Artkal bead pattern maker
In short: Artkal's large S-series range (199 colours) makes it the best brand for photo-like bead portraits. Upload a photo, raise the colour limit to 20–30 and the tool maps each bead to a real Artkal S code with counts per colour and the number of 29×29 boards. Free: unlimited on-screen patterns, colour key, materials list and PNG chart download. PDFs up to 60×60 are always free, plus your first full-size PDF; after that a larger print-ready PDF is $2.99 per photo, or $7.99 for 30 days of unlimited PDFs.
or drop / paste an image · stays on your device
How it works
- Upload a photo.
- Choose Artkal S, 58+ beads wide and 20–30 colours for portraits.
- Order the codes you are missing, then build board by board.
What you get
| Colours | 199 Artkal S midi colours |
|---|---|
| Best for | Photo-realistic bead portraits |
Checked November 2026. Free: pattern on screen, colour key, materials list, PNG chart, CSV, PDFs up to 60×60 and your first full-size PDF. Bigger PDFs: $2.99 per photo or $7.99 for 30 days. Pricing · How the colours are matched
Why more colours matter for photos
Skin tones and soft shadows need many close shades. With Artkal's range you can raise the colour count without the pattern turning muddy.
FAQ
Which bead brand has the most colours?
Of the three supported here, Artkal S has the largest range (199 colours), followed by Perler (103) and Hama (92).
Are Artkal beads the same size as Perler?
Artkal S beads are 5 mm midi beads, the same size as Perler and Hama midi beads.