ASCII art generator
Turn a photo into ASCII art, or type text to get block letters. Free, private, no upload.
Drop an image here, click to browse, or paste
Supports JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, HEIC, and more
Related tools
Extract text from image
Pull copyable text out of a photo or screenshot with OCR. Runs locally, nothing uploaded.
Invert image
Invert image colors for a negative effect, or convert a photo to black and white.
Pixelate image
Apply a blocky mosaic pixelate effect to an image. Adjust block size with a slider.
Everything you need to make ASCII art online
Image to ASCII art
Every pixel's brightness is matched to a character, dark areas get dense characters like @ and #, light areas get dots or blank space. Pick 20 to 200 characters of width.
Text to ASCII banner
Type a word and get large block letters built from #, @, * or solid blocks. Works for letters, numbers and common punctuation.
Four character styles
Standard, Detailed (70 characters for fine gradients), Blocks and Simple. Switch styles and the result updates instantly.
Copy, TXT or PNG
Copy the art to paste into code comments, READMEs, emails and chats, or download it as a plain .txt file or a PNG picture of the text.
100% private, no upload
Your image is converted in your browser with the Canvas API. It never leaves your device, and no account is needed.
Works on any device
Runs in any modern browser on desktop, tablet or phone, with no software to install.
Three steps to ASCII art
- 1
Choose image or text
Pick From image to turn a photo into ASCII art, or From text to turn a word into big block letters.
- 2
Add your image or type your text
Drop, browse for or paste an image (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, HEIC), or type up to 200 characters. The ASCII art appears straight away.
- 3
Adjust and copy or download
Set the width and character style, then copy the text or save it as a .txt or PNG file. Nothing is uploaded.
What people make ASCII art for
From terminal banners to retro posters, ASCII art turns images and words into plain text that works anywhere.
Terminal and README banners
Put a logo or project name at the top of a CLI tool's startup message or a README.
Code comments and signatures
Add a recognisable header to a source file or an email signature using plain text that any editor displays.
Social posts and chat
Share a photo or a name as text art in places that only accept plain text, such as forum posts and bios.
Retro and creative projects
Make old-computer style posters, prints and designs. Use the Blocks style for a chunkier look.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ASCII art generator?
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An ASCII art generator turns something visual into plain text characters. Here it does two things: it converts a photo into a grid of characters chosen by brightness, and it turns typed text into large block letters.
How do I convert an image to ASCII art?
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Choose From image, drop in a JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF or HEIC file, and the ASCII version appears immediately. Use the width slider and the character style to change the detail, then copy it or download it.
Is the ASCII art generator free?
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Yes. It is free with no limits and no account. Convert as many images or lines of text as you like.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
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No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser. Your image never leaves your device.
What width should I pick?
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Around 80 to 100 characters suits most chat apps, READMEs and terminals. Go up to 200 for more detail if you will view it in a wide window or save it as a PNG. Very wide art wraps badly when pasted into narrow places.
Why does my ASCII art look inverted?
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By default, dark parts of the image use dense characters, which looks right as dark text on a white page. If you will paste it onto a dark background, tick Light text on a dark background so bright areas get the dense characters instead.
What does the Text option make?
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Large block letters, five lines tall, built from the character you choose. It supports A to Z, 0 to 9 and the symbols ! ? . , -. Other characters show as a question mark.
Which font should I use to display it?
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A monospace font such as Courier, Menlo or Consolas, where every character is the same width. In a proportional font the lines will not line up. The PNG download is already drawn in a monospace font.
What happens to transparent areas in a PNG?
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They are treated as white, so a transparent logo converts as if it were on a white background.
Make your ASCII art now
Free, instant, no account needed.