A green badge needs a navy version for a new project. You could paint over a PNG, but if you have editable vector shapes, changing their colors can be a more controlled approach.
To recolor an SVG, open it in a vector editor, identify the shapes you want to change, and adjust their fill or stroke. Keep the original master and save the variation separately. The important part is selecting the right objects before applying the new color.
Confirm what the SVG contains
Start with a working copy in your vector editor. Select one visible part of the design and inspect the object type. You may find paths, basic shapes, groups, editable text, or an embedded image.
An SVG can include raster content. If the visible graphic is one embedded PNG, changing the fill of its surrounding group will not recolor the picture's individual regions. Use the SVG inspection and export guide if you are unsure what you have.
A full color trace may contain several shapes that look like a single colored region. That is normal enough to plan for, rather than proof that the file is broken.
Learn the two color controls
Fill is the paint inside a shape. Stroke is the paint along its outline, when it has one. A shape can have a fill, a stroke, both, or neither.
A thick-looking edge may actually be its own filled path rather than a stroke. Select it and inspect the controls instead of assuming that every outline uses the stroke setting.
Inkscape's Fill and Stroke documentation describes separate controls for fill, stroke paint, and stroke style. The same distinction is useful when working in another vector editor, even if its panels have different names.
Change one region first
Select a single intended shape and apply your new fill color. Confirm that the correct area changed. If the whole illustration changes, undo the action and inspect whether you selected a group containing several parts.
Use the editor's object panel or its method for selecting inside groups. If you ungroup a copy, watch the stacking order and grouping as you work. Avoid breaking apart compound paths indiscriminately: the open spaces inside letters can depend on how those shapes are constructed.
For a fictional leaf badge, begin with one dark green leaf. Change it to navy, inspect the nearby highlight, and check whether an outline also needs a deliberate adjustment.
Handle similar shades deliberately
Once the first change works, select the other objects that should share that exact color. Some editors offer selection by matching fill. Confirm what is selected before applying a replacement.
A trace may contain several greens, including darker edges and lighter highlights. Replacing every shade with one navy can flatten the appearance. You might instead keep a darker outline and a lighter accent, or deliberately simplify the artwork for a one-color version.
Write down the color values you approve. A recognizable name such as navy is useful in conversation, but an exact digital color value is a clearer reference for the next export. Printed appearance still depends on the provider, material, and production process.
Check the variation as a whole
View the recolored artwork against the backgrounds it will use. Confirm that lettering remains readable and neighboring shapes remain distinguishable. Zoom in to inspect gaps, then return to the actual intended size.
For traced small text, compare the wording with the source again. Color editing should not quietly turn a filled letter opening or a hidden shape into a new problem.
Save the approved variation as a separate SVG and make any required raster delivery copies from it. The product file workflow gives you a straightforward naming and folder system. PNG2Vector supplies tracing and export; the recoloring steps in this lesson take place in your vector editor.