Inkscape Trace Bitmap Settings Explained
Inkscape Trace Bitmap has settings that are not self-explanatory in the interface. This guide explains what each setting actually does to help you produce better vector output.
About Inkscape Trace Bitmap settings explained
Mode settings:
Brightness Cutoff — Threshold: Converts all pixels below this brightness value to black paths. A threshold of 0.50 means 50% brightness. Lowering the threshold traces more pixels; raising it traces fewer. Useful for logos with light-grey fills that should trace as solid black.
Colours — Number of Colours: Sets how many distinct colour zones are generated. Each colour requires one trace pass, so higher values multiply processing time. For most logos, 4–8 is the practical upper limit before diminishing returns in quality.
Edge Detection — Threshold: Controls how pronounced an edge must be before it gets traced. Lower values trace faint lines; higher values trace only strong contrast edges. A value of 0.65 is a reliable starting point for hand-drawn artwork.
Transform options:
Smooth Corners: Replaces sharp angle changes in the traced path with slight curves. Useful for organic shapes; harmful for precise geometry like logos with clean corners.
Suppress Speckles: Ignores isolated pixel regions smaller than the specified size (in pixels). Setting this to 2–4 removes JPEG compression noise and tiny gaps from the trace without affecting the main artwork.
Stack Scans (Colours mode): When enabled, each additional colour pass is placed directly above the previous pass rather than side by side. This creates properly layered output for multi-colour designs.
Optimise: Post-processes the path to remove redundant nodes and smooth polyline segments into Bézier arcs. Always enable this to reduce file size and improve curve quality.
Remove Background: Deletes the outermost background fill path from the trace result automatically.
Use the PNG to SVG Converter above for cleaner results with automatic setting selection.