Vectorize & AI image tools

Vectorize turns a bitmap image — a logo in PNG, an icon, a scanned drawing, a photo — into editable vector shapes. Two AI tools prepare the image first for a cleaner result: Remove background and Upscale ×4.

Private and offline

Everything runs on your computer. The AI models are included inside Vectopen: nothing is uploaded, no internet connection or account is needed, and there are no usage limits.

Linux only in 0.2.0-alpha

Vectorize and the AI tools are in the Linux build. Windows and macOS support is planned.

What it can do — a real example

A 96-pixel PNG logo, processed with Vectopen's own engine:

Original — small and blurry	Vectorized directly — the circles come out angular	Upscale ×4 (AI), then vectorized — clean curves and text

The result on the right is a real vector file: download the SVG and zoom in as much as you like.

The three tools

Tool	What it does	Engine
Vectorize	Traces the image into shapes: smooth Bézier curves, straight-sided polygons or square pixels	VTracer (MIT)
Remove background · AI	Finds the subject and makes the background transparent	U²-Net (u2netp, Apache-2.0)
Upscale ×4 · AI	Enlarges the image four times, recovering sharp edges	Real-ESRGAN General x4v3 (BSD-3-Clause)

How to use it

1. Bring in an image: use the Image tool, drag a file onto the canvas, or paste an image copied from a browser or a screenshot with Ctrl+V.
2. Select the image.
3. Open Vectorize — an inspector section in Modern, inside the Effects tab in Pro, the Effects window in Smart.
4. Choose a preset or adjust the options (below).
5. Optionally tick Remove background first (AI) and/or Upscale ×4 first (AI).
6. Click Vectorize. Vectopen works in the background — the app stays responsive — and places the result as a group of shapes over the image, the same size.

Every step is one undo action: Ctrl+Z removes the result.

The two AI tools also work on their own: the Remove background (AI) and Upscale ×4 (AI) buttons change the selected image in place, without vectorizing it. After Upscale ×4 the image keeps the same size on the canvas, but has four times the detail.

Options

Option	Meaning	Tip
Preset	Logo / icon, Illustration, Photo (more detail)	A good starting point; then fine-tune
Paths	Bézier curves, Polygons or Pixels	Curves for most work; Pixels for pixel art
Detail	Ignores specks smaller than N pixels	Raise it to remove noise; lower it to keep small details
Colours	Colour precision (1–8)	More = more colour layers and a heavier file
Corners	Angle above which a point becomes a sharp corner	Lower = more rounded; higher = sharper
Black and white	Black shapes on a transparent background	Logos, signatures, line art, stamps
Remove background first (AI)	Removes the background before tracing	Photos of objects, products, people
Upscale ×4 first (AI)	Enlarges before tracing	Small or blurry images (under ~300 px)
Hide the original image	Hides (doesn't delete) the image afterwards	Show it again from Layers

Getting the best quality

• Best inputs: logos, icons, line art, scans, signatures and flat-colour illustrations.
• Small or blurry image? Turn on Upscale ×4 (AI) — as in the example above, it's the biggest quality improvement.
• Logo on a busy background? Remove background (AI) first, then Black and white if the logo is one colour.
• Photos and smooth gradients are simplified into areas of flat colour (a "posterised" look). That's how tracing works; use Photo (more detail) and more Colours for a closer result, or keep the photo as an image.
• Too many tiny shapes? Raise Detail. Lost small parts? Lower it.
• Text in the image is traced as shapes, not editable text.

Limits

• Very large images take longer; upscaling a big image ×4 creates a very large image. Upscale is meant for small images.
• Upscaling works in 128-pixel tiles; on large images faint seams can sometimes appear between tiles.
• Background removal works best when the subject is clear and in front; fine hair or transparent objects may be cut roughly.