How to vectorize a scanned logo in Adobe Illustrator

The short answer

To convert a scanned or raster logo to vector in Adobe Illustrator, place the image, open the Image Trace panel (Window > Image Trace), choose a mode and preset, adjust the settings until the preview matches the original, and then expand the result into editable paths. For simple, high-contrast logos, tracing and some cleanup are often enough. For logos with lettering, precise geometry or a poor-quality scan, the usual professional approach is to use the scan only as a reference and redraw the artwork by hand with the Pen, shape and type tools.

Two terms set the scope. A raster image, such as a JPG, PNG or scan, is a grid of pixels. Its edges blur or turn jagged when you enlarge it. A vector logo is made of paths, which are mathematically defined lines and curves connected by anchor points. A vector logo can be scaled to any size without losing edge quality, recolored precisely and output for print or screen. Tracing creates paths from pixel data, so the vector can only be as good as the source and your cleanup.

About versions: the menu names and panel options below describe the Image Trace workflow in recent Adobe Illustrator releases. This guide does not include version-verified documentation, so check the exact command locations and option labels against your installed version, because Adobe sometimes moves or renames them.

Before you start: rights and source quality

Converting a logo to vector does not give you permission to use or modify it. Confirm that you own the mark or have the owner's authorization before you redraw it. File extensions are not reliable proof of anything. An .ai, .eps, .pdf or .svg file can still contain embedded pixel images rather than true paths, so a file labeled as vector may still need conversion.

Start with the best source you can get. A clean, flat, high-resolution scan gives sharper edges and fewer stray shapes than a small web image or a photo taken at an angle. If you can only get a low-resolution JPG or PNG, expect to redraw more of the logo by hand.

Step 1: Prepare the scan

Scan the printed logo flat and straight, at the highest practical resolution your scanner allows, and save it in a lossless format if possible.
Crop the image close to the logo and rotate it so horizontal and vertical elements are truly level.
If you have an image editor available, raise the contrast and clean up dust, paper texture and shadows. A cleaner tonal separation means fewer unwanted paths in the trace.
Note the original colors from a reliable reference, such as brand guidelines or a known color specification. Scanned colors are rarely accurate enough to sample directly.

Step 2: Place the image in Illustrator

Create a new document sized for your working needs.
Choose File > Place and select the scan. To trace it automatically, place it normally and click Embed in the Properties or Control panel so Image Trace can work on it reliably.
To redraw it manually, enable the Template option in the Place dialog, or set the layer to Template in the Layers panel options. This dims and locks the image so you can draw over it on a separate layer.
Scale the image up if it is small so details are easier to see. Scaling a raster does not add detail, but it makes tracing over it more comfortable.

Step 3: Choose tracing or manual redrawing

Approach | Best suited to | Main trade-off

Image Trace | Simple marks, bold silhouettes, few flat colors, organic or hand-drawn shapes | Fast, but often creates extra anchor points, wobbly curves and inaccurate corners that need cleanup

Manual redraw (Pen, Curvature, shape tools) | Geometric logos, precise curves, clean lettering, brand-critical artwork | Slower, but produces clean, intentional paths with minimal anchor points

Hybrid | Logos combining organic illustration with geometric shapes or type | Trace the organic parts, then rebuild the geometric parts and lettering by hand

Step 4: Trace the image with Image Trace

Select the placed image and open Window > Image Trace.
Pick a Mode: Black and White for single-color logos, Color for multicolor logos, or Grayscale where needed.
Start with a relevant preset. Black and White Logo suits one-color marks, and the limited-color presets suit flat multicolor logos. Photo presets usually produce far too many shapes for logo work.
For black-and-white tracing, adjust Threshold until thin parts stay solid without filling in counters, the enclosed spaces inside letters like o or e.
For color tracing, set the Palette to Limited and set Colors to the actual number of colors in the logo.
Open Advanced and adjust Paths (fidelity to the source), Corners (how sharp corners are kept) and Noise (the smallest area kept, used to drop specks).
Under Advanced, set Method to Abutting for shapes that meet edge to edge, or Overlapping for stacked shapes. Turn on Ignore White if you don't want white background areas traced as filled shapes. Turn on Snap Curves to Lines if the logo has straight edges that the trace makes slightly curved.
Turn on Preview to see changes live, then toggle between the tracing result and the source image to compare edges.
When the result is acceptable, click Expand in the Properties or Control panel, or choose Object > Image Trace > Expand, to convert the trace into editable paths.

Until you expand it, a trace is a live object linked to the image and its settings, and you cannot edit the individual anchor points. After you expand it, ungroup the result so you can select and refine individual shapes.

Step 5: Redraw or refine the paths by hand

Rebuild geometric elements with the Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon and Line tools rather than accepting traced approximations. Circles should be true circles and straight lines should be truly straight.
Use the Pen or Curvature tool for custom curves. Place anchor points at the extremes of curves, meaning their top, bottom, left and right points, and use as few points as the shape needs.
Combine and cut shapes with the Shape Builder tool or the Pathfinder panel instead of drawing complex outlines point by point.
On traced artwork, reduce excess anchor points with Object > Path > Simplify, then check that curves still match the original.
Remove stray points and empty objects with Object > Path > Clean Up.
Use Smart Guides, alignment and consistent stroke or shape dimensions to keep symmetry and spacing deliberate.
Delete or hide the original image once the vector version is complete.

Step 6: Handle lettering and typography

Traced lettering is usually the weakest part of a scanned logo, with uneven stroke weights, softened corners and inconsistent curves. If the logo uses an identifiable typeface, the cleanest result usually comes from retyping the text in that font, but only if you hold an appropriate font license. Match the size, tracking and kerning to the scan, then convert the type to outlines with Type > Create Outlines.

Outlining makes the artwork display correctly on systems that don't have the font installed, but the text is no longer editable as type. Keep a separate, unoutlined working copy. If the lettering is custom or hand-drawn, redraw it as paths over the template and treat each letter as a shape.

Step 7: Apply accurate colors

Replace traced colors with defined swatches based on the logo's documented colors, not values sampled from the scan.
Use Select > Same > Fill Color to change every shape that shares a color at once, or Edit > Edit Colors > Recolor Artwork to remap the palette.
Set up color definitions that match the intended output: spot or process colors for print, and RGB or hex values for screens, according to the brand specification or the printer's requirements.
If a printer or brand guideline specifies exact color values, use those. This guide has no supplied color or print specifications, so confirm them with the relevant party.

Step 8: Confirm the result is true vector artwork

Switch to View > Outline. Every part of the logo should appear as path outlines with no image boxes or leftover pixel content.
Open Window > Document Info and check the embedded images and linked images listings. They should show none for the final logo file.
Check the Links panel for any remaining placed images.
Zoom in closely on curves, corners and joins. Look for bumps, kinks, unwanted gaps or overlaps, and too many anchor points.
Compare the vector artwork against the original at small and large sizes. Pay attention to thin details and the counters in lettering.
Confirm that all type has been converted to outlines in the delivery version, or that font licensing and availability are handled if live type is kept.
Check that the fills use the intended swatches and that no unwanted strokes, white background shapes or hidden objects remain.

Step 9: Save and export for delivery

Save a master file with File > Save As in Illustrator's native .ai format and keep editable layers and any unoutlined type versions.
For print delivery, save as PDF or EPS through File > Save As, or as requested by the printer. When saving as PDF, Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities keeps the file reopenable and editable in Illustrator.
For web and digital use, export SVG through File > Export > Export As, or Export for Screens. Outline the text first, or choose to convert fonts to outlines in the SVG options, so the type displays consistently.
For raster versions such as PNG, use File > Export > Export As or Export for Screens. A transparent background is available for PNG.
Trim the artboard to the logo with Object > Artboards > Fit to Artwork Bounds so exported files don't include extra empty space.
After exporting, reopen each delivered file and check it in Outline view or the Document Info panel to confirm its contents match what you intended.

Evidence gaps to keep in mind

This guide is based on general Illustrator workflow principles. It does not rely on version-specific documentation, so menu paths, preset names and option labels may differ in your release. No print specifications, color values or file requirements were supplied. Get those from the brand owner or the printer before final delivery.