Grid maker
Drop a reference photo in and it comes back with a drawing grid over it, ready to copy square by square.
Portrait, window light · 1024×1536px · sample image
Drag images in, paste, or click to choose
A whole folder works too · Ctrl/Cmd+V pastes · on phone this opens your file picker
Results live only in this tab. Download before you refresh or close it.
How the grid is drawn
The image is measured once, in pixels, and the drop zone reports its natural width and height. Column and row counts are divided into that pixel size to get an evenly spaced set of lines — for N columns the vertical lines land at width/N, 2·width/N, and so on, with no rounding drift because each line is computed from the original edge rather than by stepping forward from the last one. The live preview draws those lines with plain CSS, an overlay grid with the same column and row count sitting on top of the picture, so nothing is decoded or re-encoded while you are still turning knobs. Only the export step touches a canvas: the image is drawn once at its working resolution, the same grid lines are drawn on top of it in the colour, width and opacity you chose, and the result is read back out as a single PNG.
Where this grid maker falls short
- Large images are scaled down for canvas export, so the downloaded PNG may not match the original resolution. The dimensions shown with the selected file describe the source image.
- The export is a flattened PNG: image and grid lines baked into one layer. There is no layered file to reopen and adjust later — change the settings and export again instead.
- Only an evenly spaced grid. This does not build a perspective grid that follows vanishing points, which is a different tool solving a different problem.
- Grid lines are drawn from the image edges inward, so a column count that does not divide the width evenly still produces uniform spacing — the discrepancy, if any, is sub-pixel and not something you would notice.
Questions about the grid maker
Is this grid maker free?
Yes, free, with no account and no watermark on the export. The image never leaves your device, so there is no server cost behind the site to recover from you.
What is a drawing grid actually for?
It breaks a reference image into equal squares so you can copy or scale it one square at a time, matching what falls in each cell rather than judging proportions across the whole picture at once. It is a decades-old technique from analogue transfer paper, done here without printing anything.
How many columns and rows should I use?
The initial grid has 8 columns and 8 rows. Add divisions if you want smaller sections to copy, or use fewer for a simpler reference. Adjust rows and columns to suit the picture’s proportions and the detail you need.
Can I use a non-square grid, like 8 columns and 12 rows?
Yes. Rows and columns are independent. Cells are square when image width divided by columns equals image height divided by rows. For example, 12 columns and 8 rows produce square cells on a 3:2 image.
Does adding a grid change my photo?
Your original file stays unchanged. The download is a flattened PNG with grid lines drawn over a copy, and large images may be scaled down for export.
Why is my exported grid drawing slightly blurry at the edges?
Very large images are downscaled to a working resolution before the canvas draws them, which is listed under the limits above. If your source file is small to begin with, downscaling never happens and the lines are drawn at native pixel positions.
Can I change the line colour and thickness?
Yes, both are controls next to the column and row counts, along with an opacity slider so the grid can sit faintly over a detailed photo instead of covering it.
