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# AutoTrace PNG to SVG: Use the Centerline Option

> Run AutoTrace’s centerline command on a PNG, save an SVG, and inspect its stroke, fill and open subpaths before treating the drawing as one continuous route.

Source: https://perfectvector.com/blog/autotrace-centerline-png-svg

Language: en
Author: Irene Kim
Published: 2026-11-03T08:00:00+09:00

To convert a PNG to centerline SVG with the standalone AutoTrace CLI, add `--centerline`, request SVG output and name the saved file. Then inspect the geometry. Our AutoTrace 0.40.0 control produced a stroked path with no fill, but that one path element contained two separate open subpaths. A low path count does not establish one continuous drawing route.

If part of your artwork needs filled outlines instead, [start free with PerfectVector](https://perfectvector.com/image-to-vector) and check the preview’s silhouettes and enclosed openings. PerfectVector does not create centerlines. Editing and export follow unlock. For the centerline task, use the complete local workflow below.

## Confirm you are using the standalone AutoTrace CLI

This guide uses the installed `autotrace` executable described by the [official AutoTrace project](https://github.com/autotrace/autotrace). [AutoTracer.org](https://www.autotracer.org/) is a browser upload service with its own interface; its controls are not the commands below. Inkscape’s centerline interface is another route to the task. The [drawing-to-single-line SVG guide](https://perfectvector.com/blog/drawing-to-single-line-svg) covers that GUI workflow, source preparation, cleanup and later plotter checks.

You need an installed AutoTrace executable, a terminal, a permitted PNG and an SVG viewer or plain-text editor. Put a working copy named `line-control.png` in a separate folder and preserve the original. Our control was a purpose-created 160 × 120 RGB PNG: a thick black vertical stem with two rightward bars on an opaque white background.

Check your installed build before tracing:

```bash
autotrace --version
autotrace --help
autotrace --list-input-formats
autotrace --list-output-formats
```

Our version returned `AutoTrace version 0.40.0.` Its format lists included PNG input and SVG output. The project notes that format support depends on the build. If PNG is missing from your actual input list, resolve that build’s input support before copying the conversion command.

## 1. Save an outline control

First save the ordinary trace under its own filename:

```bash
autotrace --background-color FFFFFF \
  --output-format svg --output-file outline.svg line-control.png
```

The [maintainer’s command manual](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/autotrace/autotrace/master/autotrace.1) documents the background color as a hexadecimal color to ignore and the output options as the requested format and destination file. `FFFFFF` identifies white here. Keep that choice tied to your source rather than adding it to every image blindly.

The actual `outline.svg` contained one closed path with `fill:#000000; stroke:none;`. It described the boundary of the thick black region. For a broader explanation of filled traced line art, see [line art to SVG](https://perfectvector.com/blog/line-art-to-svg).

## 2. Add centerline and save a separate SVG

Run the same source with the centerline option and a new output filename:

```bash
autotrace --background-color FFFFFF \
  --output-format svg --output-file centerline.svg \
  --centerline line-control.png
```

The official project and manual distinguish centerline tracing from outline tracing. Our saved `centerline.svg` had `stroke:#000000; fill:none;`, one path element and no image element. Its geometry followed thin routes through the source’s thick regions rather than filling their boundary shape.

We also tested the same source without the explicit white-background option:

```bash
autotrace --centerline --output-format svg \
  --output-file centerline-background-retained.svg line-control.png
```

That file was byte-for-byte identical to `centerline.svg` in this control. The explicit background flag was therefore not necessary for this source and build. Do not treat it as a universal fix for missing branches or an explanation for every background result.

## 3. Inspect the saved routes, not just the path count

These are observations from the three actual saved files, inspected as SVG markup and rendered locally. The files were retained from our original command probe; the inspection reused those outputs rather than claiming a second conversion run.

| Saved file                           | Path elements | Paint and closure                         | What it establishes                                    |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `outline.svg`                        | One           | Black fill, no stroke; one closed subpath | An ordinary filled boundary trace                      |
| `centerline.svg`                     | One           | Black stroke, no fill; two open subpaths  | Centerline geometry with a route break                 |
| `centerline-background-retained.svg` | One           | Identical bytes to the centerline file    | Omitting the background option made no difference here |

A **subpath** is a separate contour inside a path element. In SVG path data, `M` starts a subpath and `Z` closes it, as defined in the [SVG paths specification](https://www.w3.org/TR/SVG2/paths.html). Our centerline path had two `M` commands and no `Z` command. The relevant saved data, with whitespace added for reading, was:

```text
M30 30L30 75
C30 80.0707 28.3961 88.5616 31.6034 92.8519
C35.7319 98.3743 47.9272 96 54 96L117 96
M31 56L87 56
```

The first route starts along a vertical stem at x = 30. The second starts at x = 31, y = 56. That separate start is not evidence of a joined branch. Even this simple input needs endpoint inspection before anyone treats it as a continuous route.

**Illustration**

![Conceptual path document containing separate open curves with endpoint dots and a magnified gap](https://perfectvector.com/blog/autotrace-centerline-png-svg/open-subpaths.webp)

*Check endpoints and route breaks within the saved path object.*

Open the SVG beside the source. Check the main stem, each side branch, endpoints and unexpected loops. Use the saved stroke/fill attributes and path data to answer structural questions; a thin-looking preview alone can hide a filled outline or a disconnected branch. These checks establish what the file contains, not successful importing or plotting in another tool.

## Recover from a failed check

| Failed check                                     | Next action                                                                                        |
| ------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The PNG is rejected                              | Check the installed input-format list and that build’s dependencies                                |
| The SVG is still a filled closed shape           | Confirm `--centerline` was used and inspect the newly named output rather than the outline control |
| The path is difficult to see                     | Inspect its stroke and fill, then choose a contrasting viewer background                           |
| A branch is missing or detached                  | Revisit the source, inspect endpoints and repair the route deliberately                            |
| One path is being treated as one continuous line | Inspect separate `M` starts and actual connections within that element                             |

Keep the accepted SVG with its original PNG, AutoTrace version and full command. The completion check for this CLI task is a saved SVG with the intended stroke-based routes and inspected breaks. We did not test a receiving app, native editing, a physical plot or a cut. Use the [single-line drawing guide’s cleanup and plotter checks](https://perfectvector.com/blog/drawing-to-single-line-svg) for those next decisions; automatic tracing is not proof of perfect branch reconstruction.

If a separate part of the project calls for filled silhouettes, [start free with PerfectVector](https://perfectvector.com/image-to-vector) and compare the preview’s outer shapes and enclosed openings with your source. Keep the centerline portion in a centerline-capable workflow.

## FAQ

**What is the AutoTrace command for centerline PNG to SVG?**

Use autotrace with --centerline, --output-format svg, an --output-file destination and the PNG input. Check the installed version and supported input formats first, then inspect the saved SVG’s stroke, fill and routes.

**Is one SVG path always one continuous centerline?**

No. A path element can contain several subpaths. Our actual centerline SVG had one path element but two open subpaths, so the element count alone did not establish a continuous route.

**Is the white-background option required?**

It was not required for our white-background control in AutoTrace 0.40.0: omitting it produced identical SVG bytes. Choose background handling for your source and installed build rather than assuming it repairs centerline geometry.

**Can PerfectVector make the same centerline output?**

PerfectVector creates filled outline geometry rather than centerlines. It can serve a separate filled-shape task, while marks that need a route through their middle require a centerline-capable tool or deliberate drawing.

## Sources

1. [Official AutoTrace project](https://github.com/autotrace/autotrace) — standalone CLI, centerline support, usage and build-dependent input formats.
2. [AutoTrace command manual](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/autotrace/autotrace/master/autotrace.1) — centerline, background, output-file and output-format options.
3. [W3C SVG paths specification](https://www.w3.org/TR/SVG2/paths.html) — subpaths, moveto commands and closure.
4. [AutoTracer.org](https://www.autotracer.org/) — the separate browser service distinguished from the installed CLI.

## Explore

- [Read the HTML article](https://perfectvector.com/blog/autotrace-centerline-png-svg)
- [Blender Trace Image to Grease Pencil: Choose Your Route](https://perfectvector.com/blog/blender-trace-image-grease-pencil.md)
- [OpenToonz Raster to Vector: Choose a Conversion Mode](https://perfectvector.com/blog/opentoonz-raster-to-vector.md)
- [Product facts](https://perfectvector.com/product-facts.md)
- [FAQ](https://perfectvector.com/faq.md)
- [Pricing and credits](https://perfectvector.com/pricing.md)