 White |
| MARD | 221 | Code, e.g. A1 |
| Nabbi BioBeads | 30 | Code, e.g. N01 |
Perler and Hama midi beads are the same size, so a pattern for one fits the other’s pegboards; only the colour names change. Bead makers don’t publish exact colour values, so the colours here were measured from real beads by the open beadcolors project.
How the colours are matched
The photo is shrunk to one pixel per bead, the main colours are found by clustering in the CIELAB colour space (which matches how our eyes judge colour), and each is matched to the nearest real bead colour using the CIEDE2000 colour-difference formula. Single stray beads of a colour are merged into their neighbours by default, because they are fiddly to place and barely visible once ironed.
Tips for great fuse-bead art
- Crop tight around the subject and tick Leave white background empty: background beads take as long as the subject.
- Small is fine: at 29–58 beads wide, faces need strong contrast; simplify the photo or use fewer colours.
- Join boards with their edges touching and iron them together, or iron each board and glue them later.
- Ironing: medium heat, ironing paper on top, small circles for 10–20 seconds until the holes start to close; flip and repeat for strength, then cool under a heavy book to keep it flat.
Frequently asked questions
Which bead brands does it support?
Perler (midi), Hama Midi, Artkal S, MARD and Nabbi BioBeads, all 5 mm midi beads. Each colour in the key shows that brand’s own colour number or item number, so you can buy refills.
How big will my bead art be?
Midi beads sit about 5 mm apart on the pegboard, so 58 beads wide is about 29 cm (11.4 in). The tool shows the finished size and how many 29 × 29 large square pegboards you need.
How many colours should I use?
Pixel art and characters: 4–10. Pets and photos: 12–25. Bead colours are limited, so more colours past about 25 rarely make a photo look better, only more expensive.
Why do the counts say “to buy” as well?
“To buy” adds 5% for beads that roll away or melt badly. Bags are sold in fixed sizes, so round up to the next bag.
How do I use the chart?
Each chart page is one pegboard, labelled A1, A2, B1… like a map. Lay out your boards in the same grid, fill each one from its page, then iron with ironing paper on top until the beads fuse.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The pattern is calculated in your browser, so your photo never leaves your device.
Last updated 2026-10-19.