Getting started
What does Optracy do?
It turns a raster image, usually a small or blurry shirt design, into vector shapes in flat colors. You fix the colors in the editor, then download SVG, PDF, EPS or a 300 dpi print PNG in a print size such as 4500 × 5400 px.
Which images work best?
Art with clear areas of solid color: lettering, logos, badges, cartoons and most shirt illustrations. Photos and soft gradients don't fit in flat colors; they come out as bands. For those, print a high-resolution PNG instead.
Which files can I upload?
PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF or BMP, up to 30 MB and 3 megapixels. Each side needs at least 16 px, and the long side can be at most 20 times the short one. An animated GIF or WebP uses its first frame.
My image is bigger than 3 megapixels.
You get a crop step first. Drag the box over the part you need until it's under 3 megapixels, then press Process this area. The crop happens in your browser, and only the part inside the box is uploaded.
Can I upload several images at once?
Not on the web: it takes one image at a time, and if you drop several, it takes the first. To run many images, use the API.
How long does processing take?
From a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on the image and how busy the server is. The workspace shows the step and a progress bar. “Waiting for a free slot” means other images are ahead of yours. You can cancel while it runs; a canceled image isn't counted.
Is there a daily limit on processing?
Yes, to keep the service fair: 20 images a day without an account (shared by everyone on the same network), 40 with a free account and 200 with the monthly plan. The sample images have their own limit of 10 runs a day. Images that fail or that you cancel aren't counted. The counts renew every 24 hours.
Why can't I start a second image?
An account processes one image at a time, across all its tabs. Wait for the first one to finish, then upload the next.
Editing colors
What is a color group?
Each bubble in the editor is one color group: one flat color in your files. A big bubble covers a big part of the design. Click a bubble, or a color in the picture, to select it.
How do I choose the number of colors?
Use the number-of-colors chips under the bubbles. The editor starts at an automatic count; one click on another chip regroups the whole design into that many colors. Fewer colors give a cleaner print; more keep more detail.
How do I merge two colors?
Drag one bubble onto the other. Or select both (hold Shift, Ctrl or ⌘ as you click) and press Merge.
How do I split a color group?
Select it and press Split. The group divides in two, the same way the next chip up would divide it.
How do I change a color?
Select the group, then type a hex value such as #D62828 or use the color picker, and press the check button to apply it. The arrow button brings back the original color.
How do I remove the background?
Press Remove background, or the Delete key (fn + Delete on a Mac). It hides the background color group: the print PNG is transparent there, and SVG, PDF and EPS leave it out. If it picked the wrong color, undo, then hide the right group with its eye button.
Can I undo?
Yes, every step: Ctrl+Z to undo and Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y to redo (⌘Z and ⇧⌘Z on a Mac).
Why does the preview look less sharp than my file?
The preview is the color map painted by group; small details in the downloaded file are sharper. After you merge, split or change the color count, the file takes longer to build, up to a few minutes.
What does the loupe do?
Turn it on with the Loupe button or the L key, then move over the picture: a round lens shows the original image under the pointer at twice the current view, so you can compare its soft pixels with the result around it. It needs a mouse or trackpad.
Are my edits saved?
Yes, in this browser, for 24 hours. Open the same image link again on the same browser and your colors come back. On another device or browser you see the default colors.
Which keyboard shortcuts are there?
Press ? in the editor for the full list. The most used: 2 for side by side, L for the loupe, Delete to remove the background, Ctrl+Z to undo.
Downloading and print sizes
Which format should I download?
- PNG to upload to a print-on-demand store: 300 dpi, transparent margin.
- SVG to edit in Illustrator, Figma or Inkscape.
- PDF to send to a print shop.
- EPS for older design software.
One image is one download, so you can take all four.
Which print sizes are there?
Three at 300 dpi: 4500 × 5400 px (15 × 18 in), 4000 × 4000 px (13.3 × 13.3 in) and 3000 × 3600 px (10 × 12 in). You can also keep the original size, scale it, or set a custom width, height, units (px, in, cm or mm) and dpi, up to 20,000 px a side.
Will my design be stretched to fill the canvas?
No. It keeps its proportions and sits inside the canvas, and the margin stays transparent. For vector files, Custom size also offers Fill and Stretch; a print PNG always fits inside.
What does “Checked before download” mean?
Every file is checked before it reaches you: the size you chose, no trace of a color group you hid, every color from your groups and, in the print PNG, no gaps between shapes. If a check fails, the download page tells you what to look at.
What counts as a download?
One image is one download, counted the first time a finished file of it reaches you. After that, every format, every size and every re-download of the same image is free while the image is kept (24 hours), even when today's downloads are used up. Uploading the same picture again starts a new image and counts again.
Why do I need an account to download?
Downloads are counted per account: a free account gets 5 a day. Processing and editing need no account.
What happens to my edits when I sign in from the download page?
They stay. After you sign in or create an account, you come back to the same download page with your colors.
My download failed.
A file that fails to build isn't counted. Press Download again. If it fails again, try another format, and if that fails too, email [email protected] with the image link.
Can I come back later for another size?
Yes, while the image is kept: up to 24 hours from the upload. Open the same link, pick the new size, and download it; it doesn't count again.
Accounts and plans
How do I create an account?
Use Sign up with your email and a password of at least 15 characters. The account works at once; there's no confirmation email.
I forgot my password.
Email [email protected] from your account's address. We reply with a link to set a new one. The link works once, for 24 hours.
How long do I stay logged in?
Up to 30 days. If you don't visit for 7 days, you log in again.
How do I change my email or password?
On your account page, under Security. You need your current password for both. Changing the password logs out your other devices.
How do I delete my account?
Email [email protected] from your account's address. We remove your email, password, login sessions and API keys. The account number and its credit and API job records stay, without your email, so the credit books still add up.
What does the monthly plan include?
One calendar month of unlimited downloads on the web for $6.99, and a higher processing limit: 200 images a day. It doesn't change the API.
How do I get the monthly plan?
Email [email protected] from your account's address, or use Get the monthly plan on your account page. We reply with payment details, usually within one business day, and switch the month on once it's paid. Your account page then shows the end date.
What happens when my month ends?
Your account goes back to 5 downloads a day. Nothing renews by itself. For another month, email us again; if you ask before the end date, the new month starts where the current one stops.
Can I get a refund?
A month that has been switched on isn't refunded. Unused API credits can be refunded within 14 days of purchase. See Refunds in the Terms.
API
What does the API do?
Your own software sends one image and gets one file back: SVG, PDF, EPS or a print PNG. You choose the format, the size, the number of colors and whether to remove the background. There is no editor in the API.
How do credits work?
One credit pays for one image that succeeds. While a job runs its credit is held; it's charged when the file is ready. A job that fails, that you cancel, or that a server restart interrupts costs nothing. Credits never expire.
How do I get credits?
Email [email protected] with the number you need. We reply with the price and payment details, and add the credits by hand once paid.
How many jobs can run at once?
3 at a time per account, or 5 or 10 on request. You can send 10 images a minute.
How long are API files kept?
24 hours after the job succeeds. Download the file within that time.
Where are the docs?
In the API documentation, with request examples in Python and Node.js and a list of every error code; each code has its own link, for example /docs/api#error-insufficient_credits. The OpenAPI description is at /v1/openapi.json.
Do API images use my 5 free downloads?
No. The API uses credits only, and the free downloads are for the web only.
How do I keep my API key safe?
Keep it on your server, never in a web page or an app. It's shown once, when you create it. If it leaks, revoke it on your account page; it stops working at once. An account can have 5 keys.
Privacy and files
How long do you keep my image?
Up to 24 hours from the upload, then it's deleted, sooner if the server runs short of space. It's never deleted while it's being processed or while a file is being built.
Who can see my image?
Anyone who has its link, signed in or not. The link holds a random 32-character code, and we never list or publish uploads. Share the link only with people you trust. The people who run the server can access stored files.
Can you delete my image sooner?
Yes. Email [email protected] with the image link and we delete it.
Do you use my images for anything else?
No. Your image is used to make your files, then deleted.
Who owns the files I download?
You do, as far as the design is yours. The files carry no watermark, and Optracy claims no rights in them.
Which cookies does the site use?
Two of its own: one remembers your language for a year, and one keeps you logged in. No advertising or analytics scripts. Cloudflare, which sits in front of the site, may set its own security cookies. The Privacy policy has the details.
Still stuck?
Email [email protected]. Write from your account's address and include the image link. We usually reply within one business day.