LadaCross · Illustrated guide

01 · Your first chart

Start small. See the result.

Desktop local application. You need Google Chrome and Node.js 20.12 or newer. After installation, the included launcher needs no npm packages, account or internet. The free guide and examples do not contain the application.

Extract the complete paid ZIP into a normal folder. Open a terminal in its LadaCross folder and run node start.mjs.
Open http://127.0.0.1:8787/ in desktop Chrome. Keep the terminal open; Ctrl+C stops the launcher. If the port is busy, use node start.mjs 8788 and open port 8788 instead.
Click Try the sample image. The flower starts at 48 × 48 stitches and eight colours. Click Make chart.
The sample produces 2,304 stitches and eight colours. The default PDF has three pages: overview, one chart sheet, and legend.

**A smaller starting chart.** The built-in sample starts at 48 stitches on its longest side and eight colours. Increase either setting when the result needs more detail.

For your own PNG or JPEG, use Choose a PNG or JPEG (up to 12 MP). Crop the image or use Whole image or Centre square. With Keep the crop's proportions selected, changing one stitch dimension updates the other. Charts can reach 200 × 200; colours can range from eight to 32. A smaller starting chart may lose detail, so always inspect it.

02 · Check the chart

The conversion is a starting point.

Review the palette

Use Review palette below the chart. Inspect each colour's symbol and stitch count. Merge similar colours when that helps your design; select a palette colour and use Brush (B) to edit stitches. Pick (I) selects a chart colour. Undo and Redo let you revise.

Inspect isolated stitches

The chart-side summary counts isolated stitches. These may be intentional detail or unwanted noise. Review them against the original image; a lower count is not automatically a better design.

**Review before you print.** The sample becomes 2,304 stitches with eight colours. Review palette and Project and export take you directly to the next controls.

Your own RGB colours, without thread-brand codes. LadaCross includes no licensed thread table and does not promise an exact thread match. Compare physical threads with a real shade card and stitch a small sample before a larger project.

03 · Keep the editable result

Save a project, then export a PDF.

Use Project and export below the chart. Give the project a useful name.
Click Export .ladacross.json. Keep that file outside the application folder. It contains the chart, palette and crop; Open project file restores it in a fresh browser context.
Choose A4 or Letter and colour blocks with symbols or black-and-white symbols. Check the page estimate; larger charts are tiled with the configured overlap.
Click Export PDF. Review the chart, page coordinates and counted legend before printing. Inspect the supplied A4 and Letter output files under examples/outputs/.

Browser storage is not a backup. Autosave and Save to this browser may be cleared by the browser. Keep an exported project file when the work matters.

**Keep an editable copy.** Project and export holds the project-file download and PDF controls. Narrow Chrome viewport shown; physical touch devices are unverified.

04 · A complete worked example

Chart the small heart motif.

Input: examples/ladacross/fictional-heart-motif.png, an original fictional 128 × 104 pixel image with four flat colours.

Choose that PNG in the local app.
Set Stitches across to 32. Keep the proportions option selected; Stitches down becomes 26.
Leave Colours at the new default of eight, then click Make chart.
Expect a 32 × 26 chart with four colours and 832 stitches. Export the project and PDF. The default PDF contains three A4 pages.

**A complete practice project.** The supplied heart image at 32 × 26 uses four flat colours. The counted legend totals 832 stitches.

**Inspect the output.** Actual page 2 from the heart A4 PDF. It is a symbol chart; the other pages contain an overview and counted legend. Physical print scale and stitching remain unverified.

The examples contain no customer data. PDF files show actual generated output, not a photograph of a stitched or physically printed result.

05 · Before a larger project

Know what has been checked.

Full cross stitches only; no backstitch or fractional stitches, brand matching, or exact skein-quantity estimate.
PNG/JPEG up to 12 megapixels; charts up to 200 × 200 stitches. Conversion reduces colours and may remove detail.
Desktop Chrome 152 on Linux checked with synthetic images. Narrow viewport checks demonstrate reflow; other operating systems, browsers, physical Pixel/iPad touch and mobile PWA installation remain unverified.
PDF export and counted legends checked. Physical printing, actual stitched samples and thread colour accuracy remain unverified. Check scale and stitch a small sample yourself.
No separate Pro unlock or activation key is needed for the included local features. The purchase supplies the complete downloadable app with these guides and examples.

The chart has too many similar colours

Try fewer colours when converting, or use Merge in the palette. Compare the change to the original image.

Changing the width changes the height

Keep the crop's proportions is selected. Turn it off only when you intend to change the image's proportions.

My saved chart is missing

Open your exported .ladacross.json file. Browser-only storage may be cleared. If an import fails, keep the original file unchanged and contact support with the visible error, without sending confidential content.

The launcher will not start

Check node --version is 20.12 or newer, that the ZIP is fully extracted, and that the terminal is in the folder containing start.mjs. A busy port can be changed as shown above.

Perunlight support · Product and compatibility