Amadine Image Trace: Native Trace or Imported SVG?

Amadine has native Image Trace. On a Mac, select the bitmap and choose Modify > Trace. On iPad or iPhone, select the image and tap Trace in the Path panel. These are separate entry points documented in the Mac tracing guide and the iOS and iPadOS tracing guide.

You can also import an SVG made by a dedicated vectorizer and continue editing it in Amadine. Choose between those routes by the work you need afterward: recoloring filled regions, adjusting contours, or preparing a simpler version of an illustration. An older tutorial that uses an online converter does not mean the app lacks its own tracer.

The important output detail is that Amadine's tracer creates closed, filled paths. A scanned pen line becomes an outlined area; it does not automatically become the original pen's editable centerline stroke. Keep that distinction in mind before choosing a tracing mode.

Choose the intended regions before tracing

Imagine a lantern emblem for a festival invitation. It has teal side panels, a coral center, a dark frame, a diamond-shaped opening, and a tassel. For the invitation, you want to recolor the panels independently. For a small single-color stamp, you mainly need the silhouette and recognizable empty spaces.

Those versions have different acceptance criteria. The colored version needs useful boundaries between the panels. The stamp needs a clear overall shape without accidental specks or a closed-up central opening.

Start with a clean copy of the source image. The Mac documentation notes that tracing includes properties applied to the imported object, such as a shadow or rounded corners. Add those effects after tracing if they are not meant to become part of the artwork.

Illustration of color and silhouette goals

Adjust one tracing decision at a time

The iOS tracing documentation describes Brightness Threshold for deciding which light and dark areas contribute to a Monochrome trace. In Colored mode, Number of Colors limits the palette by grouping similar colors. Level of Detail controls retention of small features, while Smoothness affects contour complexity. Both platform guides document these controls.

For the lantern, begin by deciding whether the coral and teal must remain separate. Then look at the tassel and central opening while making one adjustment at a time. More retained detail is useful only when that detail belongs in the design.

Use the documented preview options to inspect the result independently: turn off Show Original, and use Show Outlines when you need to see the geometry. A source image left behind the trace can make a missing feature look intact.

Avoid searching for one ideal preset for every illustration. Save a version with the important regions intact, then compare a simpler attempt against it. If a small highlight vanishes, decide whether the highlight matters at the final size before restoring it.

Check three kinds of space in the lantern

A colored trace can contain artwork, empty space, and shapes that happen to match the background. They may look similar on a white canvas. Give each a separate check before deleting anything.

1. Inspect a panel you need to recolor. Select the coral region and temporarily change its fill. Confirm that the intended panel changes, and note whether it is split into several pieces. Undo the change after checking.
2. Inspect the central opening. Place a contrasting background behind the emblem. If the opening is intended to be transparent, that background should show through. A pale diamond that keeps its color may be a filled object instead.
3. Inspect the outer background. Look for a rectangle or surrounding region that came from the source. Hide a suspected background object before deleting it so you can see what disappears.
4. Inspect small islands. Around the tassel, distinguish intentional strands from isolated noise. Remove or merge only the pieces you have identified; do not erase every small object simply because it is small.
5. Inspect the final use. Reduce the emblem to invitation or stamp size. Check whether the opening and thin connections still read clearly.

The central diamond needs an explicit design decision. It might be a hole in a hanging ornament, or a cream-colored decoration printed on its surface. Deleting it would be correct in one design and wrong in the other. A tracer cannot settle that meaning for you.

A useful result also depends on the intended edit. A shape that looks right but takes many tiny selections to recolor may need cleanup. Our guide to evaluating vector trace quality gives a broader inspection process for contours, detail, and editability.

Import a dedicated trace for editing in Amadine

If you prefer to create the trace separately, convert your image to SVG with PerfectVector, then import the downloaded file into Amadine. Check the lantern's color regions, central opening, and background before refining it. This route lets you keep Amadine as the editor while choosing another tracing workflow for the source image.

On Mac, the import documentation supports File > Import or dragging the SVG into the document. Imported SVG artwork becomes a Clipping Group; the Layers panel provides access to its contents. Modify > Release Clipping Mask can separate it when that is appropriate.

On iPad and iPhone, the import guide uses the main menu's Import command and File source. It also describes SVG import as a Clipping Group, with Release Clipping Mask in the Path panel.

Do not release every clipping mask automatically. Work on a copy, inspect what the mask contains, and check the appearance after any structural change. A mask may be intentionally hiding artwork outside a boundary.

Importing a PNG or JPG is a different operation. The same guides describe those files as rectangles filled with an image. Moving or resizing that rectangle does not give you the lantern's individual vector regions.

Check access and export before committing to a workflow

On iOS and iPadOS, the official introduction says tracing and exporting require purchasing the app. A free download therefore does not establish access to those features. Check your installed edition and its current purchase options before planning a large batch.

After editing, keep the native document and export the deliverable you need. The iOS Export panel documentation lists SVG and explains that its Resolution setting affects raster elements, not vector geometry. Raising that setting does not turn a retained bitmap into paths.

Reopen the exported file in the intended destination and repeat the panel, opening, and background checks. If the task needs a faithful photograph with subtle lighting, keeping the raster may be more appropriate than tracing it. If the mark consists of a few simple curves, manual construction may be easier to maintain.

For a broader mobile workflow, see image to SVG on iPhone. If you switch between editors, the Affinity Designer vectorization guide covers that app's separate tracing and import choices.

FAQ

Does Amadine have automatic image tracing? Yes. Its current Mac and iOS documentation includes Image Trace with Monochrome and Colored modes. On Mac, use Modify > Trace; on iPad or iPhone, use Trace in the Path panel after selecting an image.

Does Amadine tracing create editable centerline strokes? The documented tracing output consists of closed, filled paths. That is different from reconstructing the original centerline of a pen stroke. Use manual drawing when the editable stroke itself is the required structure.

Can I edit an SVG from another vectorizer in Amadine? Yes. The import guides describe SVG artwork arriving as a Clipping Group whose contents you can access through Layers. Inspect those objects before releasing masks or changing the artwork's structure.

Why does my traced image still have a background shape? Inspect whether the background is a filled region from the source or an image object still present in the document. Hide the suspected object and check the artwork on a contrasting background before deleting it.

Sources

1. Tracing Images for Mac — Mac entry point, filled-path output, and source-object effects.
2. Tracing Images for iOS and iPadOS — Mobile entry point, tracing controls, and preview modes.
3. Importing Graphics for Mac — SVG import, clipping groups, and image-filled raster objects.
4. Importing Graphics for iOS and iPadOS — Mobile file import and access to SVG contents.
5. Brief Description for iOS and iPadOS — Purchase requirement for tracing and exporting.
6. The Export Panel for iOS and iPadOS — SVG export settings and the scope of raster resolution.

Choose the route that gives you the regions your next edit needs. If you want to try a separate trace, start with your own image in PerfectVector, import the SVG into Amadine, and verify one recolorable region, one opening, and the surrounding background.