Image to SVG Vectorizer

Bitmap images (PNG, JPEG, WebP) are grids of pixels — zoom in and they blur. SVG stores shapes as mathematical curves that stay sharp at any resolution, from a 16px favicon to a 10-meter banner. This matters for logos, icons, line art, technical diagrams, and anything that needs to scale. Converting a bitmap to SVG (vectorization) replaces pixels with paths using the Potrace tracing algorithm. The result is a lightweight, resolution-independent file that renders perfectly on Retina displays, responsive websites, and print. If your source is already an SVG and you need a bitmap instead, use the SVG to PNG converter. For changing between raster formats, the Format Converter handles PNG, JPEG, WebP, and AVIF.

The threshold controls which pixels become foreground (black paths) and which become background (empty space). At 128 (default), pixels darker than 50% gray become paths. Lower thresholds capture only the darkest features — useful for faint pencil sketches where you want just the main lines. Higher thresholds include more mid-tones, producing denser, more detailed vectors at the cost of larger file size. For photographs and complex images, the multi-color posterize mode is usually better than a single threshold — it splits the tonal range into multiple layers, each traced separately. To analyze an image's tonal distribution before tracing, check the Histogram Analyzer. For checking how the result looks at different sizes, the Image Resizer can generate quick previews.

Monochrome trace converts the image into a single two-tone SVG — foreground paths on a transparent background. This produces the smallest file sizes and cleanest output, best for black-and-white logos, hand-drawn illustrations, line art, stencils, and icons. Multi-color posterize runs the Potrace algorithm at multiple threshold levels and stacks the resulting layers, creating an SVG with several fill colors that approximates tonal depth. More layers mean more detail but larger files. Start with 3–4 layers and increase if needed. For images with solid color regions, posterize preserves the visual structure far better than a single threshold. After generating the SVG, you can inspect it with the Color Palette Extractor or fine-tune the dominant tones using the Dominant Color Analyzer.

The generated SVG uses optimized relative path commands and shorthand notation for compact file sizes. You can embed it directly in HTML, import it into Figma, Illustrator, or Inkscape, or reference it as an <img> source. The "Copy SVG" button gives you the raw markup for inline embedding — paste it into your HTML and it renders at any size without a separate HTTP request. For web performance, inline SVGs avoid render-blocking network requests and can be styled with CSS. If you need a rasterized version for social sharing or email, convert the SVG back using the SVG to PNG tool. To optimize the image before vectorizing, try the Image Compressor to reduce noise that can produce unnecessary paths. For the reverse conversion, read our SVG to PNG guide. If you're working with multiple formats, the format conversion guide covers all supported types. Explore all 92 image tools.