Best Settings for Image Trace in Inkscape
The best Inkscape Trace Bitmap settings depend on the source image type, the target application, and the acceptable level of post-trace editing. There is no single universal setting — but there are proven starting points for each scenario.
About Best settings for image trace Inkscape
Recommended settings by use case:
For logos and clipart (2–4 colours): - Mode: Colours - Number of colours: 4–6 - Stack Scans: enabled - Remove Background: enabled - Optimise: enabled Produces separated colour paths suitable for cutting machines or screen printing.
For line drawings and sketches: - Mode: Edge Detection - Threshold: 0.65 - Smooth Corners: enabled - Suppress Speckles: 2px Produces outlined paths from hand-drawn or digital line art.
For black-and-white silhouettes: - Mode: Brightness Cutoff - Threshold: 0.50 - Optimise: enabled - Remove Background: enabled Produces a clean single-path silhouette.
For photographs (not recommended in Inkscape): Inkscape cannot produce useful vector results from photographs. Use the PNG to SVG Converter above instead — AI-powered tracing handles tonal gradients with shape analysis rather than pixel-by-pixel edge detection.
Post-trace workflow after any setting: - Move the vector result off the raster image - Delete the raster layer - Ungroup (Ctrl+Shift+G) - Run Path > Clean Up Document - Apply Path > Simplify (Ctrl+L) once per path - Zoom to 400% and verify curve quality
Adjusting when results are poor: If the default settings produce jagged or noisy output, pre-process the source image first — increase contrast, remove the background, and convert JPEG to PNG. These preparation steps improve Inkscape trace quality more than any single setting change.
Use the PNG to SVG Converter above when Inkscape settings do not produce the quality needed.