Choosing the result and tracing controls
Web, Logo and fabrication use cases compare reviewed tracing methods. If several relevant palettes survive, choose a palette and then an SVG; unnecessary steps are skipped. Labels count finished visible colors, including white, but not transparency. Change choice reopens the comparison. Photo and Complex Illustration keep their existing optimizer.
Monochrome artwork compares six methods. Color artwork tests up to four supported profiles with 10, 8, 6 or 5 candidates per profile as the profile count increases from one to four. The automatic selection guide explains the comparison and skip rules.
Settings shown by default
VectorizeThis only shows controls that apply to the current image and use case. A missing control usually means that the source analysis found no relevant choice to make. Changing a tracing setting recalculates the SVG; display-only controls do not.
Simplify
Simplify controls how closely paths follow small changes in the raster image. Raise it to produce smoother shapes with fewer nodes and often a smaller SVG. Lower it when corners, narrow details, or subtle contours have been rounded away. A very low value can retain raster noise as geometry, while a very high value can change the intended silhouette.
Background
Background controls how a detected flat outer background is handled:
- Auto uses source analysis and the selected use case to decide whether the background belongs in the output.
- Remove excludes the detected outer background so the SVG can sit on other colors.
- Preserve traces the background as artwork.
This control may be absent for an image that already contains transparency or when a reliable outer background cannot be identified.
Use currentColor
For eligible one-color Web or Logo results, Use currentColor replaces the fixed output color with the SVG keyword currentColor. The SVG then inherits CSS text color from the page where it is embedded. Disable it to choose a fixed color with the swatch. This option is not shown where inherited color would be unsuitable, including fabrication outputs.
Crop SVG to meaningful content
This control is available for every result and defaults to enabled for Web and Logo. It adjusts the viewport to surviving visible geometry without stretching it. Removing an output color recalculates these bounds when cropping is enabled. Keep cropping off when the original whitespace is part of the composition.
Longest side and units
Fabrication use cases can expose a physical Longest side value in millimetres or inches. It assigns an intended real-world size to the output while keeping the original aspect ratio. It does not prove that thin features, kerf, clearances, or machine-specific requirements are safe.
Max colors
This control applies only to results using native VTracer settings; reviewed palette methods use their own candidate controls.
Max colors limits the palette available to color tracing. Enter a whole number from 2 to 64. Lower values can consolidate similar shades and reduce paths; higher values can preserve gradients and subtle detail at the cost of more layers and larger files. The number is a tracing limit, not a promise that every color will appear. The control is hidden for monochrome sources or where color tracing does not apply. An out-of-range value is rejected before conversion.
SVG precision
This basic setting is outside Advanced settings and appears only for non-fabrication results. Values 0 through 3 control decimal precision in optimized coordinates. Each prepared choice starts with its own tested precision; manual changes remain authoritative. Higher precision can retain positional detail but usually adds bytes.
Advanced settings
Open Advanced settings when the default result needs a specific tracing or output change. Availability still depends on the image and use case.
Color mode
Choose Auto, Monochrome, 3 colors or 4 colors on supported non-monochrome artwork. Auto restores the selected prepared recipe. Monochrome starts with black; Web and Logo can expose currentColor when one editable paint remains. Color-capable fabrication uses the same tracing choices without palette editing. Monochrome sources and fabrication modes that require monochrome omit Color mode.
Clustering
This control applies only to results using native VTracer settings; reviewed palette methods use their own candidate controls.
Clustering determines how raster pixels are grouped into regions before their outlines are traced:
- Binary separates foreground from background and works best for high-contrast, one-color art.
- Color cluster groups similar colors into layered regions and is the general choice for flat multicolor artwork.
- Watershed separates regions using local image structure and can help where touching areas need different boundaries.
The best choice depends on edges and color distribution. A method that adds detail can also add paths or small islands.
Merge paths
Unavailable for fabrication because SVGO is disabled.
Merge paths lets SVG optimization combine compatible geometry. It can reduce markup and path count without visibly changing the result. Disable it when a downstream editor needs separate paths or when you are investigating an unexpected merge.
Remove width and height (use viewBox instead)
This removes fixed width and height attributes while retaining the viewBox. The resulting SVG scales responsively through CSS or its container. Fabrication workflows may retain explicit dimensions because physical size matters.
Enhance trace input
This conditional option preprocesses the raster before tracing by enlarging and smoothing the trace input. It can help detailed artwork that has a limited initial palette. VectorizeThis tests the eligible image with this option on and off during automatic selection and keeps the stronger starting result. It is not offered for highly multicolor input, and it does not change the uploaded file.
Rotate
Choose 0°, 90°, 180°, or 270° to rotate the raster clockwise before tracing. Because rotation happens before vectorization, the generated SVG contains newly traced coordinates rather than a rotation transform. This is useful for correcting orientation while keeping standalone geometry.
Prettify markup
Prettify markup adds line breaks and indentation to copied and downloaded SVG code. It makes manual inspection easier but usually increases file size. It does not alter the rendered artwork.
Multipass optimization
Unavailable for fabrication because SVGO is disabled.
This runs additional SVG optimization passes after tracing. It may reduce output size further, especially when the generated markup contains repeated or combinable structures. Extra passes can take longer, and some files will not shrink.
Threshold and automatic binary threshold
Every monochrome result offers Binary auto threshold and a Threshold slider from 0 to 255 in one Advanced control. Moving the slider turns Auto off and uses explicit luminance thresholding; higher values generally include lighter pixels. Re-enable Auto to return to the selected recipe’s coverage handling. Inspect narrow gaps and holes after changing the threshold.
Input smoothing, corners and curve direction
Only controls consumed by the selected method appear. Input smoothing (sigma) changes coverage smoothing before contour extraction. Native monochrome methods offer Corner sensitivity (corner); isolines and supported color methods offer Curve direction radius (tangentRadius). These change tracing geometry rather than merely formatting the SVG. Defaults belong to the selected candidate; undo restores manual changes.
Round isolated dots
Supported native monochrome and color methods offer Off, Strict and Relaxed circle fitting. Strict accepts closer circular matches; Relaxed tolerates more raster variation and larger supported dots. Matching solid dots use SVG <circle> elements; shared color boundaries retain compatible geometry. The detector preserves lettering and holes and may leave uncertain shapes unchanged. This control and fitting are disabled for Vinyl Cutter, Tinkercad and CNC.
Fabrication output policy
Laser Cutting, Tinkercad and CNC default to monochrome tracing. Cricut, Vinyl Cutter and Laser Engraving accept color palettes when supported by the source. All retain physical sizing and fabrication checks. SVGO is disabled for every fabrication target, so SVG precision, Merge paths, responsive dimensions and Multipass optimization are not offered there. Prettify markup still formats code without altering geometry.
Result controls and conditional tools
Color swatches
Swatches list the colors found in the finished SVG, including a path’s implicit black fill. Click one to replace that color throughout the output. The picker updates the SVG preview as you move the selector; Confirm or clicking outside closes it. In supported browsers, its eyedropper can sample a screen color without closing the picker. When there are more than eight colors, click the compact stack to expand it before editing. Custom choices survive a settings rerun when the new SVG still has the same number of colors.
On an expanded palette with at least two colors, hover a swatch and use its × button to remove every path painted with that color after confirmation. This is unavailable while currentColor is enabled and on fabrication results. Removed colors stay gone through settings reruns until Reset to defaults. Check the preview before downloading: deleting a color removes its geometry, including any intentional details in that color.
CSS variables and classes
The gear beside the palette opens CSS export naming when the finished SVG has at most eight colors and Use currentColor is off. Choose Variables to replace a color’s fill with a CSS custom property, or Classes to identify those paths with a CSS class instead. Names entered on another color or card appear as suggestions. These names affect Copy code, individual SVG downloads, and Download all ZIP contents; they do not change the preview. The receiving page must define the variables or classes for the exported SVG to render with the intended colors. Clear all asks for confirmation and clears only the currently selected Variables or Classes tab.
Undo and redo
Use Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) to undo card settings and palette color changes. Use Ctrl+Shift+Z (or Cmd+Shift+Z on Mac) to redo them. Dragging a slider or color picker counts as one step; a bulk edit across several cards also counts as one step. Preview background and CSS variable/class naming are not included. Reset to defaults returns a card to its automatic settings and restores paths removed by color.
Preview background
The Background control above a preview cycles through transparent, white, and black. It changes only the preview surface so you can inspect light, dark, and transparent edges. It never changes copied or downloaded SVG markup.
Clean up tiny islands
If an output check finds very small isolated regions, Clean up tiny islands removes only regions it can safely classify as incidental specks. Some islands may remain after cleanup. On non-fabrication results, you can dismiss a remaining check with ×; fabrication checks remain visible. Review the preview because tiny intentional marks can resemble noise.
Output details and SSIM diagnostics
Each card shows the source image resolution beside its file size. The normal output summary shows path count and SVG file size. On desktop, clicking Output details reveals the processed raster resolution and available technical diagnostics: SSIM estimates visual similarity, while SSIM regret is the measured difference between the balanced result and the highest-SSIM candidate. Use SSIM Winner applies the most visually similar measured candidate without preferring a smaller SVG. These diagnostics are intended for investigation; a higher score can come with much heavier geometry.
Bulk edit
With more than one result card, Bulk edit collects the unique controls available across the batch. Stage changes, then apply them together. Cards already using the requested value are not recalculated. See how automatic selection works to understand why two images in one batch may start with different settings, or review all use cases to choose the right priority.
Monochrome and flat artwork trace at full admitted source resolution, with enlargement for small sources. Only detected complex images or photos cap tracing at 2000 px on the longest side. Hover zoom and mousewheel zoom synchronize the previews in source coordinates, including after cropping or background removal. Output details on desktop reveals the processed raster dimensions; SSIM diagnostics appear only when valid measurements exist. Copy code and downloads wait during Updating.
Bulk edit offers Use smallest SVGs while any card still has pending result choices. It selects the smallest offered finalized result across palettes for those cards and leaves already selected cards unchanged.
Opacity, batch readiness and fabrication alerts
Broad interior opacity or grayscale levels use color candidates instead of being mistaken for binary antialiasing. Output paints can retain alpha values; transparency itself does not count as a paint. Circle fitting requires a source-supported boundary around the disk, so a small segmentation fragment cannot become an invented dot.
Use smallest SVGs appears only once every image has finished processing or has result choices ready, and at least one choice is pending. Low-resolution warnings appear for every use case when both source dimensions are below 256 px.
Fabrication alerts remain visible. Download anyway requires confirmation for the current output; accepting it does not remove the findings or certify the file. Changing settings invalidates that permission, so remaining alerts require confirmation again. Batch download also confirms any unapproved fabrication alerts.
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