Athanor by arbastro
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How to trace a picture to lines

Select the picture and choose Edit › Trace picture to lines. Set the threshold, detail and speck size, watch the preview, and press Trace.

Steps

  1. Select the picture. See How to add a picture.

  2. Choose Main menu › Edit › Trace picture to lines.

  3. Adjust the trace while the preview updates:

    • Threshold and Detail set what counts as ink and how closely the outline follows it;
    • Drop specks ignores dots smaller than the size you set;
    • Round off the corners;
    • Trace the light parts for chalk on a blackboard;
    • Keep the picture underneath keeps the original below the trace.

    Trace picture to lines with the outlines shown over the picture and the counts of outlines, holes and points.Trace picture to lines with the outlines shown over the picture and the counts of outlines, holes and points.

  4. Press Trace.

    The traced caffeine drawing as outlines on the page.The traced caffeine drawing as outlines on the page.

The outlines follow the edge of the ink, so a pencil line becomes a long thin shape rather than a stroke you can set a width on. The trace is filled in the document's ink; recolor it in Properties.

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Last updated Nov 12, 2026