Comparison of raster-to-vector conversion software

Last updated

The following tables contain general and technical information about publicly available raster-to-vector conversion software.

Contents

General information

CreatorYear releasedYear last updatedList price (USD) License Supported OS (without emulation)
CorelDRAW Cascade Parent Limited
d.b.a Alludo
Formerly called the Corel Corporation
19892023 (version 24.3)$449, $169 upgrade Proprietary Windows
Easy TraceInterVek LLC (Russian : ООО ИнтерВек)
d.b.a. Easy Trace Group (Russian : Группа Easy Trace)
 ?2023 (version 12.4) [1] €960, €480 upgrade (Easy Trace Pro)
Versions 7.99 and 8.65 are free (Easy Trace)
Proprietary Windows
Adobe Illustrator Adobe Inc.
Formerly called Adobe Systems Inc.
19852023 (version 27.8.1)$19.99 per month Proprietary Windows, macOS
Graphic Tracer ProfessionalSteve Boek
Graphic Powers AB
20162023 (version 12:2)$15 per month or $120 per year Proprietary Windows
Inkscape (uses Potrace)Inkscape.org20032023 (version 1.3)Free GPL-2.0-or-later Windows, macOS, Linux
ImageTracer András Jankovics20152020 (version 1.2.6)Free Public domain (Unlicense) Cross-platform (platforms that can run JavaScript or Java)
Potrace Peter Selinger20012019 (version 1.16)Free GPL-2.0-or-later Cross-platform, Windows and POSIX
Scan2CAD Avia Systems19972022 (version 10.4.13)$49–$149 per month Proprietary Windows, macOS
WinTopo FreewareSoftSoft Ltd.19992015 (version 1.76) Freeware
Free to use for any purpose, including commercial purposes [2]
Proprietary Windows
WinTopo ProSoftSoft Ltd.20002015 (version 3.6)$299 Proprietary Windows
Xara Photo & Graphic Designer Xara Group Ltd. 19942023 (version 23.4)$89.99 Proprietary Windows
Super VectorizerEffectmatrix Ltd.20132016 (version 1.6.6)$29.99 Proprietary macOS
AutoTrace Martin Weber19982024 (version 0.31.10)Free GPL-2.0-or-later Cross-platform, POSIX (mainly Unix-like)
VTracer Tsang Hao Fung20202022 (version 0.5.0)Free MIT Cross-platform (command-line version)
Browsers with WebAssembly support (web version)
SVGcode (uses Potrace)Thomas Steiner20212023 (version ?)Free GPL-2.0-or-later Android, web (PWA), Windows
Primitive Michael FoglemanFree MIT MAC OS X, with Python & Go packages and a JavaScript port
KVEC K. Kuhl Freeware WIN 2000, WIN XP, WIN Vista/7, OS/2, Linux, BeOS, MAC OS X
CreatorYear releasedYear least updatedList price (USD) License Supported OS (without emulation)

Basic features

NAMEMaximum zoomObject limit per documentControl point limitColor management for printThumbnailsAdjust image (functions)Text recognition (OCR)Scripting support
Easy Trace12800xNo Limit ?YesYesYesNoNo
Graphic Tracer ProfessionalNo limitNo limitNo limitNo ? ?YesNo
Adobe Illustrator640x ? ?Yes ? ?NoYes
PotraceN/A ? ?No ? ?NoNo
ImageTracerN/ANo limitNo limitNoNo ?NoYes
Scan2CAD64KNo limitNo limitYes ? ?YesYes
WinTopo Pro512xNo limitNo limitYesYesYesNoYes
Maximum zoomObject limit per documentControl point limitColor management for printThumbnailsAdjust image (functions)Text recognition (OCR)Scripting support

CAD features

NAMEExport universal DXF Available in AutoCAD applicationCurve recognitionCircle recognitionArc recognitionOrthogonal line detectionCorner detectionLine connection
Easy TraceYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
Graphic Tracer ProfessionalYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
Adobe IllustratorYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
PotraceYesNoNo ? ? ?Yes ?
ImageTracerNoNoYesNoYesYesYesYes
Scan2CADYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
WinTopo ProYesNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
Export universal DXF Available in AutoCAD applicationCurve recognitionCircle recognitionArc recognitionOrthogonal line detectionCorner detectionLine connection

Raster editing features

Scanner supportFreehand sketchRaster filtersChange color depthImage resizeRotateCropRaster shapes
Easy TraceYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Graphic Tracer ProfessionalYesYesN/AN/AYesYesNoN/A
Adobe IllustratorNoNoNoNoYesYesNoNo
PotraceN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
ImageTracerN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Scan2CADYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
WinTopo ProYesYesYesYesYesYesYes ?
AutoTraceN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Scanner SupportFreehand sketchRaster FiltersChange color depthImage resizeRotateCropRaster Shapes

Vector editing features

Fills & hatchVector combineRotate & movePolylinesSpline curvesLines to curves cmd. & vice versaVector shapes
Easy TraceYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Graphic Tracer ProfessionalN/AYesYesYesYesYesYes
Adobe IllustratorYesYesYesYesYesNoYes
PotraceN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
ImageTracerN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Scan2CADYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
WinTopo Pro ?YesYesYesYes ? ?
AutoTraceN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
Fills & hatchVector combineRotate & movePolylinesSpline curvesLines to curves cmd. & vice versaVector shapes

Discontinued software

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adobe Photoshop</span> Raster graphics editing software

Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1987 by Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the most used tool for professional digital art, especially in raster graphics editing. Owing to its fame, the program's name has become genericised as a verb although Adobe disapproves of such use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raster graphics</span> Matrix-based data structure

In computer graphics and digital photography, a raster graphic represents a two-dimensional picture as a rectangular matrix or grid of pixels, viewable via a computer display, paper, or other display medium. A raster is technically characterized by the width and height of the image in pixels and by the number of bits per pixel. Raster images are stored in image files with varying dissemination, production, generation, and acquisition formats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vector graphics</span> Computer graphics images defined by points, lines and curves

Vector graphics are a form of computer graphics in which visual images are created directly from geometric shapes defined on a Cartesian plane, such as points, lines, curves and polygons. The associated mechanisms may include vector display and printing hardware, vector data models and file formats, as well as the software based on these data models. Vector graphics is an alternative to raster or bitmap graphics, with each having advantages and disadvantages in specific situations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raster graphics editor</span> Type of application software

A raster graphics editor is a computer program that allows users to create and edit images interactively on the computer screen and save them in one of many raster graphics file formats such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vector graphics editor</span> Type of application software

A vector graphic editor is a computer program that enables its users to create, compose and edit images with the use of mathematical and geometrical commands rather than individual pixels. This software is used in creating high-definition vector graphic images that can be scaled indefinitely without losing their quality. The output is saved in vector graphic formats, such as EPS, PDF, WMF, SVG, or VML.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inkscape</span> Free open-source vector graphics editor

Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor for traditional Unix-compatible systems such as GNU/Linux, BSD derivatives and Illumos, as well as Windows and macOS. It offers a rich set of features and is widely used for both artistic and technical illustrations such as cartoons, clip art, logos, typography, diagramming and flowcharting. It uses vector graphics to allow for sharp printouts and renderings at unlimited resolution and is not bound to a fixed number of pixels like raster graphics. Inkscape uses the standardized Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format as its main format, which is supported by many other applications including web browsers. It can import and export various other file formats, including SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, PS and PNG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corel Photo-Paint</span> Raster graphics editing software

Corel Photo-Paint is a raster graphics editor developed and marketed by Corel since 1992. Corel markets the software for Windows and Mac OS operating systems, previously having marketed versions for Linux. Its primary market competitor is Adobe Photoshop.

Xara Designer Pro+ is an image editing program incorporating photo editing and vector illustration tools created by British software company Xara. Xara Xtreme LX was an early open source version for Linux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flash animation</span> Animation technique

Adobe Flash animation is an animation that is created with the Adobe Animate platform or similar animation software and often distributed in the SWF file format. The term Adobe Flash animation refers to both the file format and the medium in which the animation is produced. Adobe Flash animation has enjoyed mainstream popularity since the mid-2000s, with many Adobe Flash-animated television series, television commercials, and award-winning online shorts being produced since then.

In computer graphics, graphics software refers to a program or collection of programs that enable a person to manipulate images or models visually on a computer.

A number of vector graphics editors exist for various platforms. Potential users of these editors will make a comparison of vector graphics editors based on factors such as the availability for the user's platform, the software license, the feature set, the merits of the user interface (UI) and the focus of the program. Some programs are more suitable for artistic work while others are better for technical drawings. Another important factor is the application's support of various vector and bitmap image formats for import and export.

An image file format is a file format for a digital image. There are many formats that can be used, such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF. Most formats up until 2022 were for storing 2D images, not 3D ones. The data stored in an image file format may be compressed or uncompressed. If the data is compressed, it may be done so using lossy compression or lossless compression. For graphic design applications, vector formats are often used. Some image file formats support transparency.

In computer graphics, image tracing, raster-to-vector conversion or raster vectorization is the conversion of raster graphics into vector graphics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graphic art software</span> Subclass of application software

Graphic art software is a subclass of application software used for graphic design, multimedia development, stylized image development, technical illustration, general image editing, or simply to access graphic files. Art software uses either raster or vector graphic reading and editing methods to create, edit, and view art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GDAL</span> Translator library for raster and vector geospatial data formats

The Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) is a computer software library for reading and writing raster and vector geospatial data formats, and is released under the permissive X/MIT style free software license by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. As a library, it presents a single abstract data model to the calling application for all supported formats. It may also be built with a variety of useful command line interface utilities for data translation and processing. Projections and transformations are supported by the PROJ library.

sK1 (program) Open source cross platform illustration program

sK1 is an open-source, cross-platform illustration program that seeks to be a substitute for professional proprietary software like CorelDRAW or Adobe Illustrator. Unique project features are CorelDRAW formats importers, tabbed multiple document interface, Cairo-based engine, and color management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CorelDRAW</span> Vector graphics editor

CorelDRAW is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Alludo. It is also the name of the Corel graphics suite, which includes the bitmap-image editor Corel Photo-Paint as well as other graphics-related programs. It can serve as a digital painting platform, desktop publishing suite, and is commonly used for production art in signmaking, vinyl and laser cutting and engraving, print-on-demand and other industry processes. Reduced-feature Standard and Essentials versions are also offered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adobe Animate</span> Animation software made by Adobe

Adobe Animate is a multimedia authoring and computer animation program developed by Adobe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Image editing</span> Processes of altering images

Image editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they are digital photographs, traditional photo-chemical photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is known as photo retouching, using tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs or editing illustrations with any traditional art medium. Graphic software programs, which can be broadly grouped into vector graphics editors, raster graphics editors, and 3D modelers, are the primary tools with which a user may manipulate, enhance, and transform images. Many image editing programs are also used to render or create computer art from scratch. The term "image editing" usually refers only to the editing of 2D images, not 3D ones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photopea</span> Online photo editor

Photopea is a web-based photo and graphics editor. It is used for image editing, making illustrations, web design or converting between different image formats. Photopea is advertising-supported software. It is compatible with all modern web browsers, including Opera, Edge, Chrome, and Firefox. The app is compatible with raster and vector graphics, such as Photoshop's PSD as well as JPEG, PNG, DNG, GIF, SVG, PDF and other image file formats. While browser-based, Photopea stores all files locally, and does not upload any data to a server.

References

  1. "Скачать". EasyTrace (in Russian). 2023-05-02. Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  2. "WinTopo - Raster to Vector conversion Software".