Create real ASCII art from your photo or text
Upload an image (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP) and map every pixel to a brightness-matched character, or type a word and render it as a banner in 5 built-in fonts. Everything runs locally in your browser - nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored. Copy to clipboard, download as TXT, or export a sharp PNG image.
ASCII Output
and click Generate ASCII.
Your file never leaves this browser.
How the ASCII Art Generator works
ASCII art replaces an image's pixels with printable characters. Our image mode samples the local brightness of each grid cell and picks a character from the selected ramp - dense characters like @ for dark areas, light ones like . for bright areas. The text mode renders each letter as a fixed-height bitmap and scales it into the font you choose, keeping every row perfectly aligned in a monospace output so it looks right in terminals, chat apps, and code comments.
Tips for the best result
Photos convert better when the subject pops against the background. Raise the contrast slider if the art looks washed out, or invert it when bright pixels should become dark characters.
A 110-character wide render is great for full-screen use. For Discord or Twitch chat, keep it under ~70 characters so it fits without wrapping. For terminals, 80 is the classic width.
Plain characters work well for faces and photos. For logos, text-heavy screenshots, or anything with flat shapes, the solid-blocks ramp (░▒▓█) gives a much cleaner silhouette.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this ASCII art generator free?
Yes. No signup, no account, no watermark, no limits. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser, so your image and the output never leave your device.
How do I convert a photo to ASCII art?
Open the Image to ASCII tab, choose a JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP or BMP file (or pick one of the built-in samples), adjust the width and contrast, then click Generate ASCII. The brightness of every pixel is mapped to a matching character and printed line by line.
Can I turn text into ASCII art?
Yes. Switch to the Text to ASCII tab, type any word or phrase, pick one of the 5 fonts (Standard, Blocks, Outline, Big, Banner), and click Generate Banner. Uppercase letters, digits and common punctuation render as fixed-height monospace glyphs.
What can I export?
You can copy the art to your clipboard as plain text, download it as a .txt file, or render it to a sharp PNG image at the exact grid size - ideal for Instagram, banners, README files, or previews. PNG output uses a monospace font so every column lines up.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The image is decoded with the browser's own canvas API and the brightness sample uses getImageData() locally. Nothing is sent to a server, logged, or stored. Close the page and it is gone.
Can I use my own characters?
Yes. Choose 'Custom…' from the Character set menu and type your own ramp, darkest character first - for example @%#*+=-:. . Each grayscale level maps to whatever you type, so you can build emoji mosaics, binary art (10), or any style you want.
Why does it look different on my phone?
ASCII art relies on monospace fonts. If an app renders text with proportional (variable-width) spacing, the columns drift. For chat apps that wrap text, keep the width under ~70 characters. The PNG export always lines up correctly because it uses a fixed-width font.
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