PNG to SVG Tracer

Halftone generator

Turn a photo into a halftone made of dots. Adjust the spacing, size and angle, then download an SVG that stays sharp at any size.

How to use it

  1. Drop in an image.
  2. Choose the dot shape and spacing. Smaller spacing gives more detail.
  3. Adjust contrast and dot size until the preview looks right.
  4. Download the SVG, or a PNG for quick use.

What a halftone is

Printers cannot print shades of gray, so they print tiny dots of one color. Big dots look dark, small dots look light, and from a distance your eye blends them into a continuous picture. That is the newspaper and pop-art look.

This tool does the same thing digitally. Dark parts of your image become large dots and light parts become small ones.

Tips for a good halftone

Start with a picture that has strong contrast and a clear subject. Raise contrast if the result looks flat. Bigger spacing gives a bolder, more graphic look, and smaller spacing keeps more detail.

The result is an SVG made of simple shapes, so it works well for screen printing, vinyl, laser engraving and posters.

What the settings do

Dot spacing
The distance between dots. Bigger is bolder and simpler. Smaller keeps more detail and makes a larger file.
Dot size
How big the darkest dot gets, as a percent of the spacing.
Grid angle
Rotates the dot grid. 45 degrees hides the grid best.
Contrast
Pushes tones apart. Raise it for a punchy look.
Dot color
Black dots on white, white on black, or dots colored from the image.

What people use it for

  • Pop-art and comic-style posters
  • Screen printing and t-shirt artwork
  • Laser engraving a photo as dots
  • Newspaper-style effects for social posts

Questions

Is the output a real vector?

Yes. Every dot is a shape in the SVG, so it scales to any size without blur.

Why is my file large?

Small spacing means many thousands of dots. Raise Dot spacing to shrink the file.

Can I use it for laser engraving?

Yes. Black dots on white work well. Test on scrap material first, since results depend on your laser and material.

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.