Create your first RetroBeads pattern

This guide helps you look at the image you have, choose the right RetroBeads start, and make a first pattern without guessing through the wizard. If you already know what you want to draw, start blank; if you have an image, first decide what kind of image it is.

First decide what kind of source you have

RetroBeads has three image routes and one drawing route. Upload image and Paste from clipboard are only entry methods: they decide how your source enters the app. Image type decides which wizard controls matter after the image is loaded. Source RetroBeads product RetroBeads import wizard image types The current wizard exposes Pixel art, Upscaled pixel art, and Photo modes with different control groups for each mode.

If you are unsure, start with the mode RetroBeads detects and read the preview. A good first pattern is not the one with the most controls changed; it is the one where the bead chart still reads clearly at the size you can actually build.

The shared controls before each route

You will see a few controls in more than one route:

• Palette chooses the bead brand and bead size for the preview. Pick the beads you expect to build with, because bead size changes physical dimensions and palette choice changes color matches.
• Auto crop trims empty edges after a crop or selection. Leave it on for most first patterns.
• Background cleanup appears for pixel-art modes. It helps remove a solid or detected background. True transparent pixels in a PNG already behave like empty cells, so do not force cleanup when the source is already transparent.
• Advanced is for fixing a specific problem, not for proving you know the app. Leave Auto settings alone until the preview shows a reason to change them.

editor.retrobeads.app / import Preview

editor.retrobeads.app / import Preview

Route A. Sprite or sprite sheet

Use this route when the source already has hard pixel edges and each source pixel should become one bead. Tiny sprites, icons, and clean pixel-art frames usually belong here.

1. Choose Upload image if the file is on your device, or Paste from clipboard if you just copied the image or a supported image URL.
2. Open Image type and use Pixel art if RetroBeads did not already detect it.
3. If the source is a sprite sheet, isolate the one sprite you want. Use Rectangular select for a clean frame, or Magic select when one sprite is clearly separated from the rest. The wizard can crop a frame; it is not a full sprite-sheet manager.
4. Leave Auto crop on so empty transparent or background edges do not become part of the pattern.
5. Use Background cleanup only when the sprite sits on a solid background that should become empty cells. Turn it off if the PNG already has real transparency.
6. Pick the palette you expect to build with, then read the preview before pressing Create pattern.

Pixel art is the simplest route because nothing needs to be smoothed. In Advanced, the wizard does not need a downscaling decision for native pixel art; every source pixel is already the unit you want to preserve.

Route B. Upscaled pixel art

Use this route when the source looks like pixel art, but the file is larger because each original pixel was exported as a block. Common examples are screenshots, enlarged sprites, and pixel art copied from a page that scaled it up.

1. Load the source with upload or paste, then open Image type and choose Upscaled pixel art if RetroBeads did not already pick it.
2. Open Upscale factor. If the detected grid factor makes the preview collapse cleanly into one bead per original pixel, use the detected value.
3. If the preview looks too large, too small, or doubled at the edges, try the next nearby grid factor. You are looking for the value where each square block in the source becomes one bead.
4. Use Rectangular select or Magic select if the screenshot contains browser chrome, a sprite sheet, or extra artwork around the piece you want.
5. Use Background cleanup for a solid background. If the source has blur or anti-aliased shadows around the sprite, cleanup may leave edge crumbs; tighten the wizard selection or use the drawing tools after import.
6. Leave Advanced on Auto for the first pass. If a damaged screenshot still looks muddy, try a different downscaling method only after the grid factor is right.

The most common mistake is treating upscaled art as native pixel art. That makes the pattern many times larger than intended because RetroBeads reads every enlarged source pixel as a bead.

Route C. Photo or smooth illustration

Use this route when the source has gradients, soft edges, shadows, painterly texture, or photographic detail. The goal is not to keep every detail. The goal is to choose a bead size where the subject still reads.

1. Load the source, open Image type, and choose Photo if the source is smooth or detailed.
2. Crop first. A smaller subject usually makes a better bead pattern than a whole busy scene.
3. Open Pattern size and choose how many 29 x 29 boards the pattern can use. This is the main photo decision: more boards keep more detail, but they also increase bead count and build time.
4. Choose Fit to frame when you want the whole image visible, Zoom to fill when the subject matters more than the edges, and Stretch only when distortion is acceptable.
5. Use Palette before judging the result. Some photos improve dramatically when the bead brand has the right range of similar colors.
6. In Advanced, use photo cleanup only for a visible problem: Majority filter smooths speckles, Region merge reduces tiny isolated color islands, and Edge outline can help high-contrast borders read at bead scale.

Photos ask for compromise. If a face, pet, or landscape becomes hard to read, do not keep adding advanced settings forever. Crop closer, use more boards, simplify the subject, or choose a more graphic source.

Route D. Draw first, or draw after import

Use Start blank when the pattern is already in your head: letters, icons, borders, small symbols, and simple motifs often start faster on a clean board than through an image import.

Blank is also useful after you learn the import flow. Many good patterns start from a rough import, then get cleaned by hand. Use paint for single beads, erase for stray background cells, fill for larger areas, and the bottom color rail to switch beads without reopening the wizard.

If you import first, do the big decisions in the wizard: source type, palette, crop, and size. Then use drawing tools for the craft choices that are easier by eye, such as fixing a mouth shape, straightening a letter, or removing a single noisy color.

editor.retrobeads.app Preview

editor.retrobeads.app Preview

Check the pattern before you build

Before you commit to beads, do one quiet pass through the chart:

1. Step back from the screen. If the subject only reads when your face is close to the monitor, it will probably not read as a finished bead piece.
2. Check the bead count and board plan. If the count feels bigger than the time or beads you have, crop smaller, reduce photo board size, or simplify by drawing.
3. Check transparent and background cells. Empty cells should be truly empty, not a color that happened to match the background.
4. Open Colors after creating the pattern. If there are too many colors for your kit, reduce the color limit, swap palette, or plan substitutions before you start placing beads.
5. Open Boards and make sure the layout matches how you want to build: one board, linked boards, screen reference, or printable chart.

What to do next

If the chart looks right, you have two practical exits. You can keep building from the screen, or export a PDF packet and work from paper or a tablet. Before you print, check that the page scale, color key, bead counts, and board layout match how you plan to build.

When you are ready to fuse the piece, read Ironing styles and troubleshooting. It covers open centers, standard fuse, flat melt, tape method, cooling, and the little clues that tell you when the heat is too much.