Bead Pattern Workbench Guide | Drafts, Tools & Export - i拼豆
📢 Announcement: The experience portal is live—upload an image to generate Perler bead patterns!Try it now
i拼豆 Perler Bead Studio
i拼豆 Perler Bead Studio
i拼豆 Craft Studio
English
Log in / Sign up

Workbench Guide

Covers draft management, parameter settings, canvas controls, editing tools, pattern import, immersion mode, and export flow.

Open Workbench
1Entry & Drafts2Left Panel (Global Settings)3Canvas & View Controls4Right Panel Editing5Reference Image6Immersion Mode7Keyboard Shortcuts8Export & Build Prep9Physical Build Workflow

1. Entry & Drafts

Generate via upload/whiteboard or import a pattern; save drafts manually to avoid overwriting.

1

Core Flow

  1. 1Upload an image or create a blank board to generate a canvas.
  2. 2Adjust grid width, color count, and processing mode for a base result.
  3. 3Turn on Edit Mode for local fixes and color replacement.
  4. 4Check color stats before downloading, printing, or exporting CSV.
2

Drafts & AI

  1. 1Left-side toolbar "Drafts" button lets you manually save, continue, or delete drafts.
  2. 2Drafts only take a slot when you click Save; current limit is 5.
  3. 3Opening a draft replaces the current canvas, so save first.
  4. 4"AI" panel is for templates and history, separate from drafts.
3

Upload vs. Whiteboard

  1. 1Upload: best for existing artwork or reference images.
  2. 2Whiteboard: ideal for drawing pixel art from scratch or redrawing.
  3. 3For whiteboards, decide grid width before you start.
4

Import a Pattern

  1. 1No need to pre-create a canvas—choose "Import Pattern" to upload an external pattern.
  2. 2In the align dialog, use nudge buttons plus overlay opacity and grid scale to match cells.
  3. 3Confirm to detect color IDs per cell and replace the current canvas.

2. Left Panel (Global Settings)

Controls detail density, palette depth, and build difficulty.

Grid Width

  • 1Higher values add more detail and more cells.
  • 2Denser grids require more time and materials.
  • 3Choose based on final size and acceptable time.

Color Count

  • 1Limits the total number of colors.
  • 2Fewer colors are easier to assemble but reduce detail.
  • 3Start mid-range, then fine-tune with color stats.

Merge Threshold

  • 1Merges similar colors to reduce speckles.
  • 2Higher = more uniform; lower = more layers.
  • 3Raise it when you see too many tiny colors.

Processing Mode: Cartoon / Real

  • 1Cartoon: cleaner edges and larger blocks; good for anime avatars and logos.
  • 2Real: smoother shading; good for portraits, landscapes, photos.
  • 3If unsure, start with Real and switch to Cartoon if assembly is too complex.

Render Mode: Square / Cylinder

  • 1Affects preview and exported images; color stats/CSV stay the same.
  • 2Square is easier to read; Cylinder looks closer to real beads.

Board Theme & Grid Style

  • 1Board theme sets the base/background tone.
  • 2Grid style options: Standard, Bold every 5, 10x10 blocks, 5-step diagonals.
  • 3Affects exported images, not color stats/CSV.

Brand & Palette

  • 1Match your actual bead brand/palette.
  • 2Mismatch leads to real-world color differences.

Watermark & Display Toggles

  • 1Watermark: add text to exported pattern images.
  • 2Grid: show alignment lines (included in exported images).
  • 3Coordinates: show row/column labels (included in exported images).
  • 4Color IDs: show codes inside cells; auto-hide when cells are too small.
  • 5Crosshair: highlight row/column on hover (preview only).
  • 6Legend: show color codes + counts and control legend inclusion in exports.
  • 7Dither: re-maps colors to smooth gradients, but can add speckles.

Flip & Remove Background

  • 1Flip Horizontal: mirror left-right.
  • 2Flip Vertical: mirror top-bottom.
  • 3Remove Background: clear edge-connected areas of the most common edge color (not for whiteboards).

3. Canvas & View Controls

Fast navigation and quick actions.

Zoom & Pan

  • 1Use the zoom slider, mouse wheel, or pinch to zoom; grid size stays the same.
  • 2Hold Space to pan temporarily; H locks the hand tool.
  • 3Touch devices: one-finger pan, two-finger pinch to zoom.

Top Toolbar

  • 1Download/Print/Export CSV: output pattern and lists.
  • 2Upload/Replace image: upload a new source and regenerate.
  • 3Import Pattern: align an external pattern (replaces current canvas).
  • 4Color Stats: open the legend drawer (Legend must be on).
  • 5AI: open template generation and history.
  • 6Fullscreen/Immersion: inspect details.

Quick Toolbar & Help

  • 1The floating toolbar includes undo/redo, tool switching, zoom, and reference toggles; you can collapse it.
  • 2Desktop has a ? help bubble with shortcuts.
  • 3The left-side toolbar toggles parameters, edit panel, and drafts, and shows the active brush color.

4. Right Panel Editing

Refine local colors, shapes, and details.

Edit Mode & Tools

  • 1Edit Mode toggle: must be ON to modify cells.
  • 2Brush (B / 1), Eraser (E / 2), Picker (I / 3), Reference picker, Reference brush, Rectangle fill.
  • 3Reference picker/brush require a reference image.
  • 4Hand tool (H) for panning without accidental drawing.
  • 5Brush size adjustable 1–6 cells.

Color Replacement (Key)

  • 1Step 1: choose Color Replacement and click the source color on the canvas.
  • 2Step 2: pick the target color in the dialog and confirm; all matching cells are replaced.
  • 3Enable Full Palette to pick from the complete list.
  • 4Restore Color Replacement returns to the pre-replace state.

Palette & History

  • 1Toggle Used Colors / Full Palette to control the list scope.
  • 2Search by color code or name; click to set the brush color.
  • 3Undo/redo steps through edit history.

5. Reference Image

Load a separate reference image for side-by-side comparison while editing.

Loading & Display

  • 1Upload a reference image in the Reference panel on the right side.
  • 2Show/Hide toggle (shortcut R) controls reference visibility.
  • 3Overlay mode (shortcut O) places the reference on top of the pattern for comparison.
  • 4Opacity slider (shortcut [ / ]) adjusts reference transparency, 0–100%.

Position & Scale

  • 1Shift + Drag to reposition the reference image.
  • 2Shift + Scroll wheel to scale the reference image.
  • 3The panel provides nudge buttons (←↑↓→) and +/− scale buttons.
  • 4Match to Grid auto-fits the reference to the pattern dimensions.
  • 5Snap to Grid aligns the reference to cell boundaries.

Lock & Management

  • 1Lock prevents accidental repositioning of the reference.
  • 2Replace or remove the reference at any time.
  • 3Hold Alt and click the canvas to pick a color directly from the reference area.

6. Immersion Mode

Focused checking for large canvases.

Enter Immersion

  • 1Use the top button or press M to enter/exit immersion mode.
  • 2Immersion hides extra UI to focus on the canvas.
  • 3Press Esc to exit quickly.

Section & Color Navigation

  • 1Left/Right arrows move between sections and highlight the active area.
  • 2Up/Down arrows switch colors for inspection.
  • 3Mobile can expand the immersion panel for more info.

7. Keyboard Shortcuts

Master shortcuts to speed up your editing workflow (Edit Mode must be on).

Tool Switching

  • 1B / 1 — Brush
  • 2E / 2 — Eraser
  • 3I / 3 — Picker
  • 45 — Reference brush
  • 5H — Hand tool (pan)
  • 6Space (hold) — Temporary pan

Edit Actions

  • 1M — Toggle immersion
  • 2Esc — Exit immersion
  • 3Ctrl + Z — Undo
  • 4Ctrl + Y — Redo
  • 5Ctrl + S — Save draft

Panels & View

  • 1P — Expand/collapse edit panel
  • 2C / Shift + P — Expand/collapse palette
  • 3Scroll wheel — Zoom canvas

Reference Shortcuts

  • 1R — Show/hide reference
  • 2O — Toggle overlay mode
  • 3[ / ] — Adjust reference opacity
  • 44 / Alt + Click — Pick color from reference
  • 5Shift + Drag — Move reference
  • 6Shift + Scroll — Scale reference

8. Export & Build Prep

Before building, verify the pattern and material list.

Pattern Export

  • 1Download/Print outputs the current pattern (affected by grid/labels/legend toggles).
  • 2Fullscreen and immersion are great for detail checks.
  • 3After replacing the image, re-check parameters and color IDs.

Color & Quantity List

  • 1Color stats provide codes and counts.
  • 2Export CSV for material prep and further sorting.
  • 3Verify color codes against your actual palette before building.

9. Physical Build Workflow

Key steps from bead selection to display.

Bead selection

  • 15mm is best for beginners/family; 2.6mm suits advanced, high‑detail builds.
  • 272 colors for starter sets; 168 colors for gradients, portraits, and complex scenes.

Brand & size mixing

  • 1Avoid mixing brands; color codes and materials can differ.
  • 25mm and 2.6mm use different pegboards and can’t be mixed.

Print & layout

  • 1Confirm scale before printing; 300 DPI recommended. If A4 is too small, print in tiles.
  • 2Place large color blocks first, then details; check section by section and keep a digital backup.

Ironing & cooling

  • 1Use medium heat and keep moving; use parchment paper or ironing film, never wax paper.
  • 2Advanced: tape method for flipping; press flat to cool for 10–20 minutes.

Framing & display

  • 1Choose a deep shadow‑box frame to avoid pressure.
  • 2Fix with removable adhesive dots; dark backing boosts contrast.
© 2026 i拼豆 · Make Perler Beads more fun