Image tracing converts a pixel image into vector shapes. Designers used to need Adobe Illustrator's Image Trace for this; today you can trace an image online, for free, directly in your browser. This guide explains every setting so you get a clean result the first time.
How image tracing works
The tracer groups similar colours into regions, finds the outline of each region and fits smooth curves along it. The output is an SVG file made of filled paths. Three things control quality: how many colours are kept, how small a shape can be, and how smoothly curves are fitted.
Pick a preset first
The BGFixer image tracer has five presets:
- Logo — flat colours and crisp corners. Brand marks, icons, badges.
- Illustration — balanced colour and detail. Cartoons, clip art, stickers.
- Photo — many colours for a painterly, posterised look.
- Line art — black and white. Sketches, signatures, tattoos, stencils, handwriting.
- Pixel art — keeps square pixels exactly for retro game graphics.
Start with the closest preset, then adjust.
What each setting does
- Colour detail — how many distinct colours survive. Lower is flatter and smaller.
- Remove specks — discards shapes smaller than this. Raise it for noisy JPGs.
- Curves — Smooth (splines), Polygon (straight segments) or Pixel (no smoothing).
- Layering — Stacked overlaps shapes (smaller files, easy editing); Cutout makes non-overlapping pieces for cutting machines.
- Gradient step — how different two colours must be to form separate layers.
- Corner threshold — lower keeps more sharp corners.
- Segment length and Path precision — trade detail against file size.
The preview re-traces automatically as you change settings, so experiment freely.
Tracing specific kinds of images
A sketch or drawing: photograph it in good light, increase contrast, then use Line art. See also turning hand drawings into vectors.
A photo: use Photo, then lower Colour detail for a stylised poster effect. Expect larger files.
A screenshot or UI icon: use Logo with low Remove specks to keep fine details.
Many images at once: drop them all, tune settings on one, then click Trace all and download a ZIP.
Common problems
- SVG is huge: lower Colour detail and Path precision, raise Remove specks.
- Edges look wobbly: raise Segment length or start from a larger image.
- Colours look wrong: raise Colour detail or lower Gradient step.
Is online tracing safe?
With BGFixer, the tracing engine runs on your own computer using WebAssembly — your image is never uploaded. That matters for client logos and unreleased artwork.
Try the free image tracer →