Potrace

Potrace is a cross-platform, open-source software which converts bitmapped images into vector graphics. It is written and maintained by Peter Selinger.

Potrace
Developer(s)Peter Selinger
Initial release2001
Stable release
1.16[1] / September 17, 2019 (2019-09-17)
Repository
Written inC
PlatformCross-platform
TypeRaster-to-vector conversion
LicenseGNU GPL and Potrace Professional
Websitehttp://potrace.sourceforge.net

Properties

Various graphical frontends are available for the command-line application Potrace. Notably, it has been integrated with Inkscape, giving Inkscape its Trace Bitmap action.[2] FontForge can use Potrace to import a bitmap image into a font. Potrace is also used by the music engraving program LilyPond.

Potrace's input and output is black and white (colored images are greyscaled before processing). However, Inkscape is capable of producing color images by decomposing each channel into several black and white images and tracing them separately with Potrace. The commercial Total Vectorize program also uses Potrace as its core.

The program is dual-licensed as "Potrace" under the GPL and as "Potrace Professional" in a proprietary license by Selinger's company, Icosasoft Software, Inc.[3]

Examples
  • Source image JPEG grayscale (891×1,077 pixel, 119 KB)
  • Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to an eight-color SVG image in 2006 (50 KB)
  • Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to an eight-color SVG image in 2012 (336 KB)
  • Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to a twelve-color SVG image in 2012 (608 KB)
  • Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to a sixteen-color SVG image in 2012 (743 KB)
gollark: Pronouns are a more grammary feature than most words.
gollark: You can change English grammar, iff it's in a cool way.
gollark: English grammar is intensely horrifying.
gollark: They cannot use full words, due to length constraints.
gollark: Neopronouns use existing characters.

See also
  • Comparison of raster to vector conversion software

References
  1. Peter Selinger (2019-09-17). "ChangeLog". SourceForge project potrace. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  2. "Inkscape tutorial: Tracing". Inkscape. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  3. Dual licensing program for Potrace

Further reading
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