Image to ASCII Art Converter
Drop in a photo or image and convert it into ASCII art — adjust the detail, characters, and color, all instantly and free.
Runs 100% in your browser•Nothing is uploaded to a server•Photos stay private
Image
or click to browse, or paste from clipboard
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About the image-to-ASCII converter
This tool turns any image or photo into ASCII art by sampling it onto a character grid and mapping each cell's brightness to a character — a technique called luminance mapping. Drop in a JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP (or paste one from your clipboard), then dial in the width, character set, brightness, contrast, and gamma until it looks right. Choose monochrome or full color, and a dark or light background. All of it runs on a canvas inside your browser, so your images never leave your device.
Copy the result to your clipboard, or export it as a .txt file or a rendered .png image. Want to make a banner from text instead? Try the text to ASCII generator.
Learn more about ASCII art
- The history of ASCII art — from typewriter pictures and RTTY tapes to BBS scenes, Usenet signatures, and FIGlet.
- How text-to-ASCII generators work — FIGlet fonts, character grids, smushing rules, and why monospace matters.
- Where ASCII art still lives today — terminal banners, READMEs, code comments, and chat, with tips for keeping art aligned.
- Why we built this generator — the design decisions behind the site, and how to get the best results from it.
