To convert an image to a vector, trace it: software groups the image's pixels into regions of colour and redraws their outlines as paths, which you save as SVG — or PDF, EPS or DXF. It works well on flat graphics such as logos, icons and line art, and poorly on photos. You can redraw by hand, trace in desktop software such as Inkscape or Illustrator, or use an online converter.
A raster image (PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF) is a fixed grid of pixels. A vector image (SVG, PDF, EPS, DXF) describes shapes as paths: lines and curves with coordinates. Converting from one to the other means rebuilding the shapes hidden in the pixel grid.
| Raster (PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF) | Vector (SVG, PDF, EPS, DXF) | |
|---|---|---|
| Made of | A grid of pixels | Paths: lines and curves |
| Enlarged | Turns blurry or blocky | Stays sharp at any size |
| Editing | Pixel by pixel | Move, recolour or reshape whole shapes |
| Best for | Photos | Logos, icons, illustrations, cut files |
Flat graphics with clear edges — logos, icons, lettering, clip art and line art — trace well, because the boundaries between colours are obvious. Photographs don't: they contain thousands of small colour regions, so a trace comes out posterized, as flat patches of colour.
The quality of the source matters as much as its type. When we traced the same logo two ways, a clean PNG gave 11 paths and a small, compressed JPEG of it gave 821 — every compression artifact became a shape. The full test is in how to fix a traced SVG.
Image2Vector exports SVG on every plan, and PDF, EPS and DXF on Pro. If you're unsure, start with SVG.
You can, but expect a stylized result: photos are traced into flat patches of colour rather than reproduced in detail. Vectorizing suits graphics with clear edges, such as logos and line art.
It can be. Inkscape is free desktop software with a Trace Bitmap command, and Image2Vector converts 1 image a day free, with no account and no watermark.
Yes. You can move, recolour and reshape the traced paths in any vector editor. Any text in the image is traced as shapes, not editable text.
Not by itself: the tracer follows the pixels it's given, so blur and compression artifacts become extra shapes. Start from the sharpest copy you have, and see how to fix a traced SVG for the settings that clean up a noisy trace.