AUTOTRACE(1)

💖 AUTOTRACE(1) 💖

okay bestie, this is a General Commands Manual page for autotrace, and it's genuinely one of the coolest little tools out there. sit down, grab a strawberry 🍓, and let me tell you everything.

---

✨ NAME ✨

autotrace — converts bitmap image data into vector graphics

like. it takes your pixel-y lil picture and turns it into smooth math curves. it's giving glow-up. 👑

---

🌈 SYNOPSIS 🌈

autotrace [-background-color  hexvalue] [-centerline] [-color-count
int] [-corner-always-threshold  angle] [-corner-surround  int] [-corner-
threshold  angle] [-despeckle-level  int] [-despeckle-tightness  real]
[-dpi  int] [-error-threshold  real] [-filter-iterations  int] [-help]
[-input-format  format] [-line-reversion-threshold  real] [-line-
threshold  real] [-list-input-formats] [-list-output-formats] [-log]
[-output-file  file] [-output-format  format] [-preserve-width]
[-remove-adjacent-corners] [-report-progress] [-debug-arch] [-debug-
bitmap] [-tangent-surround  int] [-version] [-width-factor  real]
inputfile

that's a LOT of options but don't panic, we're going through every single one, no skipping, that's the rules. 💅

---

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So the autotrace program takes bitmap graphics from the file inputfile that you name on the command line, and as output it produces a collection of splines that approximate the original image — which is literally the whole bitmap → vector format conversion moment. it behaves in a manner similar to the commercial software known as *tream*ine or *orel*race. iconic lineage honestly.

The result goes to standard output unless the -output-file option is active. so it'll just spill out into your terminal if you don't redirect it, bestie, watch out 🙈

---

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

okay first, housekeeping rules that apply to everything below:

• Options can begin with either -- or -. either one, she's flexible. ✨
• Any unambiguous abbreviation can be used for the option name. so like, shorten it, but not so much that it's ambiguous. iykyk.
• Option names and values can be separated with either a space or an equal sign (=). your choice, both slay.

---

• -background-color hexvalue — use the color given by the hexadecimal code hexcode as the background that should be ignored. for example FFFFFF. (default: no background color, or 0xFFFFFF if -centerline is set). so like, "pretend this color isn't here." 👻
• -centerline — trace an object's centerline. (default: employ its outline.) so it traces the squiggly middle instead of the edges, very main character of it.
• -color-count int — reduce the bitmap down to the number of colors given by the unsigned integer int. range: 1-256. the default value of 0 means no color reduction is to be done. > ⚠️ Does not work with grayscale images. periodt.
• -corner-always-threshold angle — consider ANY angle at a pixel that falls below the specified angle (in degrees) to be a corner, even if it's bordered by other corner pixels. (default: 60).
• -corner-surround int — consider the specified number of pixels on either side of a point when figuring out if that point is a corner. (default: 4).
• -corner-threshold angle — consider any pixel that forms an angle with its predecessor(s) and successor(s) smaller than the specified angle (in degrees) to be a corner. (default: 100).
• -despeckle-level int — use the specified integer as the value for despeckling. range: 1-20. (default: no despeckling).
• -despeckle-tightness real — use the specified real number as the value for despeckle tightness. range: 0.0-8.0. (default: 2.0).
• -dpi int — the dots per inch value in the input image. this affects the scaling of mif output image. 📐
• -error-threshold real — subdivide fitted curves that are offset by a number of pixels exceeding the specified real number. (default: 2.0).
• -filter-iterations int — smooth the curve the specified number of times prior to fitting. (default: 4).
• -help — print a help message and exit. bestie in need = bestie indeed 🫶
• -input-format format — use the specified input format, where format is one of:
  • BMP (Windows bitmap format)
  • PBM (Portable BitMap format)
  • PGM (Portable Graymap format)
  • PNM (Portable Anymap format)
  • PPM (Portable Pixmap format)
  • TGA (Targa format)

The supported input formats are determined when the application is built and depend upon the availability of other software. (the -list-input-formats command can be used to determine which are supported locally.)

• -line-reversion-threshold real — when a spline is closer to a straight line than the specified real number weighted by the square of the curve length, maintain it as a straight line, even if it is a list with curves. (default: .01).
• -line-threshold real — if a spline does not deviate from the straight line defined by its endpoints by more than the specified number of pixels, then treat it as a straight line. (default: 1).
• -list-input-formats — send a list of the supported input formats to stderr. 📋
• -list-output-formats — send a list of the supported output formats to stderr. 📋
• -log — send a detailed progress report to the file inputfile.log. it literally names the log after your input file, obsessed.
• -output-file file — send the output to the specified file. 📁
• -output-format format — use the specified output format, where format is one of:
  • ai (Adobe Illustrator)
  • cgm (Computer Graphics Metafile)
  • dr2d (IFF DR2D format, used almost exclusively on Amiga platforms)
  • dxf (AutoCAD Drawing Exchange format)
  • emf (Windows Enhanced Metafile format)
  • epd (Encapsulated Vectorial Graphics format)
  • eps (Encapsulated PostScript)
  • er (Elastic Reality Shape format)
  • fig (xfig (1) 3.2)
  • mif (FrameMaker MIF format)
  • pdf (Portable Data Format)
  • p2e (pstoedit (1) frontend)
  • sk (Sketch)
  • svg (Scalable Vector Graphics)
  • swf (Shockwave Flash 3)

The supported output formats are determined when the application is built and depend upon the availability of other software. (the -list-output-formats command can be used to determine which are supported locally.)

• -preserve-width — whether to preserve line width prior to thinning.
• -remove-adjacent-corners — remove adjacent corners. bye corners 👋
• -report-progress — report tracing status in real time. live updates, we love to see it.
• -debug-arch — print the type of cpu. 🖥️
• -debug-bitmap — dump loaded bitmap to <input_name>.bitmap.
• -tangent-surround int — consider the specified number of points to either side of a point when computing the tangent at that point. (default: 3).
• -version — print the version number of the program and exit.
• -width-factor real — weight factor for fitting the linewidth.

---

🌸 FILES 🌸

• /usr/bin/autotrace — binary

that's where she lives. 💜

---

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

gimp(1), ImageMagick(1), pbm(1), pgm(1), pnm(1), ps2pdf(1), pstoedit(1), pstoepd(1), sketch(1), xfig(1), xv(1)

go read those too, they're the friend group. 🌈

---

👑 AUTHORS 👑

Martin Weber (martweb@gmx.net)

Manual page by R. P. C. Rodgers, Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, U.S. National Library of Medicine (rodgers@nlm.nih.gov).

---

and that's the whole page, bestie 💖 written 10 October 2002 — vintage but still eating — and the footer says AUTOTRACE(1) so you know exactly which girl you're dealing with. slay, go vectorize something. 🦋✨