Image to ASCII
Convert images to ASCII art with customizable settings
Image & settings
Image file up to 25 MiB. The browser must be able to decode the image.
20–200 columns. A blank width uses 80; other values use the original integer clamp.
Characters run from the lowest mapped intensity to the highest. An empty custom palette falls back to Standard. Unicode glyph widths can vary.
Conversion options
Higher gamma lowers intermediate mapping values; the visible effect depends on palette order, inversion and display colors.
ASCII art
Choose an image or load the sample.
Display & export notes
- The source algorithm fills transparency with white before sampling.
- Output uses the original brightness/contrast/gamma/Float32 dithering order, with a 0.5 row-height compensation.
- A line feed follows every row. The cell count excludes line feeds and does not count Unicode code units.
- An empty custom palette uses Standard; a palette containing only spaces remains valid.
- Use a monospace font. Emoji and some Unicode glyphs may occupy wider display cells.
- ASCII art is not a meaningful image description by itself. Explain the picture when sharing it.
- Selected image data is read locally by this tool, without being uploaded. This does not cover every other script on the site.
Free Online Image to ASCII Art Converter
Transform any photograph or digital image into stunning ASCII art with this free online converter. Make a startup banner for a terminal app, a header for a README, or a text-only portrait, and this image to ASCII converter delivers crisp, detailed results in seconds without uploading your files to any server.
Our tool converts pixel brightness values into carefully chosen characters, producing text-based art that faithfully reproduces the tones, contrasts, and shapes of the original image. Choose from multiple character sets, including standard, detailed, block, and fully custom palettes, to achieve the exact aesthetic you need for your project.
Files can be up to 25 MiB, with 20 to 200 output columns; very large images may exceed what your browser can decode. Adjust width, contrast, brightness, gamma, and enable Floyd-Steinberg dithering for smoother gradients. Copy the output to your clipboard or download it as a plain-text file, ready for READMEs, forum signatures, code comments, and more.
Key Features
- Support for JPG, PNG, GIF, and WebP image formats
- Adjustable output width (20-200 characters) with automatic aspect-ratio preservation
- Four built-in character sets plus a fully customizable palette
- Real-time brightness, contrast, and gamma sliders for fine-tuning
- Floyd-Steinberg dithering for smoother tonal transitions
- Color inversion toggle for dark or light backgrounds
- Instant copy-to-clipboard and plain-text file download
- Live statistics showing dimensions and total character count
- Your images are never uploaded
- Mobile-friendly responsive interface
How to Use the Image to ASCII Converter
- Upload your image: Click the upload button or try the built-in sample to get started instantly.
- Choose a character set: Select Standard, Detailed, Simple, Blocks, or enter your own custom characters.
- Adjust settings: Fine-tune width, contrast, brightness, gamma, and dithering to match your vision.
- Preview in real time: The ASCII output updates automatically as you change any option.
- Copy or download: Use the Copy button to send the art to your clipboard, or Download to save a .txt file.
Use Cases
- Terminal & CLI branding: Add eye-catching ASCII banners to server login screens and command-line tools.
- README decorations: Embed text-art logos and illustrations in GitHub README files.
- Retro game graphics: Generate character-based sprites and backgrounds for text-mode games.
- Forum & chat signatures: Create unique text-art signatures for online profiles.
- Educational projects: Demonstrate image processing concepts like grayscale conversion and dithering.
- Accessibility testing: Explore text-grid rendering, while providing a meaningful description of the picture. ASCII art alone is not an accessible image alternative.
- Creative coding: Use the output as a starting point for generative art and code-art experiments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What image formats are supported?
JPG, PNG, GIF and WebP are typical inputs, but decoding depends on the browser. The output is a static text grid, not an animated image; rendering can fail at browser limits.
What is Floyd-Steinberg dithering?
Floyd-Steinberg dithering is an error-diffusion algorithm that spreads quantization error to neighboring pixels, producing smoother tonal gradients in the ASCII output.
Can I use the ASCII art commercially?
Conversion does not establish usage rights for a source image. Confirm any rights needed for your intended use before sharing the result.
Tips & Best Practices
- Start with high-contrast images: Photos with strong light-dark differences produce the most recognizable ASCII art.
- Use the Detailed character set: For maximum tonal range, choose the Detailed set which uses over 60 distinct characters.
- Keep width moderate: A width of 60-100 characters strikes the best balance between detail and readability.
- Enable dithering for gradients: If your image has smooth gradients, turn on Floyd-Steinberg dithering for cleaner results.
- Adjust gamma for mid-tones: Higher gamma lowers intermediate mapping values in this algorithm. The visual effect depends on palette order, inversion and display colors; compare the preview.
- Use a monospace font for display: Always view and share ASCII art in a monospace typeface to maintain correct alignment.