Picture Cross

Tips for Picture Cross

Start with the lines whose clues nearly fill them. A run that nearly fills its row has to cover the middle squares wherever it sits, so you can fill those at once. Lines with no room for doubt are your way in, and each square you fill gives the crossing line something new to work with.

Crossing out is just as useful as filling. Once a line's clue is satisfied, cross out every square left in it, and when its numbers grey out you know that line reads right. Every puzzle has exactly one solution and never needs a guess, so if you find yourself guessing, look for a line you have not checked for a while. Hint and Check are there when you are truly stuck, and they only cost a few seconds on the clock. Begin with the 5×5 grids to learn the reasoning, move on to 10×10 for a proper picture, and save the 15×15 grids for when you have twenty minutes to spare.

How to play Picture Cross

Picture Cross is a nonogram: a grid of empty squares with clue numbers beside each row and above each column. Your job is to work out which squares are filled. When the grid is solved, the filled squares form a picture, which fills with colour while its name appears underneath.

Each number in a clue is an unbroken run of filled squares in that line, given in order, with at least one empty square between runs. A clue of 4 2 means four filled squares, a gap, then two more filled squares. Start with lines where the runs can only sit one way, fill the squares you are sure of and cross out the squares that must stay empty. Every square you settle helps with the line that crosses it. When a line matches its clue, its numbers grey out. Hint fills one correct square and Check flags any mistakes, and each costs a few seconds on the clock rather than ending the round.

There are sixty pictures in 5×5, 10×10 and 15×15 grids, plus a daily puzzle that is the same for everyone on the day. On a computer you click or drag to fill and right-click to cross out, or use the arrow keys with Space to fill and X to cross. H gives a hint and C checks. On a phone you tap to fill and hold to cross out, or switch on Mark mode, and a size toggle keeps the squares big. P pauses and M mutes.

About Picture Cross

Picture Cross belongs to a family of logic puzzles known by several names, among them nonograms, griddlers and paint by numbers. They are a regular feature of puzzle books and magazines, and they work in any language because the clues are only numbers. The appeal is the reward at the end: a grid of careful deduction slowly turns into a small picture.

Kiloo's Picture Cross is made by Kiloo and has sixty hand-drawn pictures, such as a cat, a lighthouse or a paper plane. Each one was checked with a line solver, so it has exactly one solution and never needs a guess, which makes it fair for beginners and satisfying for experienced solvers alike. The three grid sizes suit different amounts of time, from a minute on a 5×5 to twenty minutes or so on a 15×15, and the clock stays gentle, since hints and checks only add seconds. Picture Cross suits anyone who likes quiet, logical puzzles, and your solved pictures and best times are kept in your browser.

Frequently asked questions