What every setting does

This is the picture that becomes the chart. Tap the dashed box to pick a file, or use a sample (Portrait, Botanical, Tabby) to see how Hooping behaves before using your own photo.

• High-contrast photos stitch cleaner than busy, low-light shots.
• Crop first if you only want a face, a flower, or a logo.
• Nothing is uploaded. The image never leaves your phone or computer.

How many stitches across the finished piece. Height is calculated from the photo’s aspect ratio, so a tall portrait gets more rows than a wide landscape at the same width.

• 60–80 — weekend project, chunky look, great for icons and simple pets.
• 100–140 — the sweet spot for portraits. Faces stay recognizable without a year at the hoop.
• 160–220 — fine detail. More time, more floss, and generation is slower.

Finished size = stitches ÷ fabric count. 80 stitches on 14-count Aida is about 5¾″ wide. See Frames for 4×6, 5×7, and 8×10 stitch counts.

How many distinct thread colors the chart may use. Hooping reduces the photo to this many, then (in DMC mode) maps each one to the closest real floss number.

• 8–12 — graphic, poster-like. Best for logos and silhouettes.
• 16–24 — most photos. Skin and fur start to look right.
• 28–40 — painterly, but the key gets long and you will swap needles often.

Also called confetti cleanup. Any color that appears on fewer stitches than this number is merged into a neighbor. Lone speckles disappear; the chart is easier to stitch.

• 0 — keep every speck. Use for pixel-art or logos where a single stitch matters.
• 3–6 — the usual setting. Removes dust without flattening a face.
• 10–20 — aggressive. Large color regions only; good for C2C blankets.

DMC matches every square to a real DMC six-strand embroidery floss (454 colors). The key shows the official number and name so you can shop by code.

RGB keeps the computer’s mixed colors. Pretty on screen, but you cannot buy those exact threads. Use it only to preview, or if you will pick substitutes yourself.

Cross-stitch treats each cell as one X on Aida or linen. Size is based on fabric count. Skein estimates assume full crosses.

C2C crochet treats each cell as a ¾″ corner-to-corner block. Fabric count and strands hide; the size readout switches to blanket inches. The color key still lists DMC so you can match yarn.

Paint mode does not create a finished picture. It turns your photo into a color-by-number page: the image is split into simple shapes, each labeled 1, 2, 3… You print the page, look up the number on the paint key, and fill that shape with real paint (acrylic, gouache, or watercolor).

How it differs from Stitch:

• Stitch — each square is one X (or one C2C block). You follow symbols with needle and thread.
• Paint — each square is a patch of color with a number. You follow numbers with a brush.

• Width in cells — how detailed the page is. 40–60 keeps shapes big enough to paint. 80+ is tiny and fussy.
• Colors — how many paints you will mix. 8–16 is comfortable. More colors = more little pots.
• Drop tiny patches — merges specks into a neighbor so you are not painting single dots.
• Color + numbers — print this. You see both the hue and the number. Numbers only is a blank coloring-book page.

Unlock once for the family and it covers both modes. DMC names on the key are “mix to match this,” not a required paint brand.

How many stitches fit in one inch of fabric. Only used in cross-stitch mode. It does not change the chart — only the finished size and how much floss the key estimates.

• 11-count — large stitches, good for kids and beginners. Piece comes out bigger.
• 14-count — the standard Aida most kits use.
• 16–18 — finer cloth, smaller piece, more elegant for portraits.
• 22-count — hardanger / linen territory. Tiny stitches; 1 strand is usually enough.

How many of the six DMC strands you pull for each stitch. This only affects the skein estimate, not the picture.

• 1 strand — 18- and 22-count, or a delicate look on 16-count.
• 2 strands — the usual choice on 14-count Aida.
• 3 strands — fuller coverage on 11-count.

How the preview (and printed chart) is drawn. Change this anytime — you do not need to generate again.

• Color blocks — a painted mosaic. Best for checking likeness.
• Color + symbols — each square has its key mark. Best for actually stitching.
• Symbols only — black-and-white, printer-friendly, like a classic leaflet.

When on, Hooping sprinkles neighboring colors through blends (Floyd–Steinberg). Skies, cheeks, and fabric folds look smoother instead of banding into stripes.

• Turn on for photos and watercolor.
• Leave off for logos, text, and pixel art — dither will salt the edges.

Dither adds isolated stitches. If the chart looks speckled, raise “Drop rare stitches” or turn dither off.

Draws a heavier line every ten stitches, the same way printed patterns do. Use it to count while you stitch. Turn it off if you only want a color preview or a clean PNG to share.

Runs the conversion with your current settings. Changing width, colors, rare-stitch threshold, thread, dither, or the photo requires a new generate. Chart view and the 10-stitch grid update live.

After it finishes you will see stitch size, finished inches (or C2C size), the chart, and the color key.

Each row is one floss you need to buy.

• Swatch — tap to mark that color finished while you stitch.
• Sym — the mark drawn on the symbol chart.
• Code / Name — DMC number and official name (or an RGB hex in RGB mode).
• Sts — how many stitches use this color.
• Sk — estimated skeins at your fabric count and strand setting. Always buy one extra of the largest colors.

Hover (or tap) a row to isolate that color on the chart so you can see where it sits.

• PNG — a picture of the chart at the current view. Good for sharing or marking up.
• CSV key — spreadsheet of codes, names, stitch counts, and skein estimates. Take it to the floss wall.
• OXS — XML a desktop pattern editor can open (Open Stitch / similar).
• Print — a printable page with the chart, size, and full key. Paint mode also appends the square list and the by-color sections.
• Number list — eight columns, every square in order. Row is down from the top, C is across. Use this when the numbers in the printed squares are too small.
• By color — one section per paint (or floss). Under each number, every row lists the columns to fill. C01–C08 means that color from column 1 through 8 on that row. This is the sheet you actually work from, one color at a time.

Print from your browser’s dialog — choose landscape for wide pieces.

Anyone can make and view a chart. Print and the PNG / CSV / OXS downloads require a one-time unlock.

1. Sign in to Hooping (Google or X).
2. Buy at gumroad.com/l/Hooping.
3. Copy the license key from the receipt email.
4. Open Unlock and tap Redeem. The key stays on that account.

One purchase covers 3 signed-in accounts. Share the same license key with family. Lost the key? Use gumroad.com/license-key-lookup with the email you paid with.