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{{short description|Free raster to vector conversion software}}
{{Lead too short|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox software
{{Infobox software
| name = Potrace
| name = Potrace
| logo = Potrace logo.svg
| logo = Potrace logo.svg
| logo size = 200px
| logo size = 200px
| screenshot = <!-- [[File: ]] -->
| screenshot = <!-- [[File:]] -->
| developer = Peter Selinger
| developer = Peter Selinger
| released = 2001
| released = 2001
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| genre = [[Image tracing|Raster-to-vector conversion]]
| genre = [[Image tracing|Raster-to-vector conversion]]
| platform = [[Cross-platform]]
| platform = [[Cross-platform]]
| license = [[GNU General Public License|GNU GPL]] and Potrace Professional
| license = Potrace: [[GNU General Public License#Version 2|GPL-2.0-or-later]], Potrace Professional: [[Proprietary software|proprietary]]
| website = http://potrace.sourceforge.net
| website = http://potrace.sourceforge.net
}}
}}


'''Potrace''' is a [[cross-platform]], [[open-source software]] which converts [[raster graphics|bitmapped]] images into [[vector graphics]]. It is written and maintained by Peter Selinger.
'''Potrace''' ({{IPAc-en|'|p|oʊ|t|r|eɪ|s}})<ref>{{Cite web |last=Selinger |first=Peter |title=Potrace Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://potrace.sourceforge.net/faq.html#general |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=potrace.sourceforge.net}}</ref> is [[cross-platform]], [[open-source software]] which converts [[raster graphics|bitmapped]] images into [[vector graphics]]. It is written and maintained by Peter Selinger.


== Properties ==
== Properties ==
Various graphical frontends are available for the command-line application Potrace. Notably, it has been integrated with [[Inkscape]], giving Inkscape its ''Trace Bitmap'' action.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inkscape.org/doc/tutorials/tracing/tutorial-tracing.html|title=Inkscape tutorial: Tracing|publisher=[[Inkscape]]|accessdate=2019-02-06}}</ref> [[FontForge]] can use Potrace to import a bitmap image into a font. Potrace is also used by the [[music engraving]] program [[LilyPond]].
Various graphical frontends are available for the command-line application Potrace. Notably, it has been integrated with [[Inkscape]], giving Inkscape its ''Trace Bitmap'' action.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inkscape.org/doc/tutorials/tracing/tutorial-tracing.html|title=Inkscape tutorial: Tracing|publisher=[[Inkscape]]|accessdate=2019-02-06}}</ref> [[FontForge]] can use Potrace to import a bitmap image into a font. Potrace is also used by the [[music engraving]] program [[LilyPond]]. An open-source [[progressive web app]] that uses Potrace is SVGcode.


Potrace's input and output is black and white (colored images are [[Grayscale#Converting color to grayscale|greyscaled]] before processing). However, Inkscape is capable of producing color images by decomposing each channel into several black and white images and tracing them separately with Potrace. The commercial Total Vectorize program also uses Potrace as its core.
Potrace's input and output is black and white (colored images are [[Grayscale#Converting color to grayscale|greyscaled]] before processing). However, Inkscape is capable of producing color images by decomposing each channel into several black and white images and tracing them separately with Potrace. The commercial Total Vectorize program also uses Potrace as its core.


The program is dual-[[software license|licensed]] as "Potrace" under the [[GNU General Public License|GPL]] and as "Potrace Professional" in a proprietary license by Selinger's company, Icosasoft Software, Inc.<ref>[http://potrace.sourceforge.net/#dual Dual licensing program for Potrace]</ref>
Potrace is licensed under the [[GNU General Public License#Version 2|GNU General Public License v2.0 or later]]. A non-GPL version of Potrace called "Potrace Professional" is available under license from Selinger's company, Icosasoft Software, Inc.<ref>[http://potrace.sourceforge.net/#dual Dual licensing program for Potrace]</ref>


== Examples ==
== Examples ==
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==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
*[[Comparison of raster to vector conversion software]]
* [[Comparison of raster to vector conversion software|Comparison of raster-to-vector conversion software]]


==References==
==References==
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* Peter Selinger, [http://potrace.sourceforge.net/potrace.pdf Potrace: a polygon-based tracing algorithm], Sep 2003
* Peter Selinger, [http://potrace.sourceforge.net/potrace.pdf Potrace: a polygon-based tracing algorithm], Sep 2003
* {{in lang|fr}} Elisa de Castro Guerra, ''Inkscape: Apprenez, pratiquez, créez'', Pearson Education France, 2007, {{ISBN|2-7440-2158-X}}, pp.&nbsp;108&ndash;111
* {{in lang|fr}} Elisa de Castro Guerra, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Q377qi349ZoC&pg=PA108 Inkscape: Apprenez, pratiquez, créez]'', Pearson Education France, 2007, {{ISBN|2-7440-2158-X}}, pp.&nbsp;108–111
* Yannis Haralambous, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=qrElYgVLDwYC&pg=PA500&dq=Potrace&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Potrace&f=false Fonts & encodings]'', O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2007, {{ISBN|0-596-10242-9}}, pp.&nbsp;500&ndash;501
* Yannis Haralambous, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=qrElYgVLDwYC&dq=Potrace&pg=PA500 Fonts & encodings]'', O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2007, {{ISBN|0-596-10242-9}}, pp.&nbsp;500–501
* Karel Píška, [http://www.springerlink.com/content/wl7rep361urtglr8/ Creating Type 1 Fonts from METAFONT Sources: Comparison of Tools, Techniques and Results] in ''TeX, XML, and digital typography: International Conference on TeX, XML, and Digital Typography'', held jointly with the 25th Annual Meeting of the TeX Users Group, TUG 2004, Xanthi, Greece, August 30 - September 3, 2004 ; proceedings, [[LNCS]] Volume 3130, Editor Apostolos Syropoulos, Springer, 2004, {{ISBN|3-540-22801-2}}, pp.&nbsp;240&ndash;256, [http://www-hep2.fzu.cz/~piska/TUG2004/piskatb2.pdf preprint]
* Karel Píška, [https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-3-540-27773-6_19 Creating Type 1 Fonts from METAFONT Sources: Comparison of Tools, Techniques and Results] in ''TeX, XML, and digital typography: International Conference on TeX, XML, and Digital Typography'', held jointly with the 25th Annual Meeting of the TeX Users Group, TUG 2004, Xanthi, Greece, August 30 - September 3, 2004 ; proceedings, [[LNCS]] Volume 3130, Editor Apostolos Syropoulos, Springer, 2004, {{ISBN|3-540-22801-2}}, pp.&nbsp;240–256, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170721213643/http://www-hep2.fzu.cz/~piska/TUG2004/piskatb2.pdf preprint]


==External links==
==External links==
* {{official website|http://potrace.sourceforge.net}} on [[SourceForge]]
* {{official website|http://potrace.sourceforge.net}} on [[SourceForge]]
* Vince Vatter, [https://web.archive.org/web/20161022003928/http://boolesrings.org/vatter/how-to-make-slides-from-handwritten-notes-using-potrace/ How to make slides from handwritten notes using potrace]
* Vince Vatter, [https://web.archive.org/web/20161022003928/http://boolesrings.org/vatter/how-to-make-slides-from-handwritten-notes-using-potrace/ How to make slides from handwritten notes using potrace]
* [https://igutechung.github.io Online version of Potrace] ported with [[WebAssembly]]


[[Category:Free raster to vector conversion software]]
[[Category:Free raster to vector conversion software]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]
[[Category:Software using the GPL license]]

Latest revision as of 02:51, 27 June 2024

Potrace
Developer(s)Peter Selinger
Initial release2001
Stable release
1.16[1] / September 17, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-09-17)
Repository
Written inC
PlatformCross-platform
TypeRaster-to-vector conversion
LicensePotrace: GPL-2.0-or-later, Potrace Professional: proprietary
Websitehttp://potrace.sourceforge.net

Potrace (/ˈpoʊtreɪs/)[2] is cross-platform, open-source software which converts bitmapped images into vector graphics. It is written and maintained by Peter Selinger.

Properties

[edit]

Various graphical frontends are available for the command-line application Potrace. Notably, it has been integrated with Inkscape, giving Inkscape its Trace Bitmap action.[3] FontForge can use Potrace to import a bitmap image into a font. Potrace is also used by the music engraving program LilyPond. An open-source progressive web app that uses Potrace is SVGcode.

Potrace's input and output is black and white (colored images are greyscaled before processing). However, Inkscape is capable of producing color images by decomposing each channel into several black and white images and tracing them separately with Potrace. The commercial Total Vectorize program also uses Potrace as its core.

Potrace is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 or later. A non-GPL version of Potrace called "Potrace Professional" is available under license from Selinger's company, Icosasoft Software, Inc.[4]

Examples

[edit]
  • Source image JPEG grayscale (891×1,077 pixel, 119 KB)
    Source image JPEG grayscale (891×1,077 pixel, 119 KB)
  • Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to an eight-color SVG image in 2006 (50 KB)
    Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to an eight-color SVG image in 2006 (50 KB)
  • Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to an eight-color SVG image in 2012 (336 KB)
    Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to an eight-color SVG image in 2012 (336 KB)
  • Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to a twelve-color SVG image in 2012 (608 KB)
    Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to a twelve-color SVG image in 2012 (608 KB)
  • Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to a sixteen-color SVG image in 2012 (743 KB)
    Traced with Potrace in Inkscape to a sixteen-color SVG image in 2012 (743 KB)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to potrace.
  1. ^ Peter Selinger (2019-09-17). "ChangeLog". SourceForge project potrace. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  2. ^ Selinger, Peter. "Potrace Frequently Asked Questions". potrace.sourceforge.net. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  3. ^ "Inkscape tutorial: Tracing". Inkscape. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  4. ^ Dual licensing program for Potrace

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
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