Pixel beads on a pegboard: from picture to chart
Bead pixel art and fuse-bead charts · updated Aug 2026
Pixel beads are pixel art made of plastic fuse beads on a pegboard: one bead per cell. Makers also say bead pixel art or fuse-bead chart. This guide explains how that differs from screen pixels, how to plan a board you will actually finish, and how to turn a photo into a coded pattern with a realistic shopping list.
Screen pixels vs plastic beads
A screen pixel can be almost any color. A bead is one of a fixed set of plastic shades with a printed code on the tray. Useful patterns stay readable after color reduction: faces, logos, silhouettes, and bold sprites beat tiny gradients and soft bokeh. When people search for pixel beads they usually want that sprite look plus a list of codes and counts—not a one-click photo filter that still needs hundreds of rare colors.
Start from a strong photo
Crop tight so the subject fills the frame. Prefer high contrast and a clear silhouette. Busy or muddy backgrounds waste beads and confuse color matching. In Bead Pixel Art, use the edge crop so the subject fills the board; that often beats cranking grid size forever. Flat pastel or solid backgrounds are easy to knock out with one background-color pick. JPG, PNG, WebP, and GIF work in the browser; keep files under 10 MB so your device stays responsive.
Pick size for the look you want
Long edge 29 is a quick one-board piece for icons or simple mascots. 50 to 58 keeps ears, whiskers, or lettering readable without a huge bead count. 87 is roughly three boards of work and suits larger wall pieces. Match size to time, tray space, and how many beads you already own. The short edge follows your photo’s aspect ratio so the board does not stretch faces or logos.
Cartoon vs detail mapping
Cartoon mode flattens regions into larger bead blocks—closer to classic pixel-bead art and game sprites. Detail mode averages cells and reduces colors more gently, which often looks better on soft photos of pets or people. Cap max colors near what you stock (many hobbyists sit between 20 and 80 usable shades). Try both modes, paint a few fixes, then export the version you will finish instead of the version that only looks good on a bright monitor.
Edit on the grid before you buy
Paint single beads, fill areas, erase empty pegs, and undo mistakes. Turn on color codes when packing trays. Guides every five cells and optional row/column rulers help when you build on a real board. Spend a few minutes on eyes, mouths, and hard outlines—those small edits save hours of rework after ironing. If a color appears only once or twice, swap it to a neighbor so you are not buying a full bag for two beads.
Export and shop like a planner
Download a sharp PNG (codes on cells optional) and a material list with code, name, and count. Empty cells do not count. Buy a little extra of common colors—whites, light greys, and skin tones show up often. Treat on-screen RGB as a shopping plan under real light, not a manufacturer color warranty. Screens, room lamps, and plastic pigments disagree; check trays before large orders.
Common mistakes that waste beads
Leaving a huge background in the crop forces the tool to spend beads on empty space. Skipping the color cap produces a shopping list with dozens of near-duplicates. Exporting at 87 beads when you only have time for one board is the classic unfinished-project trap. Another frequent miss: ironing without checking codes against physical beads, then discovering the chart used a shade you do not own. Fix those issues in the editor first.
A practical session order
Open the editor, drop a clear photo, set long edge and brand palette, crop wasted margin, pick a background key color if the field is flat, cap max colors, try Cartoon then Detail, tidy faces with paint/fill, toggle codes and guides, then export PNG plus the list. For a full walkthrough with a real kawaii-cat before/after, use the photo-to-pattern guide. For Perler-style code talk and board multiples, open the Perler patterns guide.
Privacy while you convert photos
Mapping and export run in your browser. Bead Pixel Art does not upload images to convert them. Hosting still serves the static app and may log ordinary page requests; photos used for conversion stay on the device. Details are on the Privacy page.