Bring your source
Drop in a PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, SVG, or PDF. Photos, sketches, AI art — high contrast shines.
How it works
Paint with algorithms
Vexy Lines reads tone, edges, and shapes — then draws with math-precise strokes. You direct; the fills perform.
Choose a fill
12 distinct fill styles, from classic engraving lines to living halftone dots and painted letters.
Compose with layers
Stack fills, group them, paint masks, warp with meshes. Precise control where you want it.
Export crisp vectors
SVG, PDF, EPS stay razor-sharp at any size. PNG and JPEG for quick shares.
The fill parade
Your image, infinite looks
Each fill is a little artist with a specialty. Hover to watch them draw. Mix, match, and cross-hatch.
Inside the studio
A real desktop workspace
Layers, masks, filters, transform curves, mesh warps — a calm, focused UI built for finished pieces, not one-step conversions.
Work feels like play
Creativity, on autopilot
Layers, groups & masks
Stack fills like an illustrator stacks ideas. Group them, then paint masks to decide exactly where each fill performs — hatching on the face, waves in the hair, dots in the shadows.
Dynamic color
Strokes pick colors from your source image as they draw, so gradients feel alive and portraits keep their warmth — without you ever touching a swatch.
- Color sampled live from the source
- Levels compression for tonal control
- Brighter pixels → thinner strokes, automatically
Mesh + hidden strokes
Wrap any pattern over a form — bend it, add perspective, make flat art feel dimensional. Strokes on the far side of a shape hide themselves automatically.
- Warp fills with mesh handles
- Automatic far-side stroke hiding
- Perspective and wrap effects in seconds
Handmade, when you want it
Add handmade pencil-clean strokes wherever you want full control — custom flourishes, fixes, or details the automated fills can't catch. Your hand, vector-perfect.
- Draw directly on the composition
- Strokes blend with algorithmic fills
- Everything stays editable vector
Pricing
Try free. Own it forever.
No subscription. No plugins. One license, two computers, yours for life.
Try now
Free· limited export
- Mac & Windows
- Use and learn for free, no time limit
- All features unlocked
- Export disabled until you buy
- Upgrade to full version at any moment
- Regular updates & full manual
at least: macOS 12 Monterey, Windows 10 64-bit
Lifetime license
Buy now
€$99 · once, forever
- Mac & Windows · 1 user, 2 computers
- Full functionality forever
- Discounts on future upgrades
- Volume discounts available
- Runs fully offline after activation
- Regular updates & expert support
Problems with purchase? Click here
Bundle: Vexy Lines + Linestra for Illustrator: €$109
FAQ
Quick answers
What is the difference between Vexy Lines, Linestra, Playlines?
Vexy Lines is a desktop app for Mac or Windows that turns photos and bitmaps into vector art. Supports multiple pattern styles per image and very detailed control of the patterns, including dotted lines, different intersection results, and different masking behavior at area edges.
Vexy Linestra is a plugin for Adobe Illustrator 2024+ (Mac only) that turns Illustrator objects into vector art. Supports a single pattern style per object, but you can mix and mask using Illustrator tools.
Vexy Playlines is a simple browser app with one pattern style per image. Five styles are free, unlock more with Vexy Coins.
What is Vexy Lines?
Vexy Lines is a creative standalone desktop app for Mac & Windows that transforms photos, generated AI images and other bitmaps into expressive, infinitely scalable, print-ready vector artwork using algorithmic fill patterns.
Vexy Lines uses similar (but not identical) algorithmic pattern styles as Vexy Playlines and Vexy Linestra. In Vexy Lines, you can apply multiple pattern styles to different portions of the image.
Vexy Lines supports very detailed control of the patterns, including dotted lines, different intersection results, and different masking behavior at area edges.
What is Vexy Linestra?
Vexy Linestra is a plugin for Adobe Illustrator (version 2024 or newer) that transforms any Illustrator objects (images, vectors, groups) into vector halftones, stipples, engravings and other expressive vector objects.
Vexy Linestra uses similar (but not identical) algorithmic pattern styles as Vexy Lines and Vexy Playlines. Vexy Linestra does not currently work on Windows.
What is Vexy Playlines?
Vexy Playlines is a simple web app that works in your browser (on Mac, Windows, Linux and on mobile). Vexy Playlines transforms a photo or bitmap image into an expressive, infinitely scalable, print-ready vector artwork using an algorithmic patterns style. Five pattern styles are free. You can unlock additional pattern styles by purchasing Vexy Coins, a form of credits.
Vexy Playlines uses similar (but not identical) algorithmic pattern styles as Vexy Lines and Vexy Linestra.
What's a Source, Layer, Fill, Stroke?
Drop in an image into Vexy Lines — that’s your Source (the signal). Add a Layer and stack Fills on it. Each fill is a pattern style that runs an algorithm, which turns the signal into a pattern of vector Strokes — lines, waves, halftone dots, text. Darker areas = stronger signal → thicker strokes.
Which fill (pattern style) should I try first?
In Vexy Playlines, Linestra or Lines — start with Linear for structure, add Wave for flow, or sprinkle Halftone for texture. In Vexy Lines, use Trace for clean logos.
Is it good for print shops, vinyl, and laser engraving?
Absolutely. Vector output from Vexy Playlines, Linestra and Lines is production-ready. In Vexy Lines, additional export options are specialized for screen print and vinyl cutting.
Which formats are supported?
In Vexy Lines, you can import PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, SVG, PDF, an you can export SVG, PDF, EPS (vector) and PNG, JPEG (raster).
In Vexy Linestra, you can apply a pattern style to any Illustrator object (including paths, bitmaps, groups), and you can export any Illustrator-supported format, including SVG, PDF, EPS, PNG, JPEG.
In Vexy Playlines, you can drop a PNG or JPG, and download an SVG.
Does it run on macOS and Windows?
Vexy Lines is a standalone desktop app that works on macOS 12+ and on Windows 10+. After activation, it runs fully offline.
Vexy Linestra is a plugin that works in Adobe Illustrator 2024 or newer, on macOS and Windows.
Vexy Playlines is a web app that works on Mac, Windows, Linux and in many mobile browsers.
What’s the catch with the free Vexy Lines demo?
No time limits. All features unlocked, but export is disabled until you purchase a license.
Stories
See real images become Vexy
The Vexy Lines case studies
Case study · poster
Retro poster, rebuilt for the screen
A 1970s East German football poster by Albert Kapr moves from one-ink print logic to brutalist digital color, while staying clean vector.Case study · Lettering
From fuzzy airbrush to sharp halftone
A low-resolution rainbow wordmark becomes layered vector lettering with a hot-pink ground, cream outline, teal fill, and live dot texture.Case study · Portraits
One remote team, one visual language
Turn mismatched headshots into consistent illustrated portraits by stacking fills, masks, and progressive handmade refinement.Case study · Typo
Variable typography
With the Text fill, your text can dynamically change the direction, size and variable instance depending on the pixel brightness of an underlying image.Make work people remember
Vexy Playlines FREE ↗
try in your browser
Vexy Playlines: Web tool that turns your photo, drawing or AI image into a monochrome or colorful vector artwork. Start free in your desktop or mobile browser!
In Vexy Playlines, you can apply one Vexy pattern style to an image. Five styles are free: Linear, Wave, Circular, Spiral, Halftone. Unlock premium pattern styles with Vexy Coins: Stipple. Hex, Contour, Low-Poly, Dither, Wireframe, Fractal, String Art, ASCII.
Choose a static color or use dynamic color sampled from your image. Tweak Thickness, Interval. Angle. Download a vector SVG.
Buy Vexy Lines €$99
for Mac & Windows
Vexy Lines for Mac & Windows: Desktop app that turns photos, drawings and AI images into engraving-style vector artwork with unlimited stacked fills, masks and meshes.
In Vexy Lines, you build a document from layers and groups, each reading its own source image. Stack pattern fills: Linear, Wave, Radial, Circular, Spiral, Halftone, Trace, Wireframe, Scribble, Text, Fractals, Handmade, Blended, Balanced, Extended, Flowlines. Confine a fill with a mask, bend layers with a mesh.
Choose a static color or use dynamic color sampled from your image. Tweak Thickness, Interval. Angle, dashes, caps, emboss. Export SVG, PDF, EPS, PNG, JPEG.
Vexy Linestra €$29 ↗
for Adobe Illustrator
Vexy Linestra: Adobe Illustrator 2024+ plugin that turns any object or bitmap into vector halftone, engraving, hatching via a Live Effect. Mac & Windows.
In Vexy Linestra, you can choose any Illustrator object (bitmap, path, group, blend etc.), and apply one Vexy pattern style: Linear, Wave, Circular, Spiral, Halftone, Stipple. Hex, Contour, Low-Poly, Dither, Wireframe, Fractal, String Art, ASCII.
Choose a static color or use dynamic color sampled from the object. Tweak the Live Effect’s Thickness, Interva, Angle. Mix & combine with other Illustrator artwork.
CLI, MCP, Python
Automate and animate
The Vexy Lines CLI command-line app & the MCP server, and the Python libraries give you and your AI coding agent programmatic Vexy control.
>> vexy.dev
With the Vexy Lines Run companion app, you can batch-process Vexy Lines docs, and you can create animations by applying Vexy Lines fills to all video frames.
Examples made with Vexy apps ↓
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Click to see raw Vexy output ↑
Scroll for more examples →
About Vexy Lines
From Strokes to Vexy
In 2007, Dmitry Apanovich released Strokes Maker — a focused tool that helped designers build engraving-style drawings from everyday images. Years later at FontLab, we combined its proven approach with our product craft and interface experience.
Vexy Lines is the result. Not a quick rebrand, but a careful rewrite of what worked — with a calmer UI and a dependable desktop foundation. And then, there’s Vexy Playlines and Vexy Linestra, with more on the way!
— Adam, Yuri, Dima & the FontLab team