Two ways to get line art
This page opens with the Sketch preset. It picks up fine, dark lines such as pencil strokes and pen drawings, and smooths them into clean vector shapes. For a bolder look, switch to Line art, which produces solid black areas with crisp edges, the classic stencil or woodcut style. Both give you a single-color SVG you can recolor, resize and cut.
Prepare the photo first
Line art comes from contrast. Tracing keeps everything darker than the Threshold and drops everything lighter. A photo with a plain background and strong light from one side gives the best result. A few quick edits make a huge difference:
- Crop tight around the subject so the background does not become a big black blob.
- Raise contrast in your phone's photo editor before uploading.
- Choose a simple pose. Profiles and silhouettes against the sky trace beautifully. Busy scenes turn into noise.
- For pets, a photo against a light wall makes a clean outline for a mug, shirt or memorial engraving.
Step by step
- Upload the photo to the tool above.
- Move Threshold slowly. Lower it to keep only the darkest shadows for a minimal look; raise it to fill in more detail.
- Adjust Detail. Lower values give smoother, poster-like shapes; higher values keep fine hair and texture.
- Download the SVG and use it in your cutting, engraving or design software.
Ideas for line art SVGs
Makers use photo line art for custom pet portraits on tumblers, house portraits engraved on wood, wedding silhouettes, coloring pages for kids, rubber stamps and screen print stencils. Because the SVG is a real vector, a design made from a phone photo can be printed on a poster without pixelation.
Want an outline instead of filled shapes?
The SVG contains filled shapes, which is what cutters and engravers need. If you want a stroke-only outline for a pen plotter, open the SVG in Inkscape or Illustrator, remove the fill and add a stroke. For laser cutting, Pro users can export the same shapes as a DXF with closed polylines.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn any photo into line art?
Most photos work, but results are best with a plain background, a clear subject and strong contrast. Busy backgrounds create extra shapes.
What is the difference between Sketch and Line art presets?
Sketch keeps thin, light strokes like pencil lines. Line art makes bold, solid black areas with a lower threshold, which is better for stencils and cutting.
Is the result good for laser engraving?
Yes. Engraving software fills the black shapes. For cutting the outline, use Pro to export a DXF or use the SVG directly in LightBurn.
Are my personal photos uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser. Your photos never leave your device.