How to Design Your Own Diamond Painting

Introduction

Design your own diamond painting today and launch premium custom kits with no inventory, no minimums, and full creative control. Pixelmade makes it easy to turn your artwork into a production-ready diamond painting design by following clear standards for canvas sizing, diamond layout, and color matching.

1. Choose Your Template Size and Diamond Type

1 Pixel = 1 Diamond Space. So, each pixel in your file becomes one printed diamond space. Diamonds are roughly 0.25–0.29 cm.

Knowing that, start by choosing your canvas size and diamond shape (round or square). This choice determines: 1) The print size (your active design area); 2) The design file size

For example, Pixelmade standard formats include:

• Print size 20×25 cm → Your file size 70×88 px (round diamonds) or 80×100 px (square diamonds)
• Print size 50×60 cm → Your file size 177×212 px (round diamonds) or 201×241 px (square diamonds)
  
  
  

Canvas Size Determines Detail

A bigger canvas allows more detail, so build your artwork at the exact template resolution - don’t scale later.

General guidelines:

• 20×25 cm: simple icons, symbols, basic shapes
• 30×40 cm: cute characters, simple illustrations
• 40×50 cm and up: patterns, portraits, landscapes, intricate scenes
  
  

  

Round vs. Square diamonds

• Round diamonds give a softer, more forgiving look and are easier to place.
• Square diamonds create a denser, sharper “full coverage” finish, so they require higher pixel resolutions per size.
  
  
  

2. Design in Photoshop

Create your design in Photoshop using Pixelmade templates. This gives you full pixel-level control and makes sure your file matches the exact diamond grid.

Step-by-step Photoshop workflow

1. Open the correct Pixelmade template for your canvas size and diamond shape
2. Create or paste your artwork inside the active area
3. Reduce your design to ≤30 colors
4. Export as PNG at 100% size
   
   
   

Tips for best results:

• Reduce near-duplicate shades before exporting
• Avoid heavy gradients and ultra-soft transitions unless working on a large canvas
• Focus on contrast and readability at actual template resolution
• No transparency: every pixel must have a color; transparent pixels will turn solid white
• Use the DMC chart/swatches to pick exact colors yourself during design phase. This is best if you want predictable results or need to fine-tune specific areas.
  • DMC Color Chart (Excel) with RGB/HEX
  • DMC Swatches (.ACO) for Photoshop import.
    

3. Map your design colors to DMC colors with our Design Maker

Pixelmade uses the standard DMC diamond color system, so your final color palette is matched to the closest shades from the 445 standard DMC diamond colors available in our stock.

1. In the Pixelmade app, search for the diamond painting kit that matches the template size and diamond shape you’ve chosen. Then click Create Product Template to open the design maker.
2. Upload your design (≤30 colors) to Pixelmade to automatically match it to the closest DMC tones. Similar shades might merge during the color matching.
   
   

4. Order a Sample / Test Kit

Before going live, order a test kit. It’s the most reliable way to evaluate real-life clarity, DMC color appearance, and how the final piece reads once completed. (Mockups are approximate and lighting/material can affect perception.)

5. Launch in Your Store

Once your sample looks right, publish your product. With Pixelmade you can offer premium diamond painting kits without holding inventory, confident that every order follows the same sizing grids and DMC standards.