Turn a photo into a paint by numbers.

This free tool clusters your photo into flat color regions and traces the borders between them — the same basic process used to design a paint-by-numbers kit. Upload a photo below, adjust the color count if you like, and hit "Process image" to see your numbered preview.

Explore the Paint by Numbers collection →

How it works

1. Upload a photo (or paste one from your clipboard). 2. The tool sorts every pixel into one of a limited number of colors using k-means clustering, then traces clean borders between each color region. 3. Download the numbered result as a PNG — that's your paint-by-numbers preview.

Why is the free preview capped at 24 colors?

24 colors and 1024px is enough to see whether an image works well as a paint-by-numbers piece — the shapes, the color separation, whether fine detail survives the process. It's a genuine, useful preview. What it isn't is a print-ready kit: our own custom paint-by-numbers kits are built at full resolution with a properly balanced paint palette, numbered paint pots, and a canvas or cardstock print ready to frame — the kind of thing this quick preview is designed to get you excited about, not replace. This preview also exports as PNG only — our shop kits include the full print-ready SVG file too.

Frequently asked questions

Can I print and paint this myself?
Yes — download the PNG and print it at home. For something sturdier and pre-mapped to real paint colors, that's what our shop kits are for.

What file formats do I get?
PNG for this free preview. Our full shop kits include the print-ready SVG file as well.

Do I need design software?
No — everything happens in your browser. No sign-up, no install.

Is this the same engine as your Etsy kits?
It's the same basic idea (color clustering + region tracing), but our shop kits go through a lot more manual refinement — palette balancing, facet cleanup, and print prep that this free preview doesn't do.