DICE ART · PRACTICAL GUIDES
How to make dice art from a photo
A dice portrait is a grid of ordinary six-sided dice. The number of visible pips changes from square to square, creating light and dark areas that read as an image from a distance. Here is a practical route from your first photo to a project you can build.
1. Start with one clear subject
Choose a close portrait, a pet or a bold shape with a background that does not compete for attention. A full-body person in a busy landscape may occupy too few squares to remain recognisable. Crop around the features that make the image yours.
Use a photo you own or have permission to use. Try the sample in Dice Mosaic first to explore the controls without creating a project.
2. Compare the preview before adding detail
Choose black or white dice, then adjust brightness, contrast and gamma a little at a time. Brightness moves the overall tone; contrast separates lighter and darker areas; gamma helps you explore detail in the middle tones. If eyes or facial features disappear, compare a gentler setting before increasing the grid.
The preview detail selector changes how many dice fit across the image. More dice can describe smaller features, but also mean a larger physical piece at the same die size. Start small and only add detail when the subject benefits.
3. Inspect the individual dice and the whole portrait
Switch between the flat preview and the framed 3D view. Rotate the frame, compare soft daylight with gallery lighting, and use viewing distance to move between a close-up and a room view. The close-up shows the face patterns; the room view tells you whether they read as a portrait.
This is a digital simulation, not a photograph of a finished build. Real dice vary in colour, pip size and finish. Display frame thickness is a visual choice; check the physical measurements in your build settings separately.
4. Set a practical size before buying materials
Choose the space where the finished piece will go, then work back to the grid and die size. Columns multiplied by rows gives the number of dice in the artwork. Allow separately for spares, gaps and the frame. The related dice size guide below shows worked examples.
Test a small patch using your actual dice. Check their dimensions, contrast and how they sit together. You will also need a suitable backing board, adhesive and support for the finished weight. Follow the material suppliers’ instructions when assembling and mounting it.
5. Preview free, then unlock the build files
The free download is a watermarked PNG for evaluating your idea. A paid project unlock adds the clean poster PDF and PNG, blueprint, numbered placement pages, grid CSV and materials list for the selected photo. Physical dice and a frame are not included.
Keep that photo in your saved project to revisit its settings and export again. A different source photo is a separate project. Before assembly, compare the first placement sheet with the preview, confirm the orientation, and work through one labelled section at a time.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
See what your photo could become.
Explore real dice faces, a rotating frame and lighting controls in the free preview.
Create a dice mosaic →Compare free and paid features →