Understanding Raster vs Vector Images
Raster images (JPG, PNG, WebP, BMP) are made of a fixed grid of pixels. They look great at their native size but become blurry or pixelated when you scale them up. Vector images (SVG) are defined by mathematical paths and shapes — they can be scaled to any size, from tiny icons to billboards, while staying perfectly sharp. Converting from raster to vector is called 'image tracing' or 'vectorization' — it's the process of detecting edges and color regions in a pixel-based image and recreating them as geometric paths.
How Image Tracing Works
Our SVG converter uses ImageTracer.js, a JavaScript library that analyzes each pixel of your image and builds vector paths from color boundaries. The detail level setting controls how precisely the tracer follows pixel-level details. Lower detail creates smoother, simpler paths with fewer control points — great for logos and icons. Higher detail captures more complexity but produces larger files with more paths. The color count setting determines how many distinct colors are in the final SVG. For line art and logos, 2-8 colors usually works best. For more photographic images, 16-64 colors gives better results.
ICO conversion works differently — it simply resizes your image into multiple standard sizes (16×16, 32×32, 48×48, 64×64, 128×128, 256×256) and packages them into a single Windows Icon (.ico) file. Browsers automatically pick the best size for the context — tiny for tab icons, larger for desktop shortcuts.
Pro Tips for Best Vector Results
For the cleanest SVG output, start with high-contrast source images — crisp logos, bold line art, and simple graphics trace much better than blurry photos. If your image has gradients or shadows, try reducing the color count to simplify the result. Always review the SVG preview before downloading — zoom in to check that details aren't being lost. For logos and icons, aim for the lowest detail and color count that still looks like your original — this gives you the smallest file size and cleanest vectors. And remember: SVG works best for graphics, logos, and illustrations. If you're working with photographs, keeping them as raster formats (JPG/WebP) is usually the better choice.