Image → DXF · Outline trace
Image to DXF
Convert any image to a DXF outline for laser cutting, CNC or plotting. Set the threshold, size it in millimetres, and download vector polylines — free, no upload, no signup.
Works best on high-contrast art: logos, silhouettes, stencils, line drawings. A photo with soft gradients has no clean edge to follow, so it traces into noise.
Converting an image to DXF
Raster images (PNG, JPG, WebP) store pixels; DXF stores lines. Converting one to the other means tracing: the picture is split into ink and background at a brightness threshold, and the border between the two is followed and written out as DXF polylines.
That output is what a laser cutter, CNC router, vinyl cutter or plotter actually needs — a path to follow. Set the width in millimetres and the drawing comes out at real size, with millimetre units declared in the file.
The honest limit: tracing can only find an edge that exists. Line art, logos, stencils and silhouettes convert cleanly. A photograph with soft shading has no single brightness where the subject ends, so the threshold cuts through it — convert the photo to a silhouette first, or use Image to STL if you want a 3D relief instead of a cut path.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I convert an image to DXF?
- Drop any PNG, JPG or WebP above. It's traced right away — move the threshold slider until the preview shows the shape you want, set the width in millimetres, and download the DXF.
- Is this image to DXF converter free?
- Yes — completely free, no signup, no watermark, and no file-size paywall.
- What is a DXF used for?
- It's the standard exchange format for 2D machining: laser cutters, CNC routers, waterjets, plasma tables, vinyl cutters and plotters all take DXF. That's why an image has to be traced into paths before those machines can use it.
- Which images give a good result?
- Anything with a clear light/dark split: logos, stencils, silhouettes, line drawings, signatures, scanned ink. Photographs with gradients don't, because there's no single brightness that separates subject from background.
- Can I control how detailed the trace is?
- Three sliders: Threshold sets where ink stops and background starts, Smoothing flattens the pixel staircase (and fine detail with it), and Ignore specks drops islands below a chosen area so noise doesn't become cut paths.
- What DXF version does it produce?
- AutoCAD R12 (AC1009) ASCII with POLYLINE entities and millimetre units — the flavour with the widest software support.
- Does the image get uploaded?
- No. There is no server and no upload. Decoding and tracing both run on your device, and nothing is stored.