Vector Checker & Outline View
Upload an SVG, PDF or AI file to find out whether it's true vector artwork or a raster image in disguise. Shows an outline view — the same wireframe you'd get from Illustrator's Ctrl+Y — so you can see the paths for yourself.
📁 Click to upload your artwork — or drag & drop
SVG, PDF and AI accepted. File stays in your browser — nothing is uploaded to our server.
Why does "vector" matter?
Vector artwork is made of mathematical paths, so it can be scaled to any size — a business card or a billboard — with no loss of quality. Raster artwork is a fixed grid of pixels and goes soft or blocky when enlarged.
An SVG isn't always vector
A PNG or JPEG can be placed into Illustrator and exported as an SVG or PDF. The file extension says vector, but the content is still pixels. This is the single most common artwork problem we see, and it's exactly what this tool catches.
What is outline view?
Outline view (Ctrl+Y in Illustrator) hides fills, strokes and images and shows only the underlying paths as thin wireframes. If a logo is genuinely vector you'll see its outlines. If the outline view is empty or shows just a box with a cross, there are no paths — it's a placed image.
Outline your fonts
Live text depends on the font being installed on the machine that opens the file. If it isn't, the text reflows or substitutes. Converting text to outlines (Type → Create Outlines) turns letters into paths and removes that risk entirely.
What is vector artwork?
Vector artwork can be modified without compromising it, and scaled to any size without loss of quality.
It is required for all print finishing — foil stamping, embossing, Spot UV and similar.
.PNG, .JPG and .BMP files are not vector compatible.
Vector artwork is generally found within .AI, .SVG, .EPS and .PDF files, however
this does not mean the artwork inside those files was created in a vector format — a bitmap image may
simply have been placed inside it.
In this sample we see two logos that appear to be identical. Let's say this is an
Illustrator file (.ai) or an Acrobat file (.pdf).
On closer inspection, only one was created using vector. The one on the right is a placed bitmap image (.png / .jpg / .bmp).
Photoshop cannot create vector artwork. Illustrator can.
You can also tell if a PDF has vector artwork by zooming in to 6,000%.
If it pixelates, it is not in a vector or editable format.
If it redraws cleanly and holds the same quality, the artwork was made in a vector format.
PNG and JPG are bitmap files, made from pixels, and are not vector or editable.
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