Image to ASCII Art Converter
Turn any photo into ASCII art instantly — no sign-up, no uploads, nothing to install. Pick a character set, tweak the settings, then copy the text or download your result as a PNG or .txt file. Everything runs right in your browser.
Drop your image here
or click to browse · JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF · max 30 MB
How It Works
This tool converts your image to ASCII art entirely inside your browser — your photo never leaves your device.
-
1. Upload your image
Click the upload area or drag and drop a JPG, PNG, WebP, or GIF file. The browser decodes it using createImageBitmap() — no data is sent anywhere. Files up to 30 MB are supported.
-
2. Adjust the settings
Choose your character set — Standard, Extended (70 characters), Block (█▓▒░), or Simple — to control tonal range and style. Pick a color mode: full color, grayscale, or monochrome white-on-black. Drag the columns slider (40–200) to trade detail for readability, and set the font size to control the canvas output size. The converter re-runs automatically whenever a setting changes.
-
3. See the live preview
The ASCII art is drawn onto an HTML5 Canvas using the Courier New monospace font. Because monospace characters are roughly twice as tall as they are wide, the converter calculates rows at half the rate of columns so the output stays in the correct aspect ratio. Switch to the Text Preview tab to see (and select) the raw plain-text character grid.
-
4. Copy or download
Hit Copy text to write the plain-text grid to your clipboard. Hit Download PNG to save the rendered canvas as a PNG image — great for sharing or using in design tools. Hit Download TXT to save the raw character grid as a
.txtfile via a Blob object URL, generated entirely in your browser.
Why users love this tool
- Instant live updates — every setting change re-converts the image immediately with no delay.
- Your image never leaves your device — all pixel sampling and character mapping happens in browser memory using the Canvas API. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
- Three output options in one place — grab the plain text for forums and terminals, the PNG for design work, or the .txt file for archiving.
- No account or software needed — open the page and start converting straight away, for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my image uploaded to a server?
No. Everything runs entirely in your browser using the HTML5 Canvas API and
createImageBitmap(). Your image bytes never leave your device — nothing is
transmitted to any server at any time.
Is this tool free?
Yes, completely free. No account, no sign-up, no watermarks, and no usage limits.
What image formats are supported?
Any format your browser can display — JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, and SVG are all supported. Files up to 30 MB are accepted.
What is the difference between the character sets?
Standard uses 12 characters (@#S%?*+;:,. ) for a clean,
readable look. Extended uses 70 characters for maximum tonal range and
fine detail. Block uses Unicode block elements
(█▓▒░ ) for a bold pixelated style. Simple uses just three
characters (#. ) for stark, high-contrast output.
Why does the image look stretched?
Monospace characters are roughly twice as tall as they are wide. The converter accounts for this by sampling pixel regions that are twice as tall as they are wide, so the rendered output looks proportional. If the result still appears distorted, try adjusting the font size slider — very small font sizes can cause minor aspect-ratio differences across browsers.
What does the Invert Brightness toggle do?
By default, dark image areas map to dense characters (like @ or
#) and bright areas map to spaces, producing a white-on-black look.
Toggling Invert Brightness reverses the mapping — ideal when you plan
to paste the text onto a light background.
Can I use the generated ASCII art commercially?
The ASCII art you generate using your own images is yours to use freely. If you used a photo you don't own, the original copyright of that photo still applies — converting to ASCII does not alter its copyright status.