Usage Report · June 2026
What 14,000+ image conversions reveal about how people use AI vectorization
Aggregate, anonymized data from every conversion run on VectoSolve between October 2025 – June 2026. No personal data, no customer names — just what creators actually do with raster-to-vector AI.
1. Vectorization is ~90% of all AI image work
Across every AI processing operation (excluding downloads, exports, and refunds), image vectorization accounts for roughly 9 in 10. People come to convert raster images into clean vector paths — everything else is a long tail.
2. Background removal is a vectorization step, not a task
Users remove backgrounds as part of vectorizing about 11× more often than as a standalone job. The clean cut-out isn't the goal — a clean vector is. It tells you background removal belongs inside the conversion flow, not as a separate tool.
3. Makers export to DXF first — laser and CNC lead
When creators export to a specialty cut-file format, DXF (for laser cutters and CNC routers) takes about two-thirds of the volume — ahead of Cricut cut files and embroidery formats. The image-to-vector audience skews toward physical makers, not just screen designers.
4. Two out of three source files are PNGs
PNG alone is about two-thirds of every conversion, and roughly 82% start from a raster image (PNG, JPG, WEBP) rather than a vector. Notably, about 1 in 6 is an existing SVG being re-cleaned or simplified, not a fresh trace. And vectorizing shrinks the file: the average source image comes out roughly 82% smaller as an SVG.
5. The file-quality problem, measured (Q3 update)
A fresh 90-day window (April–July 2026, 19,167 files) lets us quantify something every print shop knows by feel: the state of the artwork people actually upload.
- 36.7% of files arrive under 100 KB — a strong low-resolution signal. Median upload: 234 KB. The “logo saved off the website” problem is endemic, not anecdotal.
- 14.6% are JPGs — a format that physically cannot carry transparency, so every one needs background work before print or cut use.
- 32.5% of paid conversions include background removal — one in three customer files ships with a background that has to go.
- 87.4% of conversions output an SVG smaller than the source raster (average output: 167 KB) — the vector is lighter than the pixels in seven cases out of eight.
For shops and platforms that ingest customer art at volume, this is the case for automating the first pass: a third of files need background work, a third arrive too small, and all of it lands on someone's desk before anything can be produced.
Methodology
Figures are aggregate counts from VectoSolve's own operations log over October 2025 – June 2026 (14,000+ total operations, 12,000+ creators). They are anonymized — no personal data or customer identities are included or inferred. Counts are rounded down to stay conservative. Percentages are shares of the relevant operation set, as noted. Snapshot taken June 2026; the file-quality section uses a fresh April–July 2026 window (19,167 files), pulled July 15, 2026.
Cite this data
Free to reference with a link. Suggested citation:
VectoSolve, “Image-to-Vector Usage Report 2026,” vectosolve.com/image-to-vector-report
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