How to Create a Vectorized Image From a JPEG

Scanned blueprints are easy to convert to vector images.

A vectorized image is a special file format that represents images with collections of shapes such as lines, circles and squares. By contrast, JPEGs are a type of raster image, which represent an image with an array of pixels, compressed by a special algorithm to cut down on the size. You can convert a raster image to a vector image with a special vector editing program.

Instructions

Via VectorMagic

1. Go to the VectorMagic website (see Resources).

2. Click the yellow button marked "Upload Image to Trace."

3. Select your JPEG file, then select "Open." Wait for the program to complete, which may take a few minutes.

4. Refine the output. Select whether you want a high, medium or low level of detail on the toolbar to the left. You can also click "Edit Image" to change the "segmentation," which is the in-between image the program generates from the JPEG in order to create the vectorized image; click "Next" when you're done.

5. Click "Download Result." Fill in your email address in the box and select "Create my account" to download the vectorized image.

Via Inkscape

1. Open Inkscape, then go to "File" menu and select "Open."

2. Select your JPEG image and select "open," then click "OK" on the dialog box that pops up.

3. Select the image, then go to "Path" menu and select "Trace Bitmap."

4. Select the bullet to pick one of six options: "Brightness Cutoff," "Edge Detection," "Color Quantization," "Brightness Steps," "Colors" and "Grays." Most options produce black-and-white vectorized images, while "Colors" produces a color image and "Grays" produces a grayscale image. If making a color or grayscale image, increase the number of scans to increase the detail of the image. Click "Update" after changing the settings to see a preview.

5. Click "OK" to produce the vectorized image. Hit "Ctrl" and "S" to save the image.

AlgoLab Photo Vector

1. Open AlgoLab Photo Vector. Click the top left button to open the "Open" file window, then choose your JPEG and click "Open."

2. Click the running man icon "Sequence of Operations" to convert the image into a vector image. Alternatively, click "Shaping" to smooth the image for conversion, "Reduce Colors" to reduce the number of colors to a manageable size, "Cleaning" to get rid of blotches and "Vectorize" to convert it to a vector image. If you make a mistake, click the "Reload image" button to reset the image.

3. Go to "File" and "Save As..." to choose a format for your vectorized image. Give the image a title and click "Save."

References

• VectorMagic: What Are Vectors?

Resources

• VectorMagic
• Inkscape
• Algolab