Most "PNG to SVG" websites upload your image to their server. VectorCraft's Image Trace does the same job inside the editor — in the browser version it runs entirely on your computer — and the result is fully editable vector art, not a black box.
Step 1: Bring the image in
Open VectorCraft and create a document, then choose File › Place… (CmdShiftP) and pick your PNG or JPEG. You can also paste an image straight from the clipboard. Click the placed image with the Selection tool (V).
Step 2: Trace it
With the image selected, choose Object › Image Trace › Make, or click Image Trace in the Properties panel — its arrow lists the presets. VectorCraft traces with the Default preset and shows the result in place.
Open Window › Image Trace for every setting. The panel shows the live counts of paths, anchors and colours as you change things.
Step 3: Choose a preset
VectorCraft has thirteen built-in presets:
| Preset | Good for |
|---|---|
| Default | A quick black-and-white trace |
| High Fidelity Photo | Photos where detail matters (many colours) |
| Low Fidelity Photo | A posterised, illustrated look from a photo |
| 3 Colors / 6 Colors / 16 Colors | Flat illustrations with a fixed palette |
| Shades of Gray | Greyscale artwork |
| Black and White Logo | One-colour logos and marks |
| Sketched Art | Pencil and ink sketches |
| Silhouettes | Solid shapes and cut-outs |
| Line Art | Drawings where lines matter more than fills |
| Technical Drawing | Thin, precise lines from plans and diagrams |
| Flat Logo | Flat-colour logos, with corners, lines and circles cleaned up |
Flat Logo is special: it finds up to ten flat colours automatically (white is always one of them), restores sharp corners, and snaps near-straight lines and near-circles to clean geometry. It refuses gradients and photos — use a photo preset for those.
Step 4: Fine-tune the settings
Mode decides how colour is handled:
- Black and White — one colour; Threshold (0–255) sets what counts as dark.
- Grayscale — Grays sets how many shades.
- Color — choose a Palette: Limited (a set number of colours), Full Tone (as many as the image needs), Automatic, or Document Library (only colours from your swatches).
- Flat Logo — 2 to 10 colours.
Open Advanced for the details:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Paths | How closely paths follow the pixels. Higher = more detail, more points |
| Corners | How readily sharp corners are kept |
| Noise | Ignores specks smaller than this many pixels |
| Method | Abutting shapes share edges; Overlapping stacks them |
| Create: Fills / Strokes | Strokes turns thin lines into stroked centre lines (set the Stroke width) |
| Snap Curves To Lines | Straightens nearly straight curves |
| Ignore White | Leaves white areas out, so the background disappears |
Use View to compare: Tracing Result, Outlines, Outlines with Source Image, or the Source Image itself.
Step 5: Expand and clean up
While it is a live trace you can keep changing settings. When you are happy, choose Object › Image Trace › Expand (or Expand in the panel) to keep only the traced paths. Release puts the original image back instead, and Make and Expand does both steps at once.
After expanding, ungroup (CmdShiftG), delete stray shapes, and smooth details with the Direct Selection tool (A).
Step 6: Export as SVG
Choose File › Export › Export As SVG…, or Export As… for other formats. Want the editable
original too? File › Save keeps a .vectorcraft file you can reopen.
Tips for common images
- Logo on a white background: Flat Logo or Black and White Logo, with Ignore White on.
- Hand-drawn sketch: Sketched Art or Line Art; raise Noise to drop paper texture.
- Icon for the web: 3 or 6 Colors, then simplify paths before export.
- Photo: High or Low Fidelity Photo. Expect large files — vectors are not ideal for photos.
Ready? Open VectorCraft and trace your first image, or learn the basics in the beginner tutorial.
Questions people ask
Can VectorCraft convert PNG to SVG?
Yes. Place the PNG, run Object › Image Trace › Make with a preset such as Flat Logo or 16 Colors, choose Expand, then export as SVG.
Is my image uploaded when I trace it online?
No. In VectorCraft Online the tracing runs inside your browser, so the image never leaves your computer — unlike most online PNG-to-SVG converters.
Which preset is best for logos?
Flat Logo for flat-colour logos (up to ten colours, sharp corners and clean lines and circles) or Black and White Logo for one-colour marks. Photos and gradients need a photo preset instead.
Why does my traced result have too many points?
Lower Paths and raise Noise in the Advanced settings, reduce the colour count, or start from a larger, cleaner source image.
Try VectorCraft right now
The full editor runs in your browser. No install, no account.
