Free Grid Maker
Upload a photo, pick your rows and columns, and download it with the grid drawn on. You also get a printable grid guide with the real measurements. Full resolution, no watermark.
Upload a photo to set a size
Your photo's shape sets the other side (). To choose both, use Canvas Grid.
Download your grid
This grid follows your photo's shape. Canvas Grid lets you set your real canvas size, any aspect ratio, and position the photo inside it. Compose and preview free, $2 unlocks an hour of unlimited downloads.
Open Canvas Grid MakerQuestions
What the free tool does, where it stops, and how to use the grid once you have it.
Is this grid maker really free?
Yes. There is no payment step on this page, no watermark on anything you download, and no reduced resolution. The gridded photo comes out at the same size and quality as it does in our paid tool, around 12 megapixels.
The one thing it will not do is let you set a canvas shape of your own. That is the difference between this and Canvas Grid, and it is explained below.
Do I need an account?
No. No sign up, no email address, nothing to verify. Upload a photo and download your grid.
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No. Your photo never leaves your device. The grid is drawn and the files are built in your browser, which is also why it works instantly and why closing the tab is all it takes to clear everything.
What image formats can I use?
Anything your browser can open, which in practice means JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF and, on Apple devices, HEIC. Photos straight from a phone are fine.
Can I set my own canvas size, like 40 by 50 cm?
Not on this page. The free grid maker keeps your photo's shape, so you choose how big the output is and the other side follows from the photo. A 4:3 photo set to 40 cm wide comes out 30 cm tall, not 50.
If you need a specific canvas, that is what Canvas Grid is for. It lets you set both sides, any aspect ratio, and position the photo inside that frame so you control what gets cropped. You can compose and preview it free, and $2 unlocks an hour of unlimited downloads.
What if my paper is a different shape to my photo?
Then something has to give. Either you print the grid at your photo's proportions and leave the paper margins empty, or you decide which part of the photo to crop.
This tool does the first. Canvas Grid does the second: you set the canvas to your paper, then move and scale the photo inside it until the crop is the one you want.
How many rows and columns should I use?
More squares means more accuracy and more work. Between 6 and 10 across suits most drawings. Go higher for a detailed portrait, lower for a loose study or a first attempt.
Rows and columns are set separately here, from 2 to 20 each. The cell size readout under the canvas shows how big each square works out on your real surface, which is the quickest way to land on squares that are actually square.
What is the grid guide for?
It is the blank version: the same grid with no photo, marked with the real measurements down the top and side. You use it to rule the matching grid onto your paper or canvas, so the squares on your surface line up with the squares on your reference.
You get it as a second file alongside the gridded photo, and it uses whichever size and units you set.
Can I turn the grid labels on?
Yes. Cell labels puts A1, B2 and so on inside each square, on both the photo and the guide. It is useful if you are working with someone else and need to say which square you mean, and it is off by default because most people do not need it.