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GRAPHICS » BLENDER Written by:

Travis Boylls
How to Turn a 2D Image Into 3D Using wikiHow Technology Writer

Blender Co-authors: 15
Updated: May 23, 2023
Click a star to vote
Learn how to convert a flat picture into 3D Download Article Views: 258,196

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: May 23, 2023 METHODS
A D V E RT I S E M E N T
1 Converting an Image to SVG using Adobe
Simple 2D images, such as a logo, can easily be Illustrator
converted into 3D images in Blender 3D. The easiest 2 Converting an Image to SVG Using
Inkscape
way to do this is to first convert the image into a
3 Converting an SVG to a 3D Mesh In
vector image using a vector graphics editor such as Blender 3D
Adobe Illustrator, or Inkscape. This wikiHow teaches OTHER SECTIONS
you how to convert an image into a vector image, Questions & Answers

and then convert the vector image into a 3D mesh Video

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using Blender 3D.
References
Article Summary

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

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Method Converting an Image to SVG using Adobe Download Article

1 Illustrator

1 Open Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Illustrator has a yellow square icon that says "Ai" in
the middle. Click the icon on your computer to open Adobe Illustrator.
Adobe Illustrator requires a subscription to Creative Cloud to download and use.
You can sign up for a free trial at adobe.com or you can use Inkscape, which is a
free alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

2 Create a new Adobe Illustrator file. Click New on the title page of Adobe Illustrator
to create a new Illustrator project. The dimensions of the project do not matter. You
can also create a new file using the following steps:
Click File in the menu bar at the top. Quizzes

Click New.
Type a name for the project next to "Name:"
Click Ok.

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3 Place the image you want to convert to an SVG. The ideal image to convert to an
SVG should be a simple, flat image such as letters or a logo. The image shouldn't
have more than 2 or 3 colors. Complex images, such as photographs will not easily convert
to an SVG image. The image can be a JPEG, PNG, GIF, or other image formats. Use the
following steps to place an image into your Illustrator project:[1]
Click File in the menu bar at the top of the page.
Click Place.
Select the image you want to place.
Click Place.

4 Select the image. To select the image, click the icon that resembles a mouse cursor
in the toolbar to the left and then click the image.

5 Open the Tracing Options menu. The Tracing Options menu is where you can edit
the options that convert an image into a vector graphic. Use the following steps to
open the Tracing Options menu:
Click Object.
Click Live Trace.
Click Tracing Options.

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6
A D V E RT I S E M E N T
Click the checkbox next to "Preview". It's on the right side of the Tracing
Options menu. This allows you to see what the image will look like after it is converted
to a vector graphic.

7 Select a color mode. Use the drop-down menu next to "Mode" to select the color
mode. If you are working with an image that has one solid color, select "Black and
white". If you are working with a color image, select "Color"
In Color mode, you can use the box next to "Max Color" to select the maximum
number of colors the image will create. Ideally, the image shouldn't have more than
2 or 3 colors.

8 Adjust the threshold. If the lines in the vector image don't match the original image
exactly, you can increase the threshold. Increasing the threshold increases the
number of pixels that get traced as part of the object. Click the bracket icon pointing right
next to the "Threshold" box to display a slider bar. Click and drag the slider bar to the right
to increase the threshold.
If the edges of the image still don't quite match the original, you can try decreasing
the options for "Path Fitting", "Minimum Area", and "Corner Angles."

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9 Click the checkbox next to "Ignore Whites" (optional). If you are working with
an image that has a white background, you can click the checkbox next to "Ignore
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whites". This will tell Illustrator to ignore the white parts of the image and only trace the
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colored objects. Be aware that this will also ignore any white parts of an image that you
may want to keep.[2]

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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

10 Click Trace . If you are satisfied with how the traced preview looks, click Trace
in the Tracing Options menu to finalize your settings.

11 Trace the image. Use the following steps to trace the image using the option you
specified in the Tracing Options menu:[3]
Click Object in the menu at the top.
Click Live Trace
Click Expand.

12 Edit the image manually (optional). If you weren't able to get Live Trace to trace
the image perfectly, you can manually edit the edges using the sub-selection tool.
Click the icon that resembles a white mouse cursor in the toolbar to the left. Then you can
click and drag the vector points on the lines and corners to move them. You can also click
and drag the bezier curves (the lines with a dot that extend from a selected vector points) to
adjust the curves in between the vector points.
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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

13 Save the image as an SVG. Use the following steps to save the image as an
SVG.[4]
Click File in the menu bar at the top.
Click Save As.
Type a name for the image next to "File Name".
Use the drop-down menu next to "Save as Type" to select SVG.
Click Save
Click Ok.

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

Method
2 Converting an Image to SVG Using Inkscape Download Article

1 Open Inkscape. Inkscape has an icon that resembles a black diamond being
painted. Click the Inkscape icon to open Inkscape.
You can download Inkscape for free here.

2 Import an image you want to convert into an SVG graphic. The ideal image to
convert to an SVG should be a simple, flat image such as letters or a logo. The image
shouldn't have more than 2 or 3 colors. Complex images, such as photographs will not
easily convert to an SVG graphic. The image can be a JPEG, PNG, GIF, or other image
formats. Use the following steps to place an import an image into Inkscape:
Click File.
Click Import
Select the image you want to convert into SVG.
Click Open.

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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

3 Select the image. To select the image, click the icon that resembles a mouse cursor
in the toolbar to the left and then click the image.

4 Open the Trace Bitmap menu. Use the following step to open the Trace Bitmap
menu:[5]
Click Path.
Click Trace Bitmap.

5 Click the checkbox next to "Live Preview". This displays what the traced
image will look like in the preview window.
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6 Select a scan option. Click the radial button to select a scan option. The options are
as follows:[6]
Edge Cutoff: This option uses the shade of a pixel to determine if it should be
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traced as part of the shape. Use the threshold box next to this option to increase Compatibility:
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the threshold to include more shades. The image output will be in black and white. More Play Pictionary
Edge Detection: This option uses the brightness of the pixels to determine if they
should be part of the shape. Use the threshold box next to this option to increase
the threshold to include more brighter shades in the image. The image output will
be in black and white. How to Use a Self-
Color quantization: This option uses colors to determine the shape. Use the How to Service Car Wash:
Detach from Washing, Rinsing,
number of colors option to specify how many colors should be included in the Someone & Drying
shape. The output will be a black and white image.
Brightness Steps: This option produces multiple shapes based on the brightness
of the pixels.
Colors: This option produces multiple shapes based on color.
How to Read a
Greyscale: This option is similar to color, but outputs shapes in shades of grey
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instead of color. Chart Good Handwriting

A D V E RT I S E M E N T

7 Uncheck the box next to smooth. This option adds a blur effect to the image.
This does not convert to 3D objects well.

8 Adjust additional options (optional). To adjust additional options click the Options
tab and adjust the following options:
Suppress Speckles: Check this option to ignore small spots in the image. Use
the box next to "Size" to specify the size in pixels of the spots that should be
ignored.
Smooth Corners: Check this option to smooth out sharp corners. Use the box next
to "Threshold" to specify how sharp the corners that are to be smoothed out should
be.
Optimize Paths: Check this option to produce a shape using the smallest amount
of bezier curves possible.

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9 Click Ok . This produces a shape(s) based on the specifications you set in the
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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

10 Drag the shape away from the image. Click and drag to move the shape away
from the original image.
At this point, you may notice the traced object doesn't look quite right. If so, just
delete it and adjust the Trace Bitmap settings to create a new object.

11 Edit the shape(s) manually. If you need to smooth out any of the lines or edges
in the shape, you can do so manually using the "Edit Paths by Node" tool. It's the
icon that resembles a triangle clicking a vector point on a line. It's in the toolbar to the left.
Use this tool to click and drag the vector points on the lines and corners. You can also click
and drag the bezier curves (the lines with dots extending from the vector points) to adjust
the curves in between lines.

12 Delete the original image. To delete the original image, click the icon that
resembles a mouse cursor in the toolbar to the left. Then click the image and
press the Delete key.

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13 Save the image. Since SVG is the native format to Inkscape, you don't need to
save the image in any special format. Just use the following steps to save the
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Click File in the menu bar at the top.
Click Save As.
A D V E RT I S E M E N T
Type a name for the image next to "File Name".
Click Save.

Method
Converting an SVG to a 3D Mesh In Blender 3D Download Article
3

1 Open Blender 3D. Blender 3D has an orange, white, and blue circle icon with some
orange lines sticking out of the top. Click the Blender 3D icon to open Blender 3D on
your computer.
Blender 3D is a free 3D animation and editing suite. You can download Blender 3D
from blender.org

2 Delete the cube. When you open a new file in Blender 3D, it starts you off with a
simple scene with a camera, light, and a cube. To delete the cube, click it to select it.
Selected objects are highlighted in orange. Then press the Delete key to delete it.

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Normal Image to 3d
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3 Switch to an overhead view. To switch to an overhead view in Blender 3D, press 7
on the number pad on the right side of your keyboard or use the following menu
3d Face from 2d
steps:
Click View in the upper-left corner of the 3D viewport.
Click Viewpoint. Blender Text Font
Click Top.
Convert 3d Image to
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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

4 Import the SVG into Blender 3D. Use the following steps to import the SVG file into
Blender 3D:
Click File in the menu bar at the top.
Click Import.
Click Scalable Vector Graphic (.svg).
Select the SVG file you want to import.
Click Import SVG in the lower-left corner.

5 Zoom in and select the SVG. Roll the mouse wheel up to zoom in in Blender 3D.
When you see the SVG, click and drag a box around it to select it.

6 Move the SVG to the center of the grid. To move an object, click the cross-arrow
icon in the toolbar to the left. Click and drag the object to move it. Click again to place
the object.
You can also press G on your keyboard and drag your mouse to move an object.

7 Scale the SVG to the size you want. To change the size of an object, click the icon
that resembles a square with an arrow pointing to a larger square in the toolbar to the
left. The click and drag the mouse to change the size of your object. Click again to set the
size of the object.
You can also press S on your keyboard and drag the mouse to change the size of
an object.
You may need to move the object back to the center when you are finished.

8 Convert the SVG to a mesh. Converting the SVG to a mesh allows you to edit the
object in Blender 3D. Use the following steps to convert the SVG to a mesh.
Click and drag a box around the SVG to select it.

9 Click Object at the top of the 3D viewport.

Click Convert to.

Click Mesh from Curve/Meta/Surf/Text.

10 Select the new mesh. To select a mesh in Blender 3D, simply click it. A selected
object is highlighted in orange.

11 Switch to Edit mode. To switch to Edit mode, click the drop-down menu that says
Object mode in the upper-left corner of the 3D viewport. Then select Edit Mode.
 12 Select the entire 3D mesh. Edit mode allows you to edit one mesh at a time.
Click and drag a square around the 3D mesh to select the entire mesh, or press A
on your keyboard to select everything.

13 Switch to a side view. The mesh should look like a flat line from the side. Use the
following steps to switch to a side view, or press 3' or 1 on the number pad on the
right side of your keyboard:
Click View at the top of the 3D viewport.
Click Viewport.
Click Front, Back, Right or Left.

14 Extrude the faces of the mesh. Extruding faces of the object changes the mesh
from a flat object to a 3D shape. Press E on your keyboard and drag the mouse to
the desired height, or use the following steps to extrude the faces of the object:
Click Mesh at the top of the 3D viewport.
Click Extrude.
Click Extrude faces.
Drag the mouse to the desired height.

15 Switch back to Object Mode. To switch back to Object mode, click the drop-
down menu that says "Edit Mode" in the upper-left corner of the 3D viewport.
Then click Object Mode.

16 Edit the material properties of the object. To edit the material properties of an
object, click the icon that resembles a red sphere in the sidebar menu to the right.
Use the following options to change the material properties of the object:
Base color: Click the colored box next to Base color and then use the color wheel
under the "RGB" tab to select the base color of the object.
Metallic: Use the slider bar next to "Metallic" to adjust the reflective (mirror)
properties of the object.
Specular: Use the slider bar next to "Specular" to adjust how intense the reflective
properties of the object are.
Roughness: Use the slider bar next to "Roughness" to adjust how rough or smooth
the reflective properties of the object are.

17 Save your work. When you are satisfied with how the 3D object looks, use the
following steps to save your work:
Click File.
Click Save As.
Type a name for the blender file in the field at the bottom of the window.
Click Save As.

Community Q&A

Question

How can add the 2D JPG/PNG image for converting into 3D?

Asher Bezdek
Community Answer

All you need to do is drag the photo from your files into Blender by holding down the left click
button.
Helpful 12 Not Helpful 12

Ask a Question

What is your question?

Submit

Video

Tips

Add a texture to your object to make it look more interesting.

In addition to extruding the faces of your objects, you can also bevel them to give them a
more rounded look.

Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Your tip here

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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

Things You'll Need

A simple flat image.

Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator.

Blender 3D.

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References

1. ↑ https://www.adobe.com/express/feature/image/convert/svg
2. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/image-trace.html
3. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/image-trace.html
4. ↑ https://www.adobe.com/express/feature/image/convert/svg
5. ↑ https://inkscape.org/doc/tutorials/tracing/tutorial-tracing.html
6. ↑ https://inkscape.org/doc/tutorials/tracing/tutorial-tracing.html

About This Article

Written by:
Travis Boylls
wikiHow Technology Writer

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Travis Boylls. Travis Boylls is a Technology
Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles,
providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He specializes in Windows,
macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux platforms. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak
Community College. This article has been viewed 258,196 times.

Co-authors: 15
How helpful is this? Updated: May 23, 2023
Views: 258,196

Categories: Blender

In other languages:
Español: convertir una imagen 2D a 3D con Blender

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