Potrace
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Peter Selinger |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 2001 |
| Stable release |
1.13 / October 22, 2015
|
| Written in | C |
| Platform | Cross-platform |
| Type | Vectorization |
| License | GNU GPL |
| Website | http://potrace.sourceforge.net |
Potrace is an open-source, cross-platform computer program which converts bitmapped images into vector graphics. It is written and maintained by Peter Selinger.
Various graphical frontends are available for the command-line application Potrace. Notably, it has been integrated with Inkscape, giving Inkscape its Trace Bitmap action.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.
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)
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