Convert an Image to Curves in Affinity Designer: Redrawing a Scanned Logo as Vector Paths

The short answer

You cannot turn a pixel image into editable curves with Affinity Designer's Convert to Curves command. That command works only on objects that are already vector-based, such as shapes, text and strokes. It changes them into plain curves, meaning paths made of nodes and segments that you can edit directly. A scanned or photographed logo is a raster image, a grid of colored pixels with no paths inside it, so the command has nothing to convert.

To get vector curves from a scanned logo, you have two routes. You can redraw the logo over the image with Affinity Designer's vector tools. Or you can trace it automatically in a separate application that has a tracing feature, then bring the result into Affinity Designer for cleanup. Affinity Designer 1 and 2 have no built-in automatic image trace. The newer Canva-era Affinity app may differ, so check the menus and documentation of the version you have before relying on any trace feature.

Terms used in this guide

• Raster image: a picture stored as pixels, such as a scan saved as JPG, PNG or TIFF. Enlarging it shows blur or blocky edges.
• Vector artwork: shapes defined by mathematical paths that stay sharp at any size.
• Curve: Affinity Designer's name for a freely editable vector path.
• Node: a point on a path. Nodes are either sharp corners or smooth points with handles that control the bend.
• Convert to Curves: the command that turns a live shape, live text or other vector object into a plain, editable curve.
• Outline (stroke) to fill: turning a line with thickness into a closed filled shape. In Affinity Designer this is Expand Stroke.

Before you start

• Permission: confirm you have the right to reproduce the logo. Owning a print or a file of a mark does not mean you may reuse it.
• Best available source: ask the owner for original artwork before redrawing. An EPS, PDF or SVG file is not proof of vector content, because any of them can contain only an embedded raster image. Open the file and inspect it before deciding a redraw is needed.
• Scan quality: scan flat and straight, at a resolution high enough that edges and small letters are clearly defined. Raise contrast if needed so the shapes stand out from the paper. Pick a resolution that suits your scanner and the size of the print, since no single setting fits every case.
• Font information: if the logo has lettering, try to identify the typeface. Setting real text and converting it later usually gives cleaner letterforms than tracing letters by hand.

Route 1: Redraw the logo manually in Affinity Designer

Manual redrawing takes longer but gives the cleanest result. You choose where every node goes, so curves stay smooth and node counts stay low. This matters for logos that will be enlarged, cut by plotters, embroidered or printed.

• 1. Create a new document, then bring the scan in with File > Place.
• 2. In the Layers panel, lower the scan's opacity so your paths show clearly over it. Then lock the layer so it cannot move while you work.
• 3. If the scan is tilted, rotate it before locking. Use a horizontal edge in the logo as your reference.
• 4. Rebuild the simple geometry first. Use the Rectangle, Ellipse and other shape tools for circles, bars and frames, because geometric primitives are more accurate than freehand paths.
• 5. Draw the organic shapes with the Pen Tool. Place nodes at the extreme points of each curve (top, bottom, left and right of a bend) and at corners. Then drag the handles to follow the edge. Fewer, well-placed nodes give smoother curves than many closely spaced ones.
• 6. Switch to the Node Tool to refine the paths. Convert nodes between sharp and smooth where needed, and remove any node that does not change the shape.
• 7. Combine or cut overlapping parts with the Boolean operations (Add, Subtract, Intersect, Xor, Divide) on the toolbar or under the Layer > Geometry menu. Affinity Designer 2 also has a Shape Builder Tool for merging or removing overlapping areas interactively.
• 8. Turn snapping on to align parts precisely, and repeat elements by duplicating them instead of redrawing each one.
• 9. Select the shapes you built from primitives and choose Layer > Convert to Curves (Ctrl+Enter on Windows, Cmd+Return on Mac). This leaves plain curves that any vector application can read.

Handling the lettering

If you have identified the typeface, set the text with the Artistic Text Tool. Then match its size, letter spacing and baseline to the scan, and convert it with Layer > Convert to Curves. After conversion the text can no longer be edited as type, so keep an unconverted copy on a hidden layer. If the lettering is custom or the font cannot be found, redraw the letters as paths with the Pen Tool, just like the other shapes. Converting text removes the need for the recipient to have the font installed. It does not change whatever license terms apply to that font, so check them separately.

Converting strokes

If you drew any part of the logo as a stroked line, such as an outline ring or a rule, select it and choose Layer > Expand Stroke. This turns the line into a filled shape, so its thickness stays the same when the logo is resized. It also avoids differences in how other programs and output devices handle stroke settings.

Route 2: Trace automatically elsewhere, then clean up in Affinity Designer

Applications with a bitmap-tracing feature can generate paths from a scan. Export the trace as SVG or PDF, then open it in Affinity Designer, which imports both as editable vectors. Automatic traces of scanned prints usually need correction. Expect wobbly edges, too many nodes, rounded corners that should be sharp, and specks from paper texture or ink spread. Use the Node Tool to repair or simplify these areas, and redraw any part that cannot be repaired cleanly using the steps in Route 1. A trace can be faster for complex illustrative marks, but for simple geometric logos manual redrawing is often quicker overall.

How to confirm the result is true vector artwork

• Layers panel: hide the scan and check each logo element. It should be listed as a curve, shape or group of curves. Nothing in the logo itself should be listed as an image or pixel layer.
• Outline view: use View > View Mode > Outline (in Affinity Designer 2) to see paths without fills. Look for stray nodes, unclosed paths and overlaps you did not intend.
• Zoom test: zoom in far on edges and small details. Vector edges stay crisp, while any leftover raster element turns soft or pixelated.
• Comparison: show the scan again at partial opacity and check that proportions, spacing and curves match the original. Correct any flaws inherited from the print, such as ink spread or paper distortion, rather than copying them.
• Fonts: confirm that no live text remains if the file is going to someone who may not have the font.

Exporting the finished logo

Delete the reference scan, or keep it on a hidden layer in your working file only. Then use File > Export. For screens and web use, choose SVG. Check the export options so that vector content is not rasterized, and preview the output. For print, choose PDF or EPS, using the settings your printer or the recipient asks for. Remember that all three formats can hold raster images, so the file extension alone does not prove that the logo inside is vector. A quick check is to open an exported SVG in a text editor. Vector shapes appear as path or shape elements, while an embedded raster appears as an image element with encoded pixel data, as in the example below.

<!-- Vector content: editable path -->
<path d="M10,40 C10,20 30,10 50,10 ..." fill="#000"/>

<!-- Raster content: embedded pixels, not curves -->
<image href="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo..." width="..." height="..."/>

What this guide does not cover

No version-specific test results, timings, recommended scan resolutions or comparisons between tracing applications were available for this guide, so none are given. Menu names and shortcuts above follow Affinity Designer 2. Menu labels and features can change between releases, including in the newer unified Affinity application, so confirm each command in the version you are using.