I built a fuse bead pattern maker: from portraits to patterns you can actually build
I recently launched a new web tool called PDQUEEN. Its purpose is not merely to make an image look pixelated. It turns a photo into a pattern that can be edited, printed, and followed while placing real fuse beads.
Why pixelation alone is not enough
A normal pixel effect can shrink an image and reduce its colors, but bead crafting adds physical constraints. The grid must match a real board, every color should map to an available bead color, important facial features cannot dissolve into isolated dots, and the final result needs coordinates and quantity totals.
That led me to split the workflow into composition, background, board size, color mapping, structural cleanup, cell editing, and export.
Original photos and AI portraits solve different problems
Original mode
Illustrations, logos, pets, and other images with clear shapes can go directly through the photo-to-fuse-bead pattern maker. It preserves the original composition and main colors, and standard conversion, editing, and export run locally in the browser.
AI chibi portrait mode
Portrait photos often contain complex backgrounds, fine hair, and many similar skin tones. The AI portrait-to-bead workflow first redraws the person as a clean chibi character, then converts that image into a bead-friendly pattern. It works especially well for avatars and keepsakes.
You can still edit every cell
No automatic process understands every detail a maker cares about. After generation, PDQUEEN provides paint, erase, fill, and replace-color tools for eyes, mouths, highlights, and edges. Color counts update while you edit.
From a digital image back to a physical craft
The part I enjoy most is that the result does not stay on a screen. PNG, SVG, CSV, and paginated PDF exports continue into sorting, sectioning, placing, and ironing the beads. First-time users can start with the photo-to-bead-pattern guide.
This is PDQUEEN's first public version. I will keep improving color mapping, contours, and export based on real builds and user feedback.