Raster vs Vector: PNG, JPG and SVG Explained Simply
Try the free PNG to SVG toolTurn logos, drawings and photos into clean, scalable vector files.Open →If a printer has ever asked you for a “vector logo” and you weren’t sure what that meant, this guide is for you. Here’s the difference between raster and vector images in plain terms, and how to pick the right format.
Raster images: a grid of pixels
A raster image is a grid of tiny coloured squares called pixels. Photos from your phone, screenshots and most images on websites are raster images. Common raster formats:
- JPG (JPEG): small files, great for photos, but compression creates fuzzy edges and doesn’t support transparency.
- PNG: lossless, supports transparency, great for screenshots, logos for the web and graphics with sharp edges.
- WEBP / AVIF: modern web formats with better compression.
The catch: a raster image has a fixed number of pixels. Enlarge it beyond that and it becomes blurry or blocky.
Vector images: shapes described by maths
A vector image describes shapes — lines, curves, fills — using coordinates. Instead of storing “pixel 341 is blue”, it stores “draw a blue circle with this centre and radius”. Common vector formats:
- SVG: the web standard, widely supported by design apps and cutting machines.
- PDF: can contain vectors, commonly used for print.
- EPS / AI: older print and Adobe Illustrator formats.
The benefit: a vector image can be scaled to any size and stays perfectly sharp. It’s also easy to recolour, and machines like cutters and lasers can follow its paths.
Side-by-side
| Raster (PNG, JPG) | Vector (SVG, PDF) | |
|---|---|---|
| Made of | Pixels | Shapes and paths |
| Scaling | Gets blurry | Always sharp |
| Best for | Photos, complex artwork | Logos, icons, text, illustrations |
| File size | Grows with resolution | Grows with complexity |
| Cutting machines and lasers | Need tracing | Use directly |
| Editing | Paint tools | Move and recolour shapes |
When should you convert to vector?
Convert when:
- you need a logo for print, signs, merchandise or embroidery,
- you want to cut a design with a Cricut, Silhouette or laser,
- you only have a small PNG of a logo and need it bigger,
- you want to recolour flat artwork easily.
Don’t bother when:
- it’s a photograph you want to look like a photograph — vectorising gives a posterised, illustrated look,
- the image is only used on screen at its current size.
How automatic conversion works
A vectorizer (also called a tracer) looks at the image, groups similar colours into areas, finds the edges between them, and fits smooth curves along those edges. Our free PNG to SVG converter uses the open-source VTracer engine. You control how many colours it uses, how smooth the curves are, and how small a detail can be before it’s discarded.
The cleaner and larger the original, the better the result. Flat-colour logos convert beautifully; noisy, compressed or tiny images need more cleanup.
Summary
Use raster formats for photos and complex images, and vector formats for anything that needs to scale, be cut by a machine or be printed large. When you only have a raster logo, converting it to SVG is often the quickest way to get the vector file a printer is asking for.