Stencil Maker
Turn any image into a clean two-tone stencil, entirely in your browser.
Your image is turned into a stencil inside this page and never uploaded, so there is no size limit and nothing leaves your device.
What this tool does
A stencil maker converts an image into a simple two-tone version - black shape on white - that you can print and cut, or use as a guide for spray paint, etching, pumpkin carving or crafts. This one works in your browser: choose a Solid threshold or an Outline of the edges, drag the level until it reads cleanly, optionally invert it or make the white transparent for cutting, and download a PNG. Nothing is uploaded.
Converts any image to a two-tone stencil - Solid (a filled black shape) or Outline (just the lines) - with a live, adjustable level.
Lets you invert it or make the background transparent for cutting, and download a clean PNG - all on your device, with nothing uploaded.
Corrects EXIF orientation and automatically downscales images past 2200px on the long edge before processing, so a sideways phone photo stencils upright and large files stay responsive.
Outline mode finds edges with a lightweight two-neighbour brightness comparison - checking each pixel against the one to its right and the one below - rather than a full multi-directional edge detector, so it stays fast even on large images.
How to use it
- Choose or drop an image - bold logos, lettering and high-contrast photos work best.
- Pick Solid or Outline, then drag the level until the stencil reads clearly.
- Optionally invert it or turn on a transparent background, then download the PNG.
Why use this maker
Stencils need bold two-tone artwork, and photos give muddy results. Thresholding to solid or outline shapes makes artwork you can cut or print.
Why we built it
We built the stencil maker with a solid threshold mode and an outline edge mode, with a live slider. Reduce a photo to colours with the paint by numbers generator and sketch outlines with the photo to sketch tool.
If your task goes further, try the Tier List Maker and the Contact Sheet Maker.
Who this tool is for
- Crafters, teachers and sign makers
- Street and model artists
- Parents running art activities
When to use it
- Cutting stencils for painting or crafts.
- Making vinyl or paper templates.
- Turning a logo or a photo into black and white.
- Creating bold graphic art.
Solid or outline
Two ways to reduce an image to a stencil.
Solid mode splits the image at a brightness threshold: everything darker than the level becomes the black shape, everything lighter becomes the background. It suits logos, silhouettes and bold lettering, where you want filled areas. Drag the threshold left to keep only the darkest parts, or right to pull in more of the mid-tones.
Outline mode traces the edges instead - the places where light meets dark - and leaves the flat areas empty, giving you just the lines. It suits line art and cases where you want an outline to trace or paint inside. The level here controls sensitivity: further right finds more, finer lines; further left keeps only the strongest edges.
Inverting and cutting
Invert swaps black and white, which matters depending on your surface - black shape on white for printing, or white shape on black if you are working the other way round. The transparent-background option removes the white entirely, so the PNG is just the shape on nothing. That is the version to use if you are importing into a cutting machine (a Cricut or Silhouette), laser cutter or design app, where the empty areas need to be genuinely empty rather than white.
For a physical stencil you cut by hand, remember that fully enclosed holes - the centre of an O or an A - will fall out. Real stencil fonts add small 'bridges' to hold them. This tool makes the artwork; add bridges in your cutting software or by leaving links when you cut.
Getting a clean result
The cleaner the input, the cleaner the stencil. Bold, high-contrast images convert best; busy photos with soft gradients turn into noise at almost any threshold. If a photo will not resolve, crop tight to the subject first, or pick an image with a clear light-and-dark separation. For lettering, a heavy weight holds together far better than a thin one once it is cut.
Everything happens on your device - the image is never uploaded - so there is no size limit and you can nudge the level as many times as you like until it looks right.
How the threshold and edges are actually calculated
Both modes read from the same per-pixel brightness map; only the comparison changes.
Before either mode runs, every pixel is reduced to a single brightness value using Rec. 709 luma (0.2126×red + 0.7152×green + 0.0722×blue, the same weighting used elsewhere on this site) - a formula that matches how the eye weighs colour rather than simply averaging the channels. Solid mode then compares each pixel's luma straight against the level slider: darker than the level becomes the black shape, lighter becomes the background.
Outline mode reuses that same brightness map but compares each pixel to its immediate right neighbour and the one directly below it. If either difference is bigger than the sensitivity implied by the slider, the pixel is marked as an edge. It is a fast two-neighbour check, not a full edge-detection kernel like Sobel or Canny, which is why it stays quick on a large photo but produces a slightly rougher line than a dedicated vector trace would.
This tool always outputs a single two-tone layer. It has no multi-layer or registration-mark mode for multi-colour stencils - for that, run the tool again at a different threshold for each colour separation and line the layers up yourself in a design or cutting app.
What you give it, and what you get back
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Input | An image. |
| Options | Solid or outline, level, invert and transparent background. |
| Output | A stencil PNG. |
Issues you may run into
| What you see | Why it happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Islands fall out of a cut stencil | Enclosed holes have no support. | Add bridges manually. |
| Result is blotchy | Low-contrast source. | Use a high-contrast image. |
| Fine detail disappears | Level is too high or low. | Adjust the level. |
Assumptions and limitations
- It makes the stencil artwork, not physical bridges. Enclosed holes (the middle of an O or A) will fall out of a hand-cut stencil unless you add links.
- Soft, low-contrast photos convert poorly. Bold logos, lettering and high-contrast images give the cleanest result.
- Outline mode is a light edge pass, not a full vector trace, so it produces pixels rather than smooth paths. For crisp scaling, trace the PNG in a vector app.
- It outputs a raster PNG. A cutting machine may prefer an SVG, which you can make by vectorising the download.
- Transparent output is white-to-transparent only; the black shape stays solid.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn an image into a stencil?
Choose or drop an image, pick Solid (a filled black shape at a brightness threshold) or Outline (just the edges), and drag the level until the stencil reads cleanly. Then optionally invert it or make the background transparent, and download the PNG. It all happens in your browser.
What makes a good stencil image?
High contrast and bold shapes. Logos, silhouettes and heavy lettering convert cleanly; busy photos with soft gradients turn to noise. If a photo will not resolve, crop tight to the subject or choose one with a clear separation between light and dark.
What is the difference between solid and outline?
Solid fills everything darker than the threshold with black - good for logos and silhouettes. Outline traces only the edges and leaves flat areas empty - good for line art or when you want just the lines to paint inside. The level slider controls the threshold in Solid mode and the edge sensitivity in Outline mode.
Can I get a transparent background for cutting?
Yes. Turn on the transparent-background option and the white areas become see-through, leaving just the black shape. That is the version to import into a cutting machine, laser cutter or design app, where the empty areas need to be genuinely empty.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. The image is read and converted entirely on your device and never leaves it, which is why there is no size limit. Nothing is sent to a server.
Can I print the stencil?
Yes - download the PNG and print it at the size you need, then cut it out. Remember that enclosed holes will fall out of a hand-cut stencil unless you add small bridges, either in your software or by leaving links as you cut.
Does the stencil maker support multiple layers or registration marks for a multi-colour stencil?
No - it produces a single two-tone layer per export. For a multi-colour stencil, run the tool again at different threshold levels for each colour separation and line the layers up yourself in a design or cutting app; it doesn't add registration marks automatically.
How exactly does Outline mode find edges?
It compares each pixel's brightness (luma) to the pixel immediately to its right and the one directly below it. If either difference is bigger than the sensitivity set by the level slider, that pixel is marked as an edge. It's a fast two-neighbour check rather than a full edge-detection kernel like Sobel or Canny, which is why it stays quick even on large photos.