Free Image to SVG Converter
Convert PNG or JPG images to scalable SVG vectors with logo, posterized, detailed and black-and-white presets, colour count and smoothing controls.
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How to convert a PNG or JPG image to SVG
Vectorizing turns pixels into filled shapes that stay sharp at any size, which is ideal for logos, icons, signatures, stamps and flat illustrations. This converter traces images with the imagetracerjs library in a background thread on your device. It creates new vector paths from pixels, which is different from the SVG Viewer & Optimizer that only displays and cleans existing SVG code.
- Choose a PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF or BMP image up to 25 MB.
- Pick a preset: Logo / flat colours, Posterized, Detailed or Black and white.
- Adjust the number of colours, path smoothing and how many small details to keep. For black and white, use the automatic threshold or set your own.
- Choose a tracing resolution, then select Convert to SVG. Compare the original and the SVG side by side.
- Check the SVG size and shape count, then download the .svg file or copy the SVG code.
When vectorizing an image makes sense
A PNG or JPG is a grid of pixels. Scale it up and the edges become soft or blocky. An SVG describes shapes mathematically, so it stays crisp on a business card, a shop sign or a 4K screen, and the colours of each shape can be edited later. Designers often need to rebuild a logo for which only a small PNG survives, turn a hand-drawn sketch or signature into clean line art, or prepare artwork for vinyl cutters, laser engravers and embroidery software that require vector paths.
Automatic tracing is best for images with clear edges and a limited set of flat colours: logos, icons, clip art, stamps, comic-style drawings and scanned ink. It is a quick starting point rather than a replacement for careful manual redrawing, so expect to tidy the result in a vector editor if the artwork is important. Photos can be traced for a poster-like effect, but they produce large files with many shapes.
Worked example: a two-colour logo on white
Take a 4000 × 3000 pixel PNG logo made of a blue circle and an orange square on a white background. With the Balanced tracing resolution of 1000 pixels, the image is reduced to 1000 × 750 for tracing, and every coordinate is then multiplied by 4 so the SVG opens at the original 4000 × 3000 size. The Logo preset with 8 colours and smoothing 3 uses error thresholds of 0.97 pixels for straight lines and curves, and the default detail setting of 5 ignores outlines shorter than 8 pixel edges, which removes small specks.
In our test the result had 3 shapes and 3 colours (the white background, the circle and the square) and the SVG was 1,707 bytes, a tiny file that can be enlarged without any loss. Switching to the Detailed preset with 32 colours, smoothing 1 and detail 8 still found 3 shapes, but with many more points along each edge, and the file grew to 5,447 bytes. For simple artwork the extra detail adds bytes without visible benefit, which is why it is worth starting with the simplest preset.
How the tracing works
Tracing happens in three stages. First the colours are reduced to the number you choose, by sampling the image and repeatedly averaging similar pixels into a palette. Each pixel is then assigned to its nearest palette colour, creating one layer per colour. Second, the outline of every region in each layer is followed around its edge. Third, those outlines are fitted with straight lines and quadratic curves, using the smoothing setting as the tolerance: a higher value allows the curve to stray further from the pixel edge, giving smoother shapes with fewer points.
The Black and white preset first converts the image to pure black and white. The automatic threshold uses Otsu's method, which picks the brightness that best separates dark and light pixels, and you can override it with the slider. The tracing runs in a background worker so the page stays responsive, and fully transparent regions are normally left out of the SVG. The output uses a viewBox plus a width and height in pixels, so it opens at the original size and scales cleanly in browsers and design apps.
Common mistakes
Using too many colours is the most common mistake. Anti-aliased edges contain in-between shades, and with a high colour count each shade becomes its own thin layer, which inflates the file and creates halos. Start with the actual number of colours in the artwork, plus one for the background, and increase only if something is missing.
Tracing a small or heavily compressed JPG also gives poor results, because JPEG blocks and blur become wobbly edges. Use the largest, cleanest original you have, and pick a finer tracing resolution for intricate artwork. Finally, remember that tracing produces filled shapes, not editable text: lettering in a logo becomes outlines, so keep the original font name if you need to edit the words later.
Useful tips and limitations
- Start with the fewest colours that still look right. Every extra colour adds a layer of paths and makes the file larger.
- Photos produce large, blotchy SVGs. Tracing works best on images with clear edges and flat areas of colour.
- Turn on the transparency grid to check that background areas you expect to be empty really are.
- Run the downloaded SVG through the SVG Viewer & Optimizer if you want to review or tidy the code.
Common questions
Is the Image to SVG Converter output a true vector?
Yes. The SVG contains filled path shapes, not an embedded copy of your image, so it can be scaled and edited in vector software.
Why is my SVG larger than the original PNG?
Detailed images need many paths to describe. Lower the number of colours, raise smoothing or lower the detail setting, or use a higher-contrast source image.
Can I convert a photo to SVG?
You can, using Posterized or Detailed, but the result looks like a poster rather than a photo, and file sizes can be large. Logos and line art convert far better.
Which preset should I use for a scanned signature?
Black and white. Leave the automatic threshold on, then raise the threshold slightly if thin strokes disappear or lower it if paper texture shows up as specks.
Does the Image to SVG Converter keep transparent backgrounds?
Usually, yes. Fully transparent areas normally become their own invisible layer, which is removed from the SVG, so a logo on a transparent PNG stays transparent. The Black and white preset fills transparency with white.
How long does tracing take?
Simple logos usually take under a second at the Balanced resolution. Large images, many colours and the Maximum resolution can take much longer, and you can cancel at any time.
Your image is traced in a background thread in this browser and is not uploaded to ToolWorld Online. Save the SVG before closing the page.