Image to ASCII Art
Choose a picture, set how many characters wide it should be and copy the result.
Drag a picture here or choose one
About Image to ASCII Art
ASCII art builds a picture out of letters, numbers and symbols. This converter does the work: it divides your picture into small blocks, measures how bright each one is and picks a character that looks as dark or light, so that the picture appears when the text is shown in a fixed width font.
Choose how many characters wide the result should be, pick a character set from simple to detailed or solid blocks, and swap light and dark if the text will go on a dark background. Characters are about twice as tall as they are wide, and the tool allows for that so the picture is not stretched. Copy the text, save it as a file, or save it as a picture.
How to use Image to ASCII Art
- Choose a picture with a clear subject.
- Set the width in characters and pick a character set.
- Swap light and dark if you need to.
- Copy the text or download it as a text file or picture.
Common uses
- Adding a fun picture to a text message or a code comment
- Making an email signature banner
- Creating retro terminal art
- Teaching how images are made of brightness values
Frequently asked questions
Why does my art look stretched?
It needs a fixed width font, such as the typewriter font in a code block or text editor. In other fonts the characters have different widths and the shape is lost.
What width should I choose?
Around 80 characters fits most windows. Use more for detail and fewer for a bold look.
Which pictures work best?
High contrast pictures with a clear subject on a plain background, such as portraits and logos.
What does swap light and dark do?
It reverses the mapping so bright parts get heavy characters. Use it for white text on a dark background.
Can I save it as a picture?
Yes. The picture button draws the text in black on white, or white on black if you swapped, and saves a PNG.