How to vectorize an image in Figma: A complete guide

I’m sure you realize that working with bitmap images, such as PNG and JPG files, can be challenging, especially if you need to make some modifications.

Traditionally, one had to use software like Photoshop to edit these images. But then the idea of using a more efficient approach came up — vectorize the image before making any modifications.

And until a few years ago, one had to invest a significant amount of time manually recreating images in a vector format. But of late, advancements in technology have greatly simplified this task.

Today, numerous tools and plugins offer one-click vectorization, streamlining the process and saving designers valuable time. These innovations have enabled more efficient workflows, allowing designers to focus on creativity rather than technical details.

In this article, I guide you through the process of working with images, converting them to vector formats like PDF, EPS, or SVG, and editing them effortlessly. You’ll learn how to vectorize an image using Figma, along with some handy plugins and other tools.

What is vectorizing an image?

Vectorizing an image is about converting a pixel-based image into a vector layer. In most cases, vectorizing is about images like illustrations and digital graphics rather than photos.

Vectorizing allows scaling the image without losing its quality.

Say you have a PNG logo that you want to scale up to a bigger size. If you were to scale up the PNG object as it is, your image would look pixelated. But if you vectorize it first, you’ll have no issues with the pixels.

Especially in the case of illustrations, vectorizing the image before editing provides designers with better control over the shapes inside the image, empowering them to create more precise and detailed designs.

What problems can you have when vectorizing an image?

The process of vectorizing an image is simple and does not take much time. However, there are some challenges you might face:

1. Details get lost

When working on an image with many intricate details, you may notice that some details, such as thin lines, can be eliminated during the vectorization process.

2. Issues with performance

You may face a slower app performance when working on vector graphics with many details.

This is because the computer needs to perform many calculations and use more processing power for every change you make in the image.

Because of this, you’ll likely end up spending significantly more time vectorizing.

3. A reduced palette of colors

If you need to vectorize an image with a large color palette, such as one with gradients, the vectorization process may reduce the number of colors in the image.

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And because of this, you lose essential details and compromise the visual appeal of your image.

4. Not all shapes are easy to convert

When converting a complex shape into a vector, the computer may struggle to convert the shape as is. So, you might end up with shapes that don’t match those in the original image.

How to choose the best tool for your vector graphics?

Illustrator has been on the market for many years for, well, illustrations. And Figma, as you know, is a newer tool for UX and UI design.

The main difference between the two is that Illustrator focuses more on digital graphics, and Figma is more about mobile apps and web designs. So, when you’re choosing the right tool to use when working with vector objects, you need to think of two main things:

1. The complexity of the vector — If you’re working on a complex illustration (one with many more details), Adobe Illustrator will be a more accurate tool for this task because of its advanced precision tools and extensive range of vector manipulation features. For example, Illustrator’s Pathfinder tool includes advanced options for cutting shapes. However, if you need to work on a simple vector shape, like a simple icon, Figma will do the job perfectly well
2. Print versus digital mode — If your vector design needs to be printed, Illustrator is your pick because it has more features that support print designs, like better color control management. In most cases, though, product and UX designers choose Figma because their main tasks revolve around simple vectors, like creating icons for user interfaces

How to vectorize an image with Figma?

Unlike Illustrator, Figma does not have a tool to vectorize images, but the Figma community has developed many plugins that make this process easy.

Most plugins use the same workflow to make this process, which includes selecting the image you want to vectorize and then clicking the vectorize button. The tool, then, does all the good work for you.

Now, I will show you how to do the process for a simple image and what to do when you work with a complex image you want to vectorize.

Converting a simple icon into a vector

I use the Vectorizer plugin to vectorize the icon. But you may choose one of the many other plugins I list later in this article.

With Vectorizer, I first choose the image, open the plugin, click the Vectorize it! button, and then simply wait until the plugin vectorizes the icon.

After vectorizing the image, review the result vector in detail. If any shapes don’t look good, you can quickly fix them:

Converting a complex image into a vector

If you need to convert an image with many details to a vector, I recommend first cleaning the image of unnecessary information and then vectorizing it.

For example, as you can see in the video below, I have an image with people and objects, but I want to vectorize only the women in the center. Here’s what I did:

Getting an image ready for vectorizing

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I am sharing my notes for you to take down on vectorizing complex images:

1. Draw rectangles in the background colors to unify it with the background
2. Use the pen tool to cover any details of information that you want to remove from the screen
3. Copy the image as a PNG to unify all the vectors into one image
4. Reduce the image’s background size to the size you want it to be
5. Convert the image to a vector. Easy!

More Figma plugins to vectorize images

Figma houses many plugins for vectorizing images. They all mainly offer vectorizing images, but some also offer advanced options. In this section, I review my favorites:

1. Vectorizer

Vectorizer is amongst my preferences because it offers a couple of advanced features:

1. You can vectorize images into color or black and white
2. There’s the Noise Threshold feature to remove unwanted noise and small details from the image
3. Users can choose between two different engines: experimental and stable

2. Trace Images

Trace Images has no advanced features but is free to use.

3. Image Tracer

Image Tracer too offers several advanced features:

1. Vectorize images into color or black and white
2. Select the number of colors to convert
3. Preview the image before tracing it
4. Invert Image: Reverses colors to create a negative effect
5. Blur: Smooth the image to reduce detail and sharpness
6. Threshold feature that allows you to set a color or brightness value that acts as a cutoff point

4. Tracer

Tracer allows you to choose ‘simple’ tracing for a single layer or a ‘detailed’ one for two layers, which is perfect for coloring. And it is free of cost.

5. PicWise.ai

PicWise.ai offers a simple single option to vectorize your images. In addition to that, the plugin is free of cost and includes an image Generator, a tool to remove image backgrounds, an upscaler, and an art QRCode generator.

Beyond Figma: More tools to vectorize images

There are online tools besides Figma that you can use to vectorize images. Here is a list of my favorites of them:

1. Vectorizer.AI

Vectorizer.AI offers advanced features to enhance vectorization, including image preview before tracing and a choice of export formats (SVG, EPS, PDF, DXF, PNG). It allows users to group vector shapes by color, parent, or layer for easier editing, with an option to export shapes as flattened.

The Draw Style feature lets users fill shapes with color or stroke their boundaries, which is ideal for laser engraving and scalability.

Here’s a quick tutorial of how I used Vectorizer.AI to convert an illustration I did with Midjourney to a vector image:

Quick & Easy Image Generation in Midjourney and Editing in Figma as a Vector

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2. Vector Magic

Vector Magic offers several advanced features for precise vectorization, including image preview before tracing and adjustable detail levels (low, medium, high).

It features an advanced editor for refining results before download, allows users to specify colors during tracing, and provides options to remove backgrounds from images:

3. Vectorizer

This vector generation tool streamlines the process into five simple steps. When using Vectorizer, users select from four model types to best match their input image:

• Photo for high-detail, colorful images
• Clipart for simple, limited-color designs
• Sketch for grayscale images
• Drawing for black and white images

Next, users can pick a palette that best matches their image or create a custom palette for precise, tailored vector conversion.

The tool also includes noise elimination to improve image quality and an option to adjust the number of colors in the image, reducing them to achieve clearer results.

Finally, users can export the vector:

End note

This article discussed converting an image to a vector, particularly using Figma plugins.

Converting images into vectors improves the quality of an image at any scale. In addition, It helps you achieve detail editing capabilities that are impossible in Figma with bitmap formats like PNG and JPG.

Figma plugins help greatly in this process, making vectorization possible and straightforward in one click and without moving to another tool out of Figma.

Although the plugins and the tools can convert images with large details, removing unnecessary information from the image is always a good idea to reduce conversion time and avoid performance issues in Figma.

And remember: the key is to pay attention to the details and make necessary adjustments post-vectorization to achieve the best outcome.