Convert a PNG Sketch into a Vector in Affinity Designer

The short answer

Affinity Designer converts a PNG sketch into a vector logo by having you redraw it, not by tracing it automatically. You place the PNG as a reference image, then build new paths over it with the Pen, Pencil and shape tools. You refine those paths with the Node tool and Boolean operations, then export the result as SVG, PDF or EPS. Affinity Designer 1 and 2 have no built-in automatic image-trace command like Illustrator's Image Trace or Inkscape's Trace Bitmap. If you use a newer Affinity release, check its documentation, because this article does not confirm what that release includes.

The distinction matters for logo work. A PNG is a grid of pixels. Placing it in a vector document does not turn it into vector artwork, and saving the document as SVG or PDF does not either. The file only becomes a usable vector logo once every visible shape is a path you can edit node by node, and the original pixels have been removed or excluded from the export.

Before you start: rights and source quality

If the sketch is your own or a client's original drawing made for this project, you can redraw it freely. If the sketch reproduces someone else's logo, being able to download or view the image does not give you permission to modify the artwork, vectorise it, reuse its fonts or use the mark commercially. Trademark rights, artwork copyright and font licences are separate matters, so confirm each one before you redraw a third-party logo.

Tracing goes faster and comes out more accurate when the source is clean. A good PNG reference has the following qualities:

• Scanned rather than photographed, where possible, so the image has no perspective distortion or uneven lighting.
• High contrast, with dark lines on a plain light background. Darken faint pencil lines in a photo editor first if needed.
• Large enough that curves and corners are clearly readable when you zoom in.
• Straight. Rotate the image to level before you trace, so horizontal and vertical elements line up with the grid.

Step-by-step: redrawing the sketch as vector paths

• 1. Create a new document in the Designer persona. Pick a size that comfortably fits the logo. The vector result will scale freely afterwards, so the exact size is not critical.
• 2. Use File > Place to bring the PNG into the document. It will appear in the Layers panel as an image layer.
• 3. Lower the image layer's opacity so your new paths stand out against it, then lock the layer so you cannot accidentally select or move it.
• 4. Add a new layer above the sketch for your vector work. Keep separate parts of the logo, such as the symbol, the lettering and any outline, on separate layers or in named groups.
• 5. Build simple geometry with the shape tools first. Circles, rectangles, rounded rectangles and polygons give cleaner, more consistent curves than freehand tracing.
• 6. Use the Pen tool for organic outlines. Place as few nodes as possible, mainly at corners and at the extremes of curves, and drag out handles to shape each curve.
• 7. Use the Pencil tool, with its stabiliser enabled if you want smoother input, for loose hand-drawn strokes where you want to keep some of the sketch's character. Expect to remove excess nodes afterwards.
• 8. Refine the paths with the Node tool. Delete unnecessary nodes, convert nodes between sharp and smooth where needed, and align handles so curves flow without bumps.
• 9. Combine overlapping shapes with Boolean operations (Add, Subtract, Intersect, Xor, Divide). Use them to build counters, cut-outs and merged silhouettes instead of stacking loose overlapping pieces.
• 10. Turn stroked lines into filled shapes with Layer > Expand Stroke if the logo needs to keep its line weight at any scale or be used where strokes may not be supported. Merge the results with Add where appropriate.

Handling lettering in the sketch

Hand-drawn lettering can be traced like any other shape. If the sketch only roughly indicates text in a typeface you plan to use, it is usually cleaner to set the text with the Artistic Text tool and adjust spacing to match the sketch. Before you hand the file off, convert the text with Layer > Convert to Curves. The recipient then does not need the font installed, and the letters cannot shift because of font substitution. Keep an unconverted copy of the text for future edits, and check that the font's licence allows it to be embedded or outlined in logo artwork.

Color

Sketches are often monochrome, so apply color only after the shapes are final. Use flat fills on closed paths and avoid leftover strokes that are only there because of the tracing process. If the logo has defined brand colors, add them as swatches in a document palette so every element uses identical values. Choose a color model that suits the destination: RGB for screen and web use, CMYK or spot definitions for print as specified by the printer or brand guidelines.

Alternative: trace elsewhere, clean up in Affinity

If you want an automatic first pass, you can run the PNG through a separate tracing tool, such as Inkscape's Trace Bitmap or Illustrator's Image Trace. You then open or place the resulting SVG in Affinity Designer for cleanup. Auto-traced output typically has many more nodes than a hand-drawn path and wobbly curves where the sketch was uneven. Treat it as a starting point that still needs simplifying and correcting. Do not treat it as finished logo artwork.

Approach | What you get | Typical trade-off

Manual redraw in Affinity Designer | Deliberate paths with few nodes and precise geometry | Takes more time and skill with the Pen tool

Auto-trace in another app, then cleanup in Affinity | Fast first draft of complex or textured shapes | Excess nodes and irregular curves that need correcting

PNG placed in Affinity and exported as SVG/PDF without tracing | A vector container holding an embedded raster image | Not a true vector logo: it pixelates when enlarged and its shapes cannot be edited

Exporting the finished logo

• Delete the sketch layer, or at least hide it, before you export. A hidden layer should not appear in the output, but deleting it in an export copy removes any doubt.
• Use File > Export and choose SVG for web and general handoff, PDF or EPS for print workflows, and PNG only for raster previews at specific sizes.
• In the export dialog's additional settings, check the rasterisation option and set it so vector content is not rasterised. Otherwise some effects or unsupported properties may be converted to pixels.
• If you need several deliverables, use the Export persona to set up named slices so each format and size can be regenerated consistently.

Final inspection checklist

• Switch to an outline-style view, if your version offers one, or temporarily remove fills. Every part of the logo should show as clean paths with no stray fragments.
• Check the Layers panel for any remaining Image or Pixel layers. A true vector logo should contain only curves, shapes and groups.
• Select each path and confirm it has a sensible number of nodes and no tiny overlapping segments.
• Zoom in far on curves and corners to spot kinks, gaps and accidental open paths.
• Confirm all text has been converted to curves in the delivery file.
• Reopen the exported SVG or PDF to verify the result. Opening an SVG in a text editor is a quick test: an embedded raster usually appears as an image element with encoded data, which means pixels were carried into the file.
• Compare the vector at both very small and very large sizes against the original sketch to confirm the shapes read correctly.

Gaps in this guide

No version-specific evidence was supplied for this article. It does not list exact menu paths for every Affinity release, recommended scan resolutions, or timings for manual tracing. It also does not confirm whether newer Affinity releases have added automatic tracing. Check those details against the documentation for the version you are using.