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Convert an image to DXF for CAD, laser and CNC (Beta)

Trace a picture into DXF outlines in millimetres for AutoCAD, LightBurn, laser cutters, plasma and CNC routers.

Opens: PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, HEIC, AVIF, BMP, TIFF, ZIP
Saves: SVG, PDF, EPS, DXF, ZIP

Vectorize

Pictures
Choose files… or drop them here
.png, .jpg, .jpeg, .jfif, .webp, .gif, .heic, .heif, .hif, .avif, .bmp, .tif, .tiff, .ico, .tga, .qoi, .pbm, .pgm, .ppm, .pnm, .apng, .zip · up to 200 MB each, 50 files max
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    One picture or many, or a .zip of a folder (sub-folders are kept in the result).

    Options
    Picture type

    Each picture shows a sample: the original on the left, its tracing on the right. The choice sets every setting below; anything you change is laid over it.

    Tracing method

    Usually left as the picture type sets. Single lines (red in the pictures) follow the middle of each stroke, for engraving, plotters and embroidery.

    Empty: decided from the picture. The background counts as a colour.

    The colour around the edge of the picture is not traced.

    Trace pixels that are

    Unlike the background: any colour that stands out. Darker than a level: dark marks only, so highlighter and faint pencil drop out. Darker than the surroundings: pages with shadows or uneven light. Not transparent: the shape of a cut-out picture. One colour: only marks of that colour.

    0 is black, 255 white. Pixels darker than this are traced: raise it for faint pencil.

    A hex colour, e.g. #e30613.

    More options

    Empty: as the picture type sets (12 for logos, 24 for clip art, 32 for photos, 64 for pixel art).

    Optional, for vinyl or thread colours: hex colours separated by commas, e.g. #000000, #ffffff, #e30613. Every area takes the nearest of them.

    Layering

    Cut-out shapes fit together like a puzzle, with holes where others sit: right for cutting and editing. Stacked shapes lie whole on top of each other: fewer nodes and no hairline gaps on screen.

    Colour difference: about 2 is barely visible, 12 a clear shade, 30 or more takes in neighbouring colours.

    How far around each pixel the light is measured. A little more than the thickest stroke works well.

    How much darker than its surroundings a pixel must be: lower picks up fainter marks (and more paper texture).

    Traces the other part: use it when the tracing shows the background instead of the drawing.

    Empty: the drawing's own colour. A hex colour such as #000000 makes them all that colour.

    Evens out rough pencil and paper texture. Empty: as the picture type sets (0 to 0.8).

    Width of the single lines. Empty or 0: measured from the picture.

    Empty or 0: decided from the line width.

    Thicker ink becomes filled shapes. Empty or 0: decided from the picture.

    Removes dust, noise and tiny holes. Empty: as the picture type sets (6 for logos, 20 for scans, 30 for photos).

    How far outlines may stray from the pixel edges: 0.3 follows them closely, 1.5 rounds them off. Empty: as the picture type sets.

    0 keeps every corner sharp, 1.34 rounds them all, about 1 looks natural. Empty: as the picture type sets.

    How far joined curves may stray: larger gives fewer nodes. Empty: as the picture type sets (0.25 to 0.5).

    Circles and ellipses

    The squares mark nodes: an exact circle needs only four.

    Against JPEG blocks, film grain and scanner dust; higher also rounds off small details. Empty: as the picture type sets.

    The unit of the drawing's width and height. DXF files are in millimetres unless centimetres or inches are chosen.

    In the size unit above, e.g. 100 for a 100 mm wide design. The height follows the picture's proportions. Empty: from the resolution below.

    Sets the physical size when no width is given: a 960 px wide picture at 96 is 10 inches (254 mm) wide, at 300 it is 3.2 inches.

    What cutters and lasers follow as cut lines. Single lines keep their width.

    Paints the background colour behind the shapes (SVG, PDF and EPS).

    Some viewers draw faint seams where colour shapes meet. A thin edge in each shape's own colour hides them.

    For checking the tracing against the picture in Inkscape or Illustrator. Makes the SVG larger.

    Your files are deleted after processing.

    CAD programs, laser cutters, plasma tables and CNC routers work from paths, not pixels. A PNG or JPG has to be traced before it can be cut: this page finds the outlines in your picture and writes them to a DXF file, in millimetres by default, together with an SVG of the same drawing.

    How to convert an image to DXF

    1. Upload the picture: a logo, a silhouette, a drawing or a scan works best.
    2. This page starts with the Shapes to cut type: one-colour outlines, smooth curves, few nodes and no specks smaller than 25 square pixels. For a design with several colours that should be cut separately, choose Logo or icon instead.
    3. Open More options and type the Width you want, for example 200 (mm). The height follows the picture's proportions.
    4. Download the DXF and open it in your CAD or machine software.

    What is in the DXF

    • Polylines. Every outline is one closed polyline; holes (the inside of an O, the centre of a ring) are separate closed polylines inside it. Single lines from centerline tracing are open polylines.
    • Curves as short straight segments, within 0.02 of the drawing's unit of the true curve (0.02 mm in a millimetre drawing), because older DXF readers don't all understand curves.
    • One layer per colour, named after the colour, such as COLOR_000000, so each colour can get its own cut, engrave or score setting.
    • AutoCAD R12 format, the version almost every CAD, CAM and laser program reads.
    • Units: millimetres, or centimetres or inches if you choose them. Many programs ask for the unit when importing or assume millimetres, so check the size after opening the file.

    Pitfalls

    • Outline, not centre. A drawn line is traced as a thin shape with an edge on each side, so a laser would cut around it twice. For a single cut along each line, choose Single lines (centerline) as the picture type.
    • Colour designs. In colour tracings, choose Cut-out under Layering so the shapes fit together without overlapping; stacked shapes overlap, so the cutter would also cut through the shapes lying underneath.
    • Thin parts. Very thin bridges and small islands may be too delicate to cut. Raise the speck size to drop tiny pieces, or thicken the artwork before tracing.
    • Detail. Start from a large, sharp picture: the DXF can only follow edges that are in it.

    More about what this tool reads and writes: Image Vectorizer.

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