Top Paint by Numbers Software Reviewed

Similar to the adult-coloring-book craze of last decade, painting by numbers took the world by storm last year. What started as a quarantine hobby has quickly progressed into an irresistible craft for a lot of hobbyists.

If you’re looking to turn your pictures into paint by numbers paintings, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, you’ll find the top paint by numbers software reviewed and fully tested. I’ll cover the features, pros, cons, and everything in between.

Do you want to create paint by numbers? Let’s get started!

How Do Paint by Numbers Software Work?

Each software utilizes different techniques to convert images into paint by numbers templates. There are simple on-demand conversion tools that are free and only take a few minutes to get the job done. Such tools may not be the most accurate in terms of representation. Perfect for experimenting with different pictures and casual painting, though.

On the other hand, there are more complicated tools that take your image, send it to a team of experts, and then turn it into a custom-printed vinyl masterpiece. Of course, this can take weeks to finish and usually comes with a hefty price tag.

Convert Photo Into Paint by Number

Anyone who has ever attempted to paint a picture from a photo knows how difficult it can be to get the colors just right. But what if there was a way to make the process easier? With a little bit of planning, you can make photos paint by numbers pictures.

Make photos into paint by numbers to create unique, one-of-a-kind paintings. The process is simple: first, choose a photo that you would like to turn into a painting. Next, select a paint palette that you feel best represents the photo.

Then, using the paint palette, start painting in the areas of the photo that correspond to the numbers on the palette. As you continue painting, the photo will slowly start to take on the appearance of a paint by numbers painting. Painting by numbers from photo is a fun way to personalized a work of art!

Painters have been using the same colors for centuries. You can find free paint by numbers kits online. With a little bit of creativity, you can create your own paint by numbers kit. Oil paints are the best type of paint to use for this project. They are easy to work with and they dry quickly. You will need to print out a picture that you want to turn into a painting.

The Top Paint by Numbers Software Reviewed

Here are four of my favorite software for turning photo to painting by numbers:

1. PBNify

PBNify is probably the simplest software for paint by numbers conversion. It’s all done within the webpage in a drag-and-drop fashion. The creator, Daniel Munro, posted the source code of his conversion tool on his website alongside a small “Donate” button.

Once you enter the website, you’ll be greeted by the logo, a set of instructions, a drag-and-drop window, and a FAQ section. Things don’t get simpler than this.

However, there are a few issues you might run into when trying PBNify. In my first trial, it didn’t work at all. I uploaded the image, waited for the magic to happen, and it simply didn’t. Infuriating, right? Thankfully, there’s a FAQ section, and it turns out this issue happens quite often.

I was instructed to run it from a different browser or device, which solved my problem. The next step was selecting my color palette, which was pretty straightforward. I just clicked on different parts of the image and it detected the color palette.

After entering all the data and waiting for a couple of minutes, my template was finally ready. All in under five minutes.

Overall, it’s an incredible tool to use, especially for smaller projects. The software can struggle with more intricate pictures, and you might run into a few technical glitches. However, it’s the first software I’d recommend for paint by numbers hobbyists. Have I mentioned it’s free?

Pros

• Completely free
• Simple UI
• Works well for most images
• Extremely fast

Cons

• Frequent bugs here and there
• Can’t use offline
• No technical support

2. STOIK Color by Number

STOIK takes everything PBNify has done and gives it a nice overhaul, for a price, of course.

The most glaring issue with using PBNify was probably the fact that it’s only web-based. If you don’t have access to the internet, then you don’t have access to the webpage. STOIK looks like your standard, downloadable PC software. You can also download a free trial to test it out first.

Right off the bat, you’ll notice that STOIK uses the same method as PBNify. You choose the image and the color palette, your PC whirrs for a couple of minutes, and your painting is now ready for coloring!

There are a few advantages here, though. For starters, I noticed there was an option to directly acquire the image from a scanner or camera. I thought this was a fantastic option. In PBNify, you’d need to save the image on your hard drive first, then drag it to the browser.

The second positive note about STOIK is that it prints the image with the color key included. I can’t stress enough how important this is. The color key is what you use to identify the acrylics you’re going to use. I can see myself printing dozens of images from PBNify, then completely forgetting the paint palette I should be using for them.

It’s a wonderful experience converting on STOIK, and you get active technical support as well. I did come across a few operations lagging beyond five minutes, and I generally felt PBNify was faster to convert the images into paintings.

Pros

• Active technical support
• Free trial included
• Prints with color key
• Affordable

Cons

• Occasional lagging

3. iOS/Android Paint by Numbers Creator

Régis Cosnier created this powerful conversion tool for iOS and Android. Since then, he’s received an astounding amount of support on his webpage. It turns out, everyone’s been looking for an app like this.

From the comfort of your smartphone, you can now convert any image to a paint by numbers picture. Better yet, you can also tweak the parameters of the image, like the size of the numbers, the number of the colors, and so forth.

I was hesitant to buy this app since I felt it’ll be somewhat finicky on a small device. Much to my surprise, I found it more packed with features than most PC software.

I especially like the parameters panel, which allows you to tweak the paint by numbers image after it was converted. You can also edit the color palette within the app, export the image to an SVG file (for editing), and email it to someone in PDF format. Incredible stuff!

The only thing I didn’t like about this app was that it wasn’t made for PC. I noticed that the converted images had fewer details than the other software. This could be because of the limited power on smartphones, but it’s the only downside of using Régis’ app.

Pros

• Advanced parameters panel
• Can edit the palette after conversion
• Multiple exporting formats

Cons

• Not great in picking up fine details

4. Paintillio

Paintillio is arguably the best way to convert your image to paint by numbers, but not the most budget-friendly.

Situated in British Columbia, Canada, Paintillio prides itself on its handcrafted products. They take your image, turn it into a canvas print, and wrap it in a wooden frame. They also include acrylic paints, paintbrushes in all their packages.

You can choose from a small 12×12 canvas up to over 150 square feet! There’s no denying that you’re getting the royal treatment with Paintillio, but the price tag on some of these packages might make you reconsider. The turnaround time is also at least two weeks, with rush orders costing you even more.

This is probably the most expensive method to convert your image to paint by numbers, but it’s also remarkably effective. You could argue that it’s a bit extra, and it probably is. However, if you’re looking to splurge on a gallery-style canvas with your painting on it, you know where to look.

Pros

• Exceptional quality
• Framed canvas included
• Full painting kit included

Cons

• Very expensive
• Long turnaround time

Paint by Numbers Software – Conclusion

Each software has its perks when it comes to converting images. I’d recommend PBNify if you’d like to create a custom paint by number. However, STOIK is the better tool in the long run, especially if you convert images more frequently.

If you’d like to hang the paintings in your living room, then count on Paintillio to create your paint by number masterpiece!

CLICK HERE to browse our complete selection of high quality paint by numbers kits!