Image to ASCII Art

Turn a photo into text-character art you can copy anywhere — with a live preview, adjustable detail, and one-tap export.

🔒 Runs entirely in your browser — your image never leaves your device
Drag & drop an image
or click to browse — or paste with Ctrl/Cmd + V
JPG PNG WEBP GIF BMP

ASCII preview

Your ASCII art will appear here.

How it works

Three steps. No sign-up, no upload, no wait.

1

Add your image

Drop in a JPG, PNG, WEBP, GIF or BMP — or paste one straight from your clipboard.

2

Tune the look

Set the character width, choose a character set, and invert for light-on-dark. The preview updates live.

3

Copy or download

Copy the text to paste anywhere, or save it as a .txt file or a PNG image.

What is ASCII art?

ASCII art recreates a picture using only text characters. This tool shrinks your image down to a small grid — one character per cell — then reads how bright each cell is and swaps in a character of matching “ink”: dense marks like @ and # for dark areas, light ones like . and spaces for bright areas. Because text characters are roughly twice as tall as they are wide, it samples fewer rows than columns so the result keeps your image’s proportions instead of looking squashed.

🔒

Private by design. The whole conversion happens right here in your browser using the native Canvas API. Your image is never uploaded — we never see it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What image formats can I turn into ASCII art?
You can use JPG, PNG, WEBP, GIF and BMP images. The result can be copied as text or saved as a .txt file or a PNG image.
How do I make the art more detailed?
Raise the character width. More characters across means finer detail — but also a bigger result. Photos with clear light and dark areas convert best.
What are the different character sets for?
Each set uses different marks to represent shading. Standard and Detailed give a classic look, Block shades use solid squares, and Minimal keeps it simple. Pick whichever reads best for your image.
When should I use the Invert option?
Turn on Invert if you plan to show the art as light text on a dark background — it flips the shading so it looks right instead of like a negative.
Why doesn't the art keep my image's exact proportions?
Text characters are taller than they are wide, so the tool samples fewer rows than columns to compensate. This keeps your picture looking natural rather than stretched.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole conversion happens right here in your browser on your device — your image is never uploaded and we never see it.