Photo → ASCII
Turn any photo into text art — the retro terminal look, ready to paste anywhere a keyboard works: chats, READMEs, code comments, forums. Pick a width and a character set, then copy the text or download it as .txt or PNG. Everything runs in your browser — your images never leave your computer.
How does it work?
The image is divided into a grid of cells — one per character — and each cell's
brightness picks a character of matching visual density: heavy glyphs like
@ and # for bright areas, light ones like . and
' for dark areas (or the opposite, with Invert). The tonal range is
stretched automatically so even flat photos keep their contrast in text form.
Why does my art look wrong when I paste it?
ASCII art only lines up in a monospace font — every character must be
the same width. Terminals, code editors and <pre> blocks are perfect;
chat apps and word processors with proportional fonts will scramble it. Use the
PNG download when you can't control the font.
Which charset should I pick?
Detailed (70 glyphs) keeps the most shading, Classic is the traditional 10-character ramp, Blocks uses solid block characters for a chunky pixel feel, and Binary types your photo in ones and zeros — very Matrix.
Is it really private?
Yes. There is no upload: all processing happens in your browser using canvas and JavaScript. Close the tab and nothing remains.
☕ The robot runs on caffeine
This tool is free and always will be. If it saved you time, a coffee keeps the robot scary.