Photo to CAD Converter
Turn a photo into a CAD file, free, as DXF or DWG
Drop a file here. It never leaves your browser.
PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, BMP, HEIC, TIFF, AVIF · any size · free · DXF or DWG · works best on clean line art, logos and high contrast shapes
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How to convert a photo to CAD
Add your file
Drop a photo onto the converter, or click to choose one. It stays on your device.
Tune the trace
Adjust threshold and smoothing until the live preview shows the outline you want.
Download DXF or DWG
Take either format and open the file in your CAD, CAM or laser software.
About formats
A photo is whatever your camera or phone produced, which in practice means a JPG on most Android phones and cameras and a HEIC on an iPhone since iOS 11. Both are lossy: they throw away detail the eye is least likely to miss in order to keep the file small, which is exactly the detail a tracer needs at an edge. A photo also carries everything a scan does not, including perspective, uneven lighting, shadows, reflections and background clutter, none of which mean anything geometrically but all of which read as contrast the tracer will happily follow. Two habits fix most of it: shoot square on to the subject rather than at an angle, and light it flatly so the shape reads as a silhouette. A photo of a printed or hand drawn line drawing traces well. A photo of a real three dimensional part traces its outline, not its dimensions, which is a different job.
Frequently asked questions
Why convert a photo to CAD?
CAD software works in lines, arcs and polylines; an image only holds colour. Converting your photo into a CAD file turns the shapes in the picture into editable vector geometry, which is what you need before you can dimension it, edit it or send it to be cut.
What software opens these files?
Between the two formats, effectively everything. AutoCAD, Fusion, SolidWorks, FreeCAD, LibreCAD, BricsCAD, DraftSight, Onshape, Rhino and every mainstream CAM and laser package open one or both. Pick DWG if you work in AutoCAD, DXF if the file is going anywhere else.
Does the converter trace the image?
Yes. It finds the edges in your photo and traces them into closed vector contours, then writes those as DXF or DWG polylines. Because it traces pixels, the output is an outline with no real dimensions or scale, which is perfect for flat cutting but is not a measured engineering drawing.
Is photo to CAD conversion free?
Yes, and there is no watermark. The conversion runs entirely in your browser, so your file is never uploaded; a free account is needed only to download the finished file.
Should I download the DXF or the DWG?
Take the DWG if you are going to keep editing in AutoCAD, since it is AutoCAD's own format and stays smaller as the drawing grows. Take the DXF for everything else, especially if the file is going to a laser, plasma, waterjet or CNC shop, because DXF is plain text and read by more software than any other CAD format. If you are not sure who is opening it, send DXF. Both come from the same conversion here, so you can take one, try it, and come back for the other.
What photo files work best?
High contrast images with clear outlines give the best DXF or DWG: logos, stencils, technical sketches, floor plans and simple shapes. Busy photos with shadows and gradients trace poorly because there is no clean edge to follow.
Can I use the file for laser cutting or CNC?
Yes. The traced polylines drop straight into laser, plasma, waterjet and CNC routing software as cut paths. Set an output width in millimetres before you download so the part comes in at real size.
I have a different image, not a photo. Can I still use this?
Yes. The converter accepts any common image, including PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, BMP, HEIC, TIFF and AVIF, whichever page you started from. Just drop your file and it converts.