How to use it
- Drop in a .bmp file.
- Choose a style, then set the number of colors.
- Drag across the preview to compare with the original.
- Download the SVG.
Why BMP files are easy to trace
BMP files are uncompressed, so there is no JPEG-style noise around the edges. What you see is what the tracer gets. Legacy Windows graphics, scanner output and old software screenshots convert cleanly with a few colors.
BMP files are also large. The SVG you get back is usually far smaller than the bitmap it came from.
What the settings do
- Colors
- How many flat colors the trace keeps.
- Smoothing
- Higher values merge small bumps into clean curves.
- Remove small specks
- Drops dust and stray pixels, useful for scans.
What people use it for
- Old Windows graphics and legacy logos
- Scanner output saved as BMP
- Shrinking a heavy bitmap into a small vector file
Questions
Is the SVG smaller than the BMP?
For flat graphics, almost always, often by a large margin.
Can I trace a scan saved as BMP?
Yes. Use Black and white for pencil and ink, and raise Remove small specks for dirty scans.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Tracing and file creation happen in your browser, using code that is part of this page. Your image is not sent to a server. You can check this in your browser's network tab while you use the tool.