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ASCII art generator

ASCII art generator – names, greetings or logos as character art: type text or choose an image, set the width, copy. Everything happens in your browser.

Source: Paul Bourke – Character representation of grey scale images (Zeichenrampen " .:-=+*#%@" und 70 Stufen). Updated: .

Drag and drop files here or

One image (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC …), up to 50 MB

Tip: you can also paste images with Ctrl + V.

Your files are processed only in your browser and never uploaded – they don’t leave your device.

ASCII art

Choose an image – the ASCII version will appear here.

My Toolbox
Result
How it is calculated


In short: ASCII art is pictures and lettering made only of text characters. This generator turns a word into big lettering built from # or █, or converts a photo into characters such as @, % and dots based on its brightness. You can copy the result and paste it anywhere text is allowed.


How it works


    
  
  1. Choose “Text” and type a word – or choose “Image” and drop in a photo.
    2. 
  
  2. Set the width in characters. 30 to 50 suits chats; 80 to 120 suits code comments or terminals.
    3. 
  
  3. For images, adjust the character set and contrast; use “invert” if the art will sit on a dark background.
    4. 
  
  4. Click “Copy” or “Save as .txt”.
    5. 



Background: how an ASCII image is made


The image is divided into a grid of cells, one cell per character. Because characters in monospaced fonts are about half as wide as they are tall, each cell is twice as tall as it is wide – otherwise the result looks stretched. For each cell the average brightness is calculated (luminance per ITU-R BT.709: 0.2126 × red + 0.7152 × green + 0.0722 × blue) and mapped to a character from a “ramp” running from empty to dense, such as “ .:-=+*#%@” after Paul Bourke. For text, the tool draws the lettering invisibly and places a character wherever the font covers most of a cell.


Honest limits



Privacy


Text and images are processed only in your browser and never uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make ASCII art from text?
Choose “Text”, type a word, pick a font and characters – the preview appears instantly. Then click “Copy” and paste.
How do I convert an image to ASCII art?
Choose “Image” and drop in the photo. “Width in characters” controls the detail, contrast controls how crisp it looks.
Why does my ASCII art look shifted after pasting?
The target uses a font with characters of different widths. Paste the text into a code block or a field with a monospaced font.
What is ASCII art?
Pictures and lettering made from the 95 printable characters of the ASCII character set (RFC 20) – born when computers and printers could only output text.
Can I make copy-and-paste ASCII art for Discord or Steam?
Yes. On Discord, paste it between three backticks so the monospaced font applies. Mind each platform’s character limit – a narrower width helps.
Sources and legal basis
As of: 
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