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Image to ASCII Art Converter

Convert a photo or logo into ASCII art with adjustable width, character sets, contrast and inversion, then copy the text or download it as .txt or HTML.

Overview

Turns a photo, logo or screenshot into ASCII art made of text characters. Choose the width in characters, a character ramp from simple to detailed, and adjust contrast, brightness and gamma, then copy the result or download it as a .txt file or a ready-to-open HTML page. The image is processed locally in your browser.

How It Works

Open an image file, or start from the built-in sample, and the preview updates as you move the sliders. Width sets how many characters wide each line is, from 20 to 300. Pick the standard 10-character ramp, a detailed 70-character ramp, Unicode shade blocks, a two-level binary set or your own custom ramp. Contrast, brightness and gamma shape the tones, Invert switches to light text on a dark background, and the preview font size only changes how it looks on screen.

Step-by-Step Usage Guide

  1. Open an image file or use the sample image.
  2. Set the width in characters and choose a character set.
  3. Adjust contrast, brightness and gamma until the shapes read clearly.
  4. Turn on Invert if the art will be shown on a dark background.
  5. Copy the ASCII art or download it as .txt or .html.

Technical Specifications & Standards

The image is scaled down onto a hidden canvas so that each canvas pixel becomes one character. Characters are roughly twice as tall as they are wide, so the row count is the image's height-to-width ratio times the column count times 0.5; without that correction a circle would come out as a tall oval. Each pixel's brightness is computed with the Rec. 709 luma weights of 0.2126 red, 0.7152 green and 0.0722 blue, after compositing transparent pixels onto white. Contrast, brightness and gamma are applied in that order, and the result picks a character from the ramp: dark pixels get the dense end, such as @ or a full block, and light pixels get spaces. Invert reverses the mapping, which suits terminals with dark backgrounds. Trailing spaces are trimmed from each line so the text pastes cleanly. The HTML download wraps the art in a pre element with a monospace font and the matching colours, escaping any angle brackets or ampersands in the ramp.

Targeted Use Cases

  • Adding a text logo to a README, CLI banner or source code comment.
  • Creating retro-style art for a terminal welcome message.
  • Posting an image in places that only accept plain text.
  • Making a printable text portrait as a gift or poster.

Notes & Gotchas

  • Start with a high-contrast image with a plain background; busy photos turn into noise.
  • Use 60 to 100 characters wide for terminals and READMEs so lines do not wrap.
  • Display the result in a monospace font, otherwise the columns will not line up.
  • Raise contrast before switching to the detailed ramp, which needs a wide tonal range.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my ASCII art look stretched?

It is shown in a font that is not monospaced or has unusual line height. The row count already corrects for characters being about twice as tall as wide, so view the text in a monospace font with tight line spacing.

Which character set should I choose?

Standard works for most images and terminals. Detailed gives smoother shading at larger widths, blocks give solid shapes using Unicode shade characters, and binary makes a stark two-tone stencil.

How do I make it look right in a dark terminal?

Tick Invert. Light parts of the image then use dense characters, which appear bright on a dark background, and the preview switches to light text on dark.

Is the image uploaded to a server?

No. The picture is decoded and sampled on a canvas in your browser, and the text is generated there, so nothing is sent anywhere.

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