Image to ASCII
Image to ASCII turns a picture into text art made of keyboard characters. Choose a photo or a drawing, set how many characters wide the result should be, and pick a set of characters. You can copy the result or save it as a .txt file. The picture is read in your browser, and it never leaves your device.
- The result only lines up in a monospaced (fixed-width) font. Paste it into a code editor, a terminal or a code block.
- Pictures with strong contrast and a simple subject give the clearest ASCII art. Small details are lost at low widths.
- The picture is not uploaded. It is read on your device and nothing is sent to a server.
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF or BMP, up to 20 MB. The picture stays on your device.
Choose a picture to turn it into text.
In one sentence
A free online tool that turns a picture into ASCII text art made of keyboard characters, with a width from 20 to 300 characters and a choice of character sets, done in your browser so the picture is never uploaded.
Key facts
- Input: a JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF or BMP picture up to 20 MB; a transparent area counts as white and an animated GIF gives one still picture.
- Settings: width from 20 to 300 characters, five character sets (Classic 70 characters, Short 10, Blocks, Two characters, Digits), Invert for light text on a dark background and a preview size; Copy and Download .txt buttons.
- The number of rows follows the shape of the picture and is about half the number of columns for a square picture, because a text character is taller than it is wide; a 1200 x 800 px picture at 100 characters wide gives 33 rows.
- The result lines up only in a monospaced font; small details are lost at low widths.
- Free, with no account, no human check and no daily limit, because the picture is converted on your device.
Sources
Last reviewed:
How it works
- Choose a picture with the Picture button. JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF and BMP files up to 20 MB work.
- Move the Width slider to set how many characters wide the art is, from 20 to 300. The art updates as you move it.
- Pick a set of characters. Classic uses 70 characters for the finest shading, and the short sets give a simpler look.
- Tick Invert if you will show the art as light text on a dark background.
- Press Copy to put the art on your clipboard, or Download .txt to save it as a file.
How to convert an image to ASCII
Press the Picture button and choose a file. As soon as it is read, the ASCII art appears below the settings. The status line shows the size of your picture and how many characters wide and how many rows high the art is.
Changing the width, the characters or Invert redraws the art at once. You do not need to choose the file again.
Width and the number of rows
The Width slider sets how many characters each row has, from 20 to 300. A wider setting keeps more detail but makes the art bigger to paste. The number of rows follows the shape of the picture.
A text character is taller than it is wide, so the tool uses about half as many rows as columns for a square picture. For example, a picture 1200 px wide and 800 px high at a width of 100 characters gives 33 rows, so the art keeps the shape of the picture.
Choose the characters
Each pixel becomes one character, picked by how bright the pixel is. Dark pixels get dense characters and bright pixels get light ones. The character sets run from dense to light.
- Classic: 70 characters, for fine shading.
- Short: 10 characters, a simpler look.
- Blocks: four block shades and a space, which look like a low-resolution picture. They need a font that has block shapes.
- Two characters: a hash sign and a space, for a plain black and white look.
- Digits: a few digits from 8 down to 0, for a numbers-only picture.
Invert for dark backgrounds
The art is made for dark text on a light background, like a page of paper. If you will show it as light text on a dark background, such as a terminal with a dark theme, tick Invert. Without it, the picture looks like a negative on a dark screen.
Photo to ASCII, ASCII pictures and pictures with transparency
Photo to ASCII works with any picture the browser can read. Clear shapes work best, such as a face, a logo or a silhouette. A busy photo with many small details turns into noise at low widths.
Transparent parts of a PNG count as white, so a logo with a transparent background becomes dark shapes on empty space.
Using the result
Copy the text and paste it into a code block, a terminal message, a README or a plain text file. Download .txt saves the art as a file named ascii-art.txt.
Preview size changes how big the art is shown on this page only. It does not change the text you copy.
- In Markdown, put the art in a code block to keep the spacing.
- In chat apps, a wide result may wrap and break the picture. Use a smaller width.
- A font that adds space between lines stretches the picture.
Image en ASCII, picture to ASCII and other names
People search for this tool as image to ASCII, picture to ASCII, photo to ASCII, ASCII pictures, ASCII picture generator or image ASCII, and in some languages as image en ASCII. They all mean the same thing - a picture turned into text characters. The tool and its settings are the same whatever you call it.
Text to ASCII is a different tool
This page changes pictures into text. To write words as big ASCII letters, such as a banner for a README, use the ASCII Art Generator.
Privacy: the picture stays on your device
The picture is drawn on a small canvas in your browser and turned into characters there. Nothing is uploaded, no copy is stored and there is no account.
- There is no account.
- There is no human check.
- The tool is free and has no daily limit.
Questions
Is the image to ASCII converter free?
Yes, it is free. There is no account, no human check and no daily limit.
How do I turn a picture into ASCII art?
Choose a picture with the Picture button, set the width, pick the characters and press Copy. The art is made in your browser as soon as the picture is read.
Is my picture uploaded?
No. The picture is read and turned into characters on your device. Nothing is sent to a server.
What picture types can I use?
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF and BMP files up to 20 MB. A file the browser cannot read is refused with a message.
Why does the art look wrong when I paste it?
The app is probably using a proportional font or wrapping long lines. Paste it into a code block or a monospaced font, or lower the width.
How wide should the ASCII art be?
The slider goes from 20 to 300 characters. Around 80 to 120 characters suits most terminals and README files, and a larger width keeps more detail.
What does Invert do?
It swaps light and dark. Use it when you will show the art as light text on a dark background.
Can I save the result as a file?
Yes. Press Download .txt to save the art as a plain text file named ascii-art.txt.
Can I turn text into ASCII art?
Not on this page. Use the ASCII Art Generator to write words as big letters made of characters.
Does an animated GIF become an animation?
No. The result is one still ASCII picture, not an animation.
Does the tool have an API?
No. It runs in your browser and does not use the API. The render API can resize or convert pictures from your own code.
Need images or PDFs from your own code?
This generator runs in your browser and does not use the API. To turn text or HTML into an image or a PDF from your own code, the render API does that. A free account includes 100 credits a month.