PNG → SVG
PNG to SVG converter
Turn a PNG into an SVG made of real vector paths. The tracing runs on your device, so the image never leaves it.
Drop a PNG image here or click to choose a file, or paste it with Ctrl+V Runs in your browser · files stay on your device
How to convert PNG to SVG
- Add your PNG. Drop it on the box, click to pick it, or paste it with Ctrl+V.
- Pick color or black and white. Color keeps the palette of the image. Black and white gives single-color shapes for cutting machines, stencils and engraving.
- Adjust detail and colors. Lower detail removes specks and noise. Fewer colors merges similar shades into one shape, which makes a lighter file.
- Download the SVG. Or copy the code and paste it into a web page, Figma, Illustrator or Inkscape.
PNG convert to SVG: what actually happens
A PNG stores a grid of pixels. An SVG stores shapes: outlines described with points and curves. To convert one into the other, the tool groups neighboring pixels of similar color into regions and then draws the outline of each region with Bézier curves. This is called tracing or vectorizing.
svgdot uses the open-source VTracer engine compiled to WebAssembly. It traces the whole image in color, stacks the shapes in layers and keeps transparent areas transparent, so a logo on a transparent background stays that way in the SVG.
Which images convert well from PNG to SVG
Tracing works best with flat artwork: logos, icons, badges, line drawings, signatures, simple illustrations and text set in large type. These images have clear edges and a limited number of colors, so they turn into a few clean shapes.
Photos are a different case. Every change of tone becomes another shape, so the result looks like a poster and the file can grow to thousands of paths. If you need to vectorize a photo, lower the detail and reduce the colors until the result is readable.
| Source image | Result | Suggested settings |
|---|---|---|
| Logo or icon | Clean shapes, small file | Color, default detail |
| Black ink drawing or signature | One-color paths | Black and white |
| Pixel art or QR code | Sharp square edges | Straight lines |
| Photo | Posterized look, many paths | Fewer colors, less detail |
Convert image to SVG without uploading it
Most online converters send your file to a server and send back the result. Here the tracing engine is downloaded once and runs inside your browser tab, so the image is processed on your own computer or phone. Nothing is stored and there is no account, watermark or daily limit.
Very large images are scaled down to 2,000 pixels on the longest side before tracing, so the conversion takes seconds instead of minutes. The tool tells you when this happens.
Picture to SVG for cutting machines and print
Cricut, Silhouette, laser cutters and vinyl plotters follow the outlines of an SVG. For them, use black and white mode: each black area becomes a closed shape that the machine can cut. For print and large formats, color mode keeps every shape sharp at any size, which a PNG cannot do once you enlarge it.