Picture to ASCII

Drop in a photo, drag a few sliders, and watch it turn into text. Everything happens in your browser.

Drop a picture here, or click to browse
You can also paste one with Ctrl/⌘ + V. Photos with a clear subject work best.
Size
100
1
0px
Light
100%
100%
100%
0%
Detail
5
2
128
Style

How to use it

Four moves, and the first three are optional once you've got a picture in.

1
Add a picture
Drag one in, click to browse, or just paste. A sample is there if you only want to poke around.
2
Set the size
More characters means more detail but smaller letters. 80–120 is a nice start for portraits.
3
Tune the look
Nudge light and detail until the subject pops. Everything updates as you drag, so experiment freely.
4
Take it with you
Copy the text into a chat, save a .txt to edit, or export a PNG with a see-through background.
How a picture becomes letters

Each tiny patch of your image is measured for darkness, then swapped for a character with matching "ink". Pale areas get a light touch, deep shadows get the heavy hitters.

Bright patchDark patch

Why you'll like this one

It's built to be quick to try and hard to break.

Your photos stay put
Nothing is uploaded. The conversion runs right in your browser tab, so private pictures stay private.
No waiting around
Move a slider and the art redraws immediately. No convert button, no spinner.
Real control
Outlines, dithering, sharpening and five character sets let you go from soft portrait to crisp line art.
Fits wherever you paste it
Plain text for chats, READMEs and terminals, or a transparent PNG for slides, posters and stickers.
Pro tip: the result looks washed out? Raise contrast, then try “Auto-balance tones”. Pasting into a dark-mode app? Slide “Flip light & dark” to 100%.