How I Shrunk My Android App Size by Converting PNGs to Vector Drawables

Converting PNG images to Android VectorDrawables reduces app size and improves rendering across screen densities. The process involves two steps: converting PNG to SVG (using Inkscape manually or ImageMagick + Potrace via script), then converting SVG to VectorDrawable XML using vd-tool, the same engine Android Studio uses internally. A PowerShell (Windows) and bash (Mac) script automates the full pipeline, handling edge cases like the even-odd fill rule needed for shapes with transparent holes. The approach is best suited for flat, simple icons rather than complex photographic images.