Guide · 2 min read

Fewer anchor points, the same shape.

Why a traced SVG has thousands of anchor points, what they cost you, how to cut them down in an editor, and how to start with the few a shape needs.

Two coral-hulled fishing boats by a navy pier with ochre buoys and navy waves, on pale blue
The WebP as uploaded84 KBVecSnap's SVG11 KB459 anchor points

To reduce anchor points in an SVG, simplify its paths: an editor's Simplify command, such as Inkscape's (Ctrl+L), removes points while almost keeping the shape, and you check the result up close. Fewer points make a lighter file that is easier to edit and to cut. A traced file starts with thousands because the tracer follows every pixel; a file drawn as shapes starts with the few its curves need.

Updated 1 source ↓

Why so many

Why does a traced SVG have so many anchor points?

Because a tracer follows the pixels it is given. Every step of a jagged edge and every speck of compression becomes points, so a curve a designer would draw with four points comes out with dozens.

The same image, up close, as potrace traces it and as VecSnap draws it, each anchor point shown:

potrace
6,431anchor points in the whole file
VecSnap
459anchor points in the whole file

What they cost

Why is my SVG file so big?

Mostly anchor points. Each one is written into the file as numbers, so thousands of them make a file many times heavier than its shapes need, slow every edit, and give a cutting machine more to follow.
Anchor points
VecSnap 459, potrace 6,43192% fewer
File size
VecSnap 11 KB, potrace 215 KB95% lighter

In the file

11 circles · 32 paths

In an editor

How do I reduce anchor points in an existing SVG?

Select the paths and simplify them. In Inkscape, the Simplify command (Ctrl+L) removes anchor points while almost keeping the shape; pressed again within half a second, it simplifies further.

Check the result up close: each point removed lets the curve move a little, so corners soften and circles drift. Simplify the parts that need it, one at a time.

  1. Select the paths to simplify, in Inkscape
  2. Press Ctrl+L: Simplify removes anchor points while almost keeping the shape
  3. Press it again within half a second to simplify further
  4. Zoom in and check each corner and circle before you keep the file

Start with few

Can a file start with few anchor points?

Yes, when it is drawn rather than traced: each edge fitted with the fewest points that keep its shape, and each circle drawn as a circle. The table counts both ways on the same images.
Original
potrace
VTracer
VecSnap

The Ondaro club badge

Badge

  • 99.1% fewer than potrace
  • 98% fewer than VTracer
A round badge: a navy ring around a sand disc, a coral sun, two navy bars and a small coral star
pixels2,048 × 2,048 px
The Ondaro club badge, as potrace draws it
4,051points135 KB
The Ondaro club badge, as VTracer draws it
2,475points102 KB
The Ondaro club badge, as VecSnap draws it
36points0.80 KB

The Ondaro mark

Logo mark

  • 99.6% fewer than potrace
  • 97% fewer than VTracer
The Ondaro logo mark: a navy ring with a small coral circle inside it, near the top right
pixels2,048 × 2,048 px
The Ondaro mark, as potrace draws it
3,110points113 KB
The Ondaro mark, as VTracer draws it
595points26 KB
The Ondaro mark, as VecSnap draws it
12points0.27 KB

Four ride icons

Icon set

  • 97% fewer than potrace
  • 89% fewer than VTracer
Four navy icons on cream: a water bottle, a helmet, a wheel and a mug
pixels2,048 × 2,048 px
Four ride icons, as potrace draws it
8,109points307 KB
Four ride icons, as VTracer draws it
1,946points84 KB
Four ride icons, as VecSnap draws it
198points5.5 KB
Examples we picked, made with Gemini. potrace and VTracer are open-source tracers; each picture is that tool's own file of the same image.
Every image, measured: potrace vs VTracer vs VecSnap

Try it

How few anchor points can my logo have?

Drop it here: VecSnap draws it again with as few points as its shape needs, and counts them before you keep the file.
OriginalVecSnap
Anchor points
VecSnap 459, potrace 6,43192% fewer
File size
VecSnap 11 KB, potrace 215 KB95% lighter

No image at hand? Try one of ours

Now yours: drop your logo

See every anchor point VecSnap draws, each one on the shape it belongs to. Converting and previewing are free.

Questions

Anchor points, answered.

Sources

It can. Each point removed lets the curve move a little. Simplify a copy, compare it up close, and keep the version whose corners and circles still match.

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