Image to Stencil for Vinyl, Paint or Print
Convert an image to a stencil file you can cut or print. Pick the width, tune the cut, and take the result as an SVG, a PNG or a tiled PDF.
How to turn an image into a stencil file
- Choose the image on the box. A portrait photo works well for a figure or a face, and a logo or a line drawing turns into a clean cut too.
- The width starts at 30 cm. A 4:5 portrait then stands 37.5 cm high, and the page shows how many A4 sheets the PDF needs.
- Adjust Threshold and Smoothing, and watch the black shapes change in the preview as you move each slider.
- Set Remove details to the finest line your cutter can follow, and keep bridges on so that every island stays attached.
- Download the SVG for a vinyl cutter or a cutting machine, the PDF for printing at home, or the PNG for a design program.
What a stencil file gives you that a photo does not
When I need a stencil for a sign or a shirt, the picture I start with is usually a logo, a drawing or a silhouette cut from a photo. The thing I finally need is a file, not a picture, because a cutter follows paths and does not read pixels. That is why this page leads with the SVG, and why the PNG and the PDF are there for the other jobs.
The SVG is traced from the finished stencil, so it has the same shapes and the same bridges as the preview. Its width and height are the size you typed, in millimetres. A 30 cm stencil has a width of 300 mm in the file, so a design program should open it at the size you chose.
Sheet sizes for a 4:5 portrait photo
A portrait photo is taller than it is wide, so its stencil grows in height as the width grows. The table shows the tool's own numbers for a 4:5 photo. DPI is the resolution of the PNG, and A4 pages is the number of sheets the PDF needs.
| Width | Height | DPI | A4 pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 cm | 25.0 cm | 300 | 2 |
| 30 cm | 37.5 cm | 262 | 4 |
| 50 cm | 62.5 cm | 157 | 8 |
At 50 cm the sheet is 62.5 cm high, so the PDF runs over four rows of pages. Each tile carries its row and column, and the SVG stays one file at the full size.
How an image becomes paths
The tool traces the cut areas with the same tracer that Image to SVG uses. Each black shape is followed around its edge and written as a closed path. A stencil with fewer, larger shapes cuts faster and tears less, so raising Smoothing and Remove details is the first step when the file looks busy.
White areas are not traced at all. They are the material that stays, so the file holds only the openings you will cut out.
Cutting the SVG on a machine
Import the SVG at its stated size and check the ruler in your cutter software before you start. The black paths are the shapes to cut. Every bridge in the preview appears in the file as a gap between black shapes, so a cutter that follows each path leaves the bridge uncut.
Test the settings on a scrap of vinyl first. The cut depth that works for one material can cut through a bridge in another.
Printing the PDF in tiles
Each A4 page is one tile of the sheet, with a number, a row and a column printed in its bottom margin. Print every page at 100 % with fit-to-page switched off, then lay the tiles out in the order the labels give.
Every tile has a white margin of 6.35 mm on each side. Trim that margin before you join the tiles, or the joins show a thin gap where the pages meet.
Tips for better results
- Measure the cutter bed before you choose the width, because a sheet wider than the bed has to be cut in two.
- Keep one stencil per sheet of material, so a torn bridge never ruins a second design.
- Cut a small test square at the size you typed, and measure it with a ruler before you cut the full sheet.
- Save the SVG with its bridges. A cutter that drops small paths may also drop the bridges, so check the preview first.
Privacy
Your photo never leaves your device. It is decoded, cut and saved in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn an image into a stencil for free?
Yes. The image is converted in your browser at no cost, with no sign-up. Choose the file, set the width and download the SVG, PNG or PDF. The tracer is the one Image to SVG uses, so the paths are the same kind of paths.
Which format should I choose for a vinyl cutter?
Choose the SVG. It holds the cut shapes as paths at the width in millimetres that you typed, and a design program opens it at that size. The PNG is only a picture, and the PDF is meant for printing the sheet in tiles at full size.
Do bridges survive the SVG export?
Yes. The SVG is traced from the finished stencil, so every bridge in the preview is in the file as a gap between black shapes. Turn bridges off and the islands are traced as separate shapes that would fall out.
How many pages does a 30 cm stencil need?
For a 4:5 portrait photo, a 30 cm wide sheet is 37.5 cm high and needs four A4 pages, two across and two down. The same width from a 3:2 photo is 20 cm high and needs two. The page count is shown before you download.
Does my image leave my device to become a stencil?
No. The image is decoded, cut and traced in your browser, and the tracing runs in a background worker on your own device. Nothing is sent to a server, so the file never leaves the device you are using.
Related tools and guides
- Photo to Stencil: Cut a Stencil from Any Photo: Turn a photo into a cuttable stencil with bridges and a physical size.
- Stencil Maker from Photo, Sized to Your Cut: Turn a photo into a stencil at the width you choose. Set the threshold, let bridges hold the loose pieces and download it at its real size.
- Image Resizer: Resize images by pixels, percentage or longest side.
- Image Cropper: Crop images to exact ratios or popular preset sizes.
- Put your photos together in one image: Join photos side by side, stacked or in a grid, with adjustable gaps and borders.
- Add text to your photo and keep it readable: Put captions on a photo with a gradient, tint or box behind them and a live contrast check.
- I Built the Tools I Kept Looking For as a Photographer: Why these tools run in your browser and never upload a file.