Vector Magic, Inc. provides vectorization software and services.

Vector Magic's flagship service is the online auto tracer available on this website. It converts bitmap (aka raster) images into vector images through an easy-to-use web interface - just upload your image and it will guide you through the process.

The conversion process as such is called tracing or vectorization and is something that has historically been done mostly by hand. An automated tool like the Vector Magic web service can make this otherwise tedious task quick and painless.

See also: How to use Vector Magic, tips & tricks, comparisons, samples, uses for vector images, vector image resources, and more company information.

Vector Magic is different from other auto-tracing tools in several ways:

• Better accuracy. If you compare results from other tools side-by-side with those from Vector Magic, you will notice that Vector Magic produces vectors that more closely resemble the input image. Finer details in the shapes are recovered, and the curves are more faithful to the underlying bitmap original.
• Less cleanup required. Vector Magic's results have less noise, while still extracting more detail from the bitmap original. Normally you'd have to spend half an hour or more cleaning up the output from an auto-tracer - with Vector Magic you can oftentimes use the result right away, and if it requires cleanup then it's usually much less than what's required for the results from the competing tools.

• Easier user interface with less trial-and-error. If you've used other tracing tools, you have probably noticed that they have tons of confusing options and settings, and require you to more or less randomly try different combinations of these in the frustrating search for a passable result.

  With Vector Magic on the other hand, all you need to do is answer a couple of simple questions and that's it. In case you're not satisfied with the result, there is even a troubleshooting guide to help you resolve the problem - again phrased in the form of simple questions, not confusing options with unclear effects.

Vector Magic saves you time and frustration, while giving you better results.

See also: How to use Vector Magic, tips & tricks, comparisons, and samples.

The difference between bitmap/raster images and vector images is that the former are described by pixels - squares of color - while the latter are described by shapes - a mathematical description of the image that can be scaled without becoming blurry or "pixelated" (that blocky look that bitmap/raster images so often get when scaled up).

Vector images are used in most aspects of graphic design and are the preferred format for printing, both on paper and on clothes. The reason for this is that while a bitmap/raster image can look great on the screen, which usually has a resolution of about 72 pixels/dots per inch (DPI), it will normally have to be scaled by a factor of 8 or more when printed since modern printers routinely produce resolutions of 600 pixels/dots per inch. Vector images can handle this type of scaling without any problems while bitmap/raster images struggle with it.

Vector images are also used on the web in for example flash animations.

See also: Uses for vector images, and vector image resources

If you'd like to vectorize an image, simply upload it on the front page. This will start an interactive web application that will guide you through the vectorization process. You'll get to answer a few simple questions about your image (what type of image it is, what colors you want in the result and such). For your convenience we fill out most of the answers for you, all you need to do is verify that you're happy with them.

After the vectorization completes you can review the result within the same web application. You can zoom and pan around the image, and either compare the original and the result side-by-side or flip between them overlaid.

If you're happy with the result and would like to download it, you can exchange 1 token for enabling downloading of it. When signing up you get 2 free tokens. You can also sign up for Vector Magic Unlimited to get unlimited downloads.

You can sign up for Vector Magic Unlimited or buy additional tokens here.

There is a free version of the PNG (bitmap) result. This version features a small mark in the corner indicating that it was traced with Vector Magic. If you exchange a token to download the vector results, a version of the PNG without this mark is made available instead of the free one.

Enabling downloading for an image allows you to download the vectorized result in all provided output formats. You are free to re-vectorize the image until you are satisfied. Your image and associated result will be available for at least 14 days from the time you enable downloading, provided you do not delete them before that.

We have striven to make the site and service as easy to use as possible, with a distinct and clear user-interface, while imposing a minimum of fuss. All that is required is a reasonably modern browser, Flash Player and an image you'd like to vectorize.

If you have any feedback you'd like to share, please do so here.

Raymond Wijngaard designed the Vector Magic logo and website front page. He's a great graphic designer that we would gladly recommend for any of your design needs, website or other. You can find his contact information on his webpage.

Here you can find the refund policy, the terms of use, the privacy policy and security-related information.