Figma Launches Vectorize: AI-Powered Raster-to-Vector Conversion

Figma rolled out Vectorize, a new AI tool that converts raster images into editable vectors directly on the canvas. Drag a photo of your hand-drawn sketch into Figma Design or Draw, click Vectorize, and get scalable vector artwork without switching to Illustrator or third-party services.

The feature joins Figma's AI toolkit alongside Remove Background, Erase Object, and Expand Image. According to Figma's announcement, Vectorize handles three main use cases: converting hand-drawn illustrations into editable vectors, transforming analog lettering into workable logos, and turning captured textures into reusable design system components. The tool includes a Recolor slider that simplifies complex color palettes into manageable sets.

Vectorize is available now for Full-seat users on Professional, Organization, and Enterprise plans with AI enabled. It uses AI credits—one credit per conversion—so heavy vectorization workflows will hit monthly limits.

How It Compares to Existing Tools

Adobe Illustrator's Image Trace remains the industry standard with extensive controls for path complexity and corner detection. The advantage: precision and customization. The disadvantage: you're in Illustrator, meaning export → import → continue working in Figma. Vectorize eliminates the context switch entirely.

Vector Magic (vectormagic.com) produces impressive AI-powered results, especially for complex artwork and photographic content. It often outputs cleaner vectors than Illustrator's Image Trace. But it's a separate service requiring uploads, processing, downloads, then importing to your design tool. Figma's implementation trades some quality for zero workflow interruption.

Free online vectorizers (Vectorizer.ai, AutoTracer) work for simple logos but generate bloated SVG files full of redundant anchor points. Fine for quick jobs, painful for production work requiring clean, editable paths.

Manual pen tool tracing still wins for precision logos requiring mathematical perfection and minimal file size. But what takes 30 minutes manually happens in seconds with Vectorize—speed matters for iterative sketch work and rapid prototyping.

The real differentiator: Vectorize keeps you in your Figma file where vectors immediately integrate with components, variables, and the rest of your design system. No export-import dance, no wondering if your client's confidential logo just hit someone's server.

Worth noting that Vectorize uses credits, so unlike core Figma features, usage has a monthly ceiling. For occasional sketch-to-vector work, the allocation should suffice. Heavy vectorization users might hit limits or need to think strategically about when to use credits versus manual tracing.