Image to ASCII Art Converter

Turn any photo, logo, or drawing into editable monospace ASCII text. Drag in a file or pick a sample, tune the width and edge detection, then copy or hand-edit the result.

Choose an image

Drop image here

or click to choose a file

JPEG, PNG, WebP, or GIF — up to 8 MB

Or pick a sample

Sample previews use default settings so the page responds instantly.

Your image is sent to our server, processed in memory only, then discarded. It is never saved to disk and never logged.

Settings

Output width 120 columns

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Edge enhancement

Sharpen lifts edges on flat-light photos. Edge lines traces outlines only — best for logos and silhouettes.

Result

Tips

Try a sample first

A small gallery of free-license images sits next to the upload area. One click sends the picture, so you can see exactly what comes out before deciding whether your own photo is a good fit. Sample previews use default settings so the page responds instantly.

Pick a width that matches where you will paste it

80 to 120 columns reads well in README files, forum posts, and email signatures because most rendered widths sit in that range. 160 to 200 columns suits wide chat windows or terminal banners. 240 and above is for poster-sized print, where you want every facial line and feather of fur to show.

Edge boost helps low-contrast photos, but not always

Sharpen lifts edges on flat-light photos and makes faces or buildings more recognizable. Edge lines traces outlines only and works best on simple subjects: logos, line drawings, or silhouettes against a clean background. On already crisp photos, leave both off — the default mapping reads cleaner.

The output box is a real text editor

After conversion, the result area is a plain monospace textarea. Trim extra margins, swap individual characters, paste in your name as a signature, or wrap the art in a code fence before copying. Drag-select and Ctrl-C work the same as in any editor.

Common Use Cases

📄

README banners and GitHub headers

Drop an ASCII version of your project mascot or logo at the top of a README file. The art renders the same in every IDE, browser, and terminal because it is plain text — no image hosting, no broken links.

✉️

Email signatures and forum posts

Mailing list culture and old-school forums still appreciate a personal ASCII sign-off. A small portrait or initials at 80 columns adds character without bloating the message size.

💻

Terminal welcome screens

Paste the output into /etc/motd, your shell .profile, or a tmux start-up script to greet yourself with a custom banner every time you open a session. Works over SSH and serial consoles where images cannot.

💬

Retro social posts and chat

Discord, IRC, and Mastodon still render monospace text faithfully inside code blocks. An ASCII portrait or pet picture lands harder than another emoji.

🖼️

Print-and-frame poster art

At 240 columns or more, a high-detail conversion can be printed on a wide-format page and framed. It is a cheap, distinctive piece of wall art made from a phone snapshot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the site keep my image after conversion?

No. Your image is sent to our server, decoded into memory, converted to ASCII, and discarded as soon as the response is sent back. Nothing is written to disk, no log records the picture, and no database stores it.

What image formats can I upload?

JPEG, PNG, WebP, and GIF are all accepted. Animated GIFs are converted using the first frame. Transparent areas in PNG or WebP are flattened onto a white background so the ASCII output stays readable.

What is the size limit?

Eight megabytes per upload. Most camera photos compress well below that. If your file is too large, export at JPEG quality 85 or shrink to about 2000 pixels on the long side first — the converter rescales internally anyway, so quality loss is invisible.

Why does my photo come out looking like noise?

Try a narrower width such as 80 or 100, or switch the edge setting to "Edge lines" so the converter draws outlines instead of mapping every brightness step. Busy textures like grass, fur, and water tend to look like static at default settings — simple, high-contrast subjects render best.

Can I edit the result before copying?

Yes. The output area is a regular text editor, so you can trim margins, change individual characters, paste in extra lines, or wrap the art in a code fence. Drag-select and Ctrl-C work the same as in any editor.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes. The page is responsive and the source thumbnail moves above the editor on narrow screens. On phones, tapping the upload area opens the camera roll directly, so you can convert a freshly taken photo without leaving the browser.