Shaper Trace review: sketch to vector in seconds, is it too good to be true?

Shaper Trace is my favourite craft and art tool of 2023.

Shaper Trace review; a box containing a plastic frame and booklet
(Image: © Future / Shaper)

Our Verdict

The Shaper Trace tool impresses. What appears to be overly simple - it's a plastic frame and pen - belies a flexible and speedy way of turning your hand-drawn designs into accurate vector images (SVG files) for graphic design and digital crafting. Trace's uses are only limited by your imagination.

For

  • Incredibly easy to use
  • Accurate results every time

Against

  • A native app is preferable

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The Shaper Trace tool is so simple but also incredibly helpful that I have to scratch my head and question if it’s too good to be true. The idea is simple: Trace turns sketches into vector files in seconds, ready to tweak and send to your craft machine of choice, including Cricut and laser engravers.

To date, most of us create our designs using the best graphic design software such as CorelDRAW, Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as inside bespoke apps like Cricut Design Space. While some of the best laser cutters, such as Glowforge Pro, enable you to scan and cut designs directly inside the craft machine, being able to create vector images from hand-drawn designs for any craft or digital art project is incredibly helpful.

The Verdict
9

out of 10

Shaper Trace

The Shaper Trace tool impresses. What appears to be overly simple - it's a plastic frame and pen - belies a flexible and speedy way of turning your hand-drawn designs into accurate vector images (SVG files) for graphic design and digital crafting. Trace's uses are only limited by your imagination.

Editor, Digital Arts & 3D

Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.