What the panel does
- Text to SVG. Pick a style (line icon, flat icon, logo mark, illustration, pattern tile) or none, describe the drawing, and get a complete SVG back with a preview.
- Revise an SVG. Export your artwork from VectorCraft with File › Export › Export As SVG… and it appears in the panel. Say what should change (“make the colours warmer”, “add a second leaf”) and the model returns the whole file, updated.
- Images to trace. Image models make a picture in a look that traces cleanly: flat logo, line art, silhouette or flat illustration. Place it, then Object › Image Trace turns it into paths with the matching preset.
- Vector image models. On OpenRouter, Recraft’s vector models answer with SVG instead of pixels; the panel treats that result as vector art too.
How the result gets into VectorCraft
The VectorCraft web build has no plug-in interface, so the panel uses the same doors you would:
| Button | What happens |
|---|---|
| Place in document | The file is dropped on the middle of your canvas. An SVG arrives as one group of editable paths; a picture arrives as an embedded image, ready for Image Trace. With no document open, it opens as a new one. |
| Open as new | The file opens in its own document tab, sized to the SVG or picture. |
| Copy SVG | The code goes to your clipboard. Click the VectorCraft canvas and press Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac): VectorCraft pastes SVG markup as artwork. |
| Save | Downloads the .svg or picture, for use anywhere. |
Step by step
- In the editor, click AI tools in the top bar. The panel opens on the right and the canvas resizes to fit.
- Open the settings (gear icon), choose a provider and paste your API key. The key field links to the provider’s key page. The text model writes SVG; the image model is only used on the Image to trace tab.
- On SVG artwork, pick a style, describe the drawing and press Generate SVG (or ⌘/Ctrl + Enter).
- Choose Place in document. To change the drawing, press Revise and say what should change, or edit it by hand: Object › Ungroup, then Direct Selection on the paths.
- When it looks right, export from VectorCraft as usual: File › Export › Export As SVG… or Export As PNG….
Prompts that work well
- “A paper plane taking off, with two motion lines” as a line icon.
- “A fox head made of triangles in orange and cream” as a logo mark.
- “A night-time lighthouse on a cliff with a beam of light and three stars” as an illustration.
- “Small lemons and leaves” as a pattern tile, then Object › Pattern › Make in VectorCraft.
Name colours as hex codes when they matter (“use #e93d82 and #1a1a2e”), and keep a request to one idea. Language models place coordinates without seeing the picture, so they do best with simple, bold shapes.
Supported providers
| Provider | Default text model (SVG) | Default image model | Get a key |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | gpt-6.1-sol | gpt-image-2.5-flare | platform.openai.com |
| Google Gemini | gemini-3.8-flash | gemini-3.1-flash-image | aistudio.google.com |
| OpenRouter | anthropic/claude-sonnet-5.5 | recraft/recraft-v4.1-vector | openrouter.ai |
| Custom (OpenAI-compatible) | any chat model your API serves | any image model your API serves | your own endpoint |
OpenRouter gives one key access to many models: Claude, GPT, Gemini and Grok for SVG, and Recraft, Gemini, GPT Image and FLUX for images. The custom option works with any service that implements OpenAI’s /chat/completions (for SVG) or /images/generations (for images) and accepts browser requests.
Privacy: what goes where
| Data | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Your API key | Stays in your browser. Sent only to the provider, in the request header. |
| Your prompt, and an SVG you choose to revise | Sent from your browser straight to the provider you picked. |
| Everything else you do in VectorCraft | Never leaves your device. |
| vectorcraft.run servers | Serve the static editor files. They receive none of the above. |
The provider’s own terms and data policy apply to what you send them. Before the panel shows or saves an SVG, it removes scripts, event handlers and embedded web content, which have no place in artwork.
No key? Trace a picture you already have
For logos and drawings you already have as PNG or JPEG, you may not need a model at all. VectorCraft’s Image Trace runs on your device for free, with presets for logos, line art, silhouettes and photos. See how to convert an image to vector, and how to edit an SVG online once you have one.
FAQ
Is the result a real vector file or a picture?
A real SVG. The text model writes SVG code (paths, shapes, groups and gradients), and VectorCraft opens it as editable artwork: select an anchor with Direct Selection and drag it, or recolour a group in the Appearance panel. Image models give a picture instead, which you turn into paths with Image Trace.
Do I have to pay to use the AI tools?
You pay your AI provider for what you use, at their normal API prices. vectorcraft.run charges nothing and adds no markup, because the request never passes through us. An SVG icon is a short text answer, so it usually costs far less than a generated image.
Which model should I pick for SVG?
Models that are good at code draw better SVG. The defaults are gpt-6.1-sol on OpenAI, gemini-3.8-flash on Gemini and claude-sonnet-5.5 on OpenRouter. “Load models” in the panel lists everything your key can use; larger models follow detailed requests better and cost more.
Where is my API key stored?
In your browser only. By default it lasts for the current tab (sessionStorage). Tick “Remember my key on this device” to keep it in localStorage instead, and use “Forget all keys” in the panel settings to delete it.
Why does a drawing come back simple or a little off?
A language model writes coordinates without seeing the result, so it is best at icons, logo marks, badges and flat scenes. Ask for one change at a time with Revise, or fix the last details by hand. That is what the editor next to it is for.
Does VectorCraft itself have AI features?
Not yet: its developers list generative AI among the features still missing. The panel is something this site adds around the unmodified editor. VectorCraft’s own Image Trace, which turns pictures into paths, runs locally without any key.