The Best Way to Vectorize Drawing: Auto Trace Done Right

Why Auto Trace Is the Best Way to Vectorize Drawing

Let’s be honest: tracing your drawings by hand is the opposite of fun. If you’ve ever spent hours clicking along edges with the Pen Tool, you already know the pain. The good news? You don’t have to do that anymore. The best way to vectorize drawing today is fast, smart, and beautifully simple—thanks to tools like Auto Trace in Linearity Curve on iPad.

Whether you’re working with pencil sketches, colorful illustrations, or even photos you’ve edited in Procreate, Auto Trace turns them into clean, editable vector graphics in just a few taps. No more fiddling with bezier curves. No more rage-quitting Illustrator. This is vectorization the way it should be — quick, flexible, and totally beginner-friendly.

• AI precision in one tap: Auto Trace intelligently analyzes your scanned sketch or photo and applies the right tracing algorithm—whether Sketch Mode, Photo Mode, Illustration Mode, or Basic Shapes  .
• Radically faster workflow: No need to spend hours with the Pen Tool. Auto Trace instantly converts your raster image into customizable vector shapes, paths, nodes, fills, all ready for editing  .
• Unmatched flexibility in editing: Once vectorized, you can adjust paths, delete nodes, refine colors, and even separate compound paths for layered control .
  
  

Four Auto Trace Modes: Matching Your Style

Linearity Curve Auto Trace works by analyzing your drawing and figuring out the smartest way to convert it into vector shapes. It understands whether you’ve imported a sketch, a full-color illustration, or a photo, and picks the best tracing method for the job.

That’s why it’s the best way to vectorize a hand drawing on iPad— because it saves time without sacrificing control. You’re still in charge of details like color precision, path complexity, and gradient smoothness, but the grunt work of manual tracing is completely gone. And once your drawing is vectorized, it’s all fully editable: every path, node, and fill is yours to play with.

1. Sketch Mode
   Best for black‑and‑white line drawings, lettering, or logos. Adjust complexity, contrast, and toggle “Ignore White” to generate crisp vector paths  .
2. Illustration Mode
   Ideal for colorful designs. Use sliders for Detail Level (1–128), Color Precision (0–5), and Gradient Smoothness (1–100). There’s also a “Simplify Path” toggle to reduce node count  .
3. Photography Mode
   Converts pixel‑based images into smooth vector paintings—perfect for turning photos into vector art with editable shapes  .
4. Basic Shapes
   Automatically detect and vectorize geometric shapes, circles, squares, triangles, into clean, editable vector objects  .

How to Use Auto Trace – The Best Way to Vectorize Drawing in 2025

Getting started is easy. Just import your drawing into Linearity Curve. Once it’s in, select the image and tap on Auto Trace from the quick actions menu.

Now comes the fun part. You can choose from different modes depending on what kind of drawing you’re working with.

If it’s a line drawing or black-and-white sketch, Sketch Mode gives you sharp, clean vector outlines.

If your drawing is more colorful and complex, Illustration Mode is ideal.

For photo-based artwork, Photography Mode smooths everything into editable shapes.

And if your artwork is full of geometric elements, Basic Shapes Mode recognizes and rebuilds them as clean, scalable vectors.

You’ll also get a few sliders to control how detailed or smooth the result is, along with toggles like “Ignore White” to get rid of the background, or “Simplify Path” if you want fewer points to edit. Once you’re happy with the settings, hit the Auto Trace button—and just like that, your drawing becomes a fully editable vector.

Pro Tips to Make Auto Trace Your Best Way to Vectorize Drawing

• Always use high-contrast scans for drawing; it improves edge detection.
• In Sketch Mode, use “Ignore White” to eliminate unnecessary white backgrounds.
• In Illustration Mode, balance Detail Level and Gradient Smoothness to avoid overly complex vector output.
• Use “Keep Source Image” to retain the raster under the vector for easier tweaking or undoing.
• Use Simplify Path when smooth, clean lines are preferred over many nodes  .

Real-World Workflow Example

In one of Design with Curve tutorial, illustrator Aysel used Auto Trace to turn a Procreate sketch of a snake into fully editable vector art: she imported the sketch, used Sketch Mode, tweaked contrast settings, traced it to vectors, then refined the shapes, added gradient colors, a background, and finishing touches—saving hours compared to manual tracing .

It’s a perfect example of how the best way to vectorize drawing today isn’t about doing everything yourself—it’s about using the right tools to amplify your creativity.

Why This Is the Best Way to Vectorize Drawing (Compared to Manual Tools)

If you’ve been looking for the best way to vectorize drawing, this is it. Auto Trace takes something that used to be slow and technical and makes it effortless and intuitive. Whether you’re digitizing a logo, cleaning up a doodle, or preparing artwork for print, vectorizing your drawing is no longer a chore. It’s fast, accurate, and gives you a fully editable result you can refine, repurpose, and scale however you want.

So go ahead—sketch freely, scan confidently in Linearity Curve, and let Auto Trace handle the hard part. Your next vector masterpiece is just a tap away.