Color vectorization tutorial

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This tutorial shows how to trace (vectorize) color bitmap image in Inkscape.

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Open and select an image

First, we have to Open an image (Ctrl+O) or Import it (Ctrl+I).

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I choose spider_flower by mrs410, one of requested images for Open Clip Art Library.

Then we have to select it. Select tool is the first tool in the toolbox on the left - a black arrow.


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"Trace bitmap" window

Now we go to the Path menu and chose Trace bitmap (or Shift+Alt+B).

A little window labeled "Trace bitmap" pops up.


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Here we can adjust trace parameters. First of all, we want a colorful vector image, so we select Colors checkbox (marked by red ellipse). Then in a text window (marked with blue ellipse) we can chose the number of colors. Then we hit Update button to see the preview. It seems 8 colors is too small number for this image:


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Tracing

When we're satisfied with the preview, it's time to hit OK and wait. For a detailed photo and tens of colors (I never tried hundreds...) it may take several minutes. With this image, it was less than a minute for 32 colors. Here's the result:


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Of course it doesn't look like a photo anymore...

The vector image was too big to be uploaded to OCAL. I had to cheat a little and Simplify all paths (select Path menu, then Simplify or Ctrl+L). That's why it looks so awful here...

There's a couple of things to do before we save:

  • "adjust the bounding box" or crop the image tightly: Ctrl+Shift+D and "Fit the page to selection",
  • export to bitmap again, if we want to add the thumbnail manually: Ctrl+Shift+E and type the dimensions in.

Now, go to the Requests page and chose something for yourself :)

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