Creating Stained Glass
Designs On A Mac Computer

This guide will provide the basic information on how to easily take any image and make it into a stained glass pattern which can then be printed it out to any size using any standard printer. If you wish to resize an existing pattern, please see this related article. Creating your own pattern from any existing image is easy and soon you will be turning out your own unique custom designs.

Step One - Get An Image Editing Program
We recommend Paint Shop Pro (around $70), Adobe Photoshop Elements (around $99) but you can use any other program that allows image editing. The full Photoshop product is pricey and probably is overkill for most people, but it will do everything you could ever need, yet Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop Elements will do everything you will need to make your own patterns at a lower price.

Step Two - Locate A Suitable Image To Convert Into A Pattern
When looking for an image to convert, look for one with contrasting colors which will allow you to easily locate any edges, also look for one that can be broken down logically into pieces to help form a pattern. The pattern I used in the example below has easily defined corners and edges that made breaking it down in to a pattern relatively simple.

Step Three - Open The Image In Your Editing Program
Locate the image you wish to convert on your hard drive and make a copy of it in a separate directory called "originals" this will leave you with an original copy should you somehow mangle the one that you are going to convert. Don't eliminate this step, it's easier then it seems to mess up a file inadvertently.

Once you have the original file safely tucked away in a safe place, open up the image in your image editing program. If you want to make sure that the image is a particular size, make sure that the "canvas" size is correct. In our project, we wanted to make sure that the final pattern would create a piece of stained glass measuring 8.75 inches wide and 6.5 inches tall.

Step Four - Isolate The Image From The Background
This step will vary among different programs, but generally you want to first select the image to be converted, cut it out of the image, paste it on to a separate layer and fill the entire underlying layer with white. What you will then have is a bottom layer that is all white, and another layer on top of it that is just the image that will be converted.

Because you adjusted the canvas size in the preceding step, you may have to adjust the original image. For instance, the aspect ratio (the relative size of the height compared to the width) of the original may not fit the new size that you want the final product to be. The size of the image can be altered by using the "free transform tool" as it is called in the Photoshop programs, it may have a different name in other programs. Consult your owners manual to find out the best way to transform the images within a file.

Step Five - Add Lines For Future Cuts
Most programs allow you to put "guides" on top of an image. These are not actually a part of the image, but as their name suggests, they will guide you on where to place your lines. Try and find what look like natural places to make cuts in glass without having pieces that are too small as really small pieces can be highly problematic when you try and cut them. Lay down all of the guides as you consider what the final product will look like. I like to place my guides, and then get up and take my mind of the project for a short time. When I return I can either go with my original guide placement, or change it depending on if I like my original choices or not.

Now add a new layer for the cut lines. You will use the Line tool (or something similar in your program) to draw straight lines along the guides you placed earlier. Next, I like to add irregular lines that run diagonally through some of the squares created by the original straight lines. This will add character and stability to your project. After you place the diagonal lines, you may notice that some of the lines cover places that you may not want to actually make a cut. Use the "eraser" tool to remove any places you think may create either pieces too small or ones that look awkward.

Step Six - Number Your Pieces
Next number all of your pieces to be cut out. This is an important step that will allow you to properly construct the final piece.

Here is a video documenting the above procedure about a recent project made from an old Macintosh computer: