Recraft Vectorizer: Convert PNG or JPG to SVG

Vectorizing turns a raster image, made of pixels, into a vector made of shapes, which can be scaled to any size and recoloured without loss. It is the step between "a logo someone sent as a JPG" and "a file a printer, a sign-maker or a web developer can use". Recraft does it inside its canvas, and because Recraft also generates vector images natively, it is one of the few tools where you can generate, vectorize and hand-edit paths in one place. This guide covers the studio workflow, what makes an image convert well, the Vector Editor for clean-up, and the API for batches.

Vectorizing in Recraft Studio

1. Import the image. Drag a PNG, JPG or WebP onto the canvas. Recraft's import limits are 5,800 pixels on each side, 16 megapixels and 48 MB per file.
2. Select it and click Vectorize in the context panel.
3. Reduce colours. The Color Reduction slider limits how many colours the vector uses. Fewer colours give simpler, cleaner shapes and suit screen printing, vinyl cutting and embroidery.
4. Adjust colours. Swatches mode (the default) replaces one colour at a time. Spectrum mode shifts whole ranges of related colours, for example turning every blue into a green, which is useful for images with many subtle shades.
5. Export. Choose Export in the context panel or right-click and pick Export as…, then select SVG or PDF for a scalable file.

Recraft's own documentation is clear about the limits: photorealistic images, 3D renders and heavily textured illustrations may produce artefacts, because SVG supports only simplified shapes, lines and fills.

What converts well

Preparation helps more than any setting. Start from the largest, sharpest version of the image you have, remove the background first if the subject should stand alone (Recraft has a Remove background tool), and avoid JPEG files that have been saved many times, since compression artefacts become extra shapes.

Generate vectors instead of converting

If you are creating the artwork from scratch, skip vectorizing. In Recraft, Vector is its own generation type, separate from Image, and its vector models output SVG directly. For logos, Recraft's docs suggest choosing a vector style built for logos, such as Geometric Logo, Sharp Drawn Logo or Playful Typographic, and putting any text in quotation marks. Seamless Vector, under Vector art in the Styles panel, produces tileable vector patterns. One limitation: reference images are not available with the Vector generation type, so use vectorizing when you must match an existing raster design. Our guide to vector graphics and brand styles covers generating vectors and custom styles.

Cleaning up in the Vector Editor

Automatic tracing is rarely perfect at the corners. Recraft's Vector Editor works on any vector on the canvas, generated or imported SVG:

• Double-click the vector to split it temporarily into shapes; click outside to finish. To break it into shapes permanently, choose Turn into frame.
• Edit shapes: move, scale, rotate, reorder with Send to back and Bring to front, and change fill colours.
• Edit points: double-click a shape to drag points and edges, add points, and hold Cmd or Ctrl and click a point to add or remove its tangents.
• Delete stray shapes: select small fragments left by the trace and press Delete.

A frame exports as a vector only if every element in it is a vector, so vectorize any remaining raster pieces first.

Choosing the colour count

The Color Reduction slider is the setting that decides whether a trace looks crafted or chaotic. A rule of thumb that works for most jobs: count the colours a designer would have used if they had drawn the artwork by hand, and set the slider there. A two-colour logo should become two colours plus the background, not twelve shades of anti-aliasing. For screen printing, every colour is a separate screen, so fewer colours also mean a cheaper job. For web icons, one or two colours keep files tiny and easy to restyle with CSS. If a shape disappears when you reduce colours, raise the count by one rather than giving up on reduction altogether.

Export formats

Recraft exports PNG, JPG, TIFF, PDF, SVG and Lottie, and lets you set dimensions and resolution on export. For vectors, SVG is right for web and most design tools, and PDF for printers and sign-makers who ask for it. TIFF is listed with CMYK support for seamless patterns, useful for some print workflows. Always open the exported SVG in the tool that will use it, a design app or a browser, to check that colours and shapes survived.

Vectorizing with the API

For batches, Recraft's API has a vectorize endpoint that takes a PNG, JPG or WebP (under 20 MB, up to 16 megapixels, sides between 256 and 4,096 pixels) and returns an SVG. One option is worth knowing: shape_stacking set to hierarchical (the default) layers shapes so lower ones stay whole, while cut_out makes shapes that do not overlap, which suits cutting machines. Result URLs are temporary, kept for about 24 hours, so download them. Check Recraft's pricing page for the current cost per request.

Try it

flat vector logo of a fox head made of simple geometric shapes, two colours, burnt orange and charcoal, clean negative space, white background

Generate it as an Image in Recraft, then vectorize the result with a low colour count and compare it with the same prompt generated with the Vector generation type and a logo style. The comparison shows when converting is good enough and when generating a native vector is cleaner.