PNG to SVG Conversion Explained
Converting a raster PNG image to an SVG vector format is a process called image tracing or vectorization. Unlike raster images (PNG, JPEG, WebP) which store pixel values on a fixed grid, SVG uses mathematical descriptions of shapes — paths, circles, rectangles — that can be scaled to any size without loss of quality.
True vectorization analyzes the color regions in a raster image and generates path data that outlines each region. The result is a vector image that can be scaled to any dimension, edited in vector design tools, and embedded directly in HTML.
When to Use Color Trace vs. Embed
Choose Color Trace when your source image is a logo, icon, or flat-color illustration with clear, distinct color regions. The result is a genuine vector file with editable paths. The fewer the colors and the flatter the design, the better the trace quality.
Choose Embed when your source image is a photograph, a complex illustration, or any image where accurate color reproduction matters more than editability. Embed mode gives you a scalable SVG that renders the original image at any size, but the pixel data remains rasterized inside the SVG container.
Color Quantization and Tracing
Before tracing, the image is color-quantized — its millions of pixel colors are reduced to a small set of representative colors. This is similar to how GIF files work. The quantization step is critical: too few colors and fine details are lost; too many and the SVG becomes cluttered with tiny paths. For most logos, 4–8 colors is the right range.
After quantization, each color region is traced by following its boundary pixels and generating an SVG path. The resulting paths collectively reconstruct the image as a set of filled shapes stacked in z-order, with the most common (background) color at the bottom.