Turn a Scanned Sketch into a Clean Vector with Figma's Vectorize Tool

What This Does

A raster sketch, a scanned logo, or a hand-drawn icon photographed on a whiteboard isn't usable in a real design file until someone traces it into clean vector shapes. Figma's Vectorize tool does that tracing for you, right on the canvas, so you skip opening a separate illustration app just to clean up one asset.

Before You Start

• You've placed the raster image (a photo, scan, or screenshot) on the Figma canvas
• Your seat is a Full seat on a paid Figma plan. Figma's own documentation specifically calls out Professional, Organization, and Enterprise plans for this feature, so check figma.com/pricing or with your Figma admin if you're on a smaller plan
• The source image is reasonably clear. A blurry photo of a whiteboard sketch will trace poorly no matter what

Steps

1. Find the AI feature

Click the image on the canvas to select it. An AI image-editing toolbar appears near the selection, or you can reach the same option through Actions in the toolbar. Click Vectorize.

2. Tell it what you need

There's no prompt to write here, the tool traces the selected image automatically. If your file has multiple images you want vectorized, do them one at a time so you can check each result before moving to the next.

3. Review and use the result

You'll get an editable vector version of the image sitting alongside or in place of the original. Check the traced shapes for anything the AI merged or dropped, thin lines and small details are the most likely to need a manual touch-up, then clean up paths as needed in Figma Design or Figma Draw.

Real Example

Scenario: A client sketched a logo concept on paper during a workshop and you photographed it on your phone before the meeting ended.

What you type/do: Drop the photo onto a Figma canvas, select it, and click Vectorize.

What you get: An editable vector version of the rough sketch, scalable without pixelation, that you can now refine, recolor, and drop into the actual brand exploration file instead of re-drawing it from scratch.

Tips

• Crop the source image tightly around the subject first. A cleaner input traces to a cleaner output.
• High-contrast line art vectorizes far better than shaded or colored sketches. If a trace comes out messy, try a higher-contrast photo before troubleshooting the shapes by hand.
• Save the original raster image in the file (even hidden) until you've confirmed the vector version holds up, in case you need to re-trace it.

Tool interfaces change. If a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.