Convert JPG to SVG

JPG vs SVG: what changes

JPG (JPEG) is a lossy raster format tuned for photographs: it discards detail the eye barely notices to reach small file sizes, but it has no transparency and re-saving repeatedly compounds the quality loss.

SVG is a vector format: instead of pixels it stores shapes as XML maths, so it scales to any size with zero quality loss and stays tiny for flat artwork like logos and icons.

You're going from pixels to vector shapes: the result scales to any size without blurring, but it's traced from the image, so it suits flat graphics far better than photos. SVG supports transparency, though a JPG has none to carry over — the image simply stays fully opaque. SVG is lossless, so it preserves the JPG exactly as-is — but it can't restore detail the lossy JPG already discarded, and the file is usually larger.

When to convert JPG to SVG

Converting JPG to SVG only makes sense for simple, flat graphics that happen to be saved as JPG — for example a basic two-colour logo — where you want clean, scalable vector shapes.

Good to know: JPG photos do not vectorise well: the tracer turns continuous tones into blocky colour regions, so reserve this for flat artwork, not photographs.