ASCII Art Generator
Images & Text to ASCII
Two powerful modes. Convert images to ASCII art with customizable character sets, or transform text into stunning FIGlet banners with 10 bundled fonts. 100% client-side. Zero data stored.
ASCII Art Generator Tool
Upload Image
Drag & drop an image here
or click to browse
Source Image
Settings
ASCII Output
Upload an image to generate ASCII art...
Enter Text
ASCII Output
Enter text and click Generate...
Common Use Cases
Code Comments
Create stylish ASCII art headers for your code files and sections. Make your code documentation stand out.
CLI Banners
Generate eye-catching banners for command-line applications, startup screens, and terminal-based tools.
README Files
Add ASCII art logos to GitHub README files for a retro, developer-friendly aesthetic.
Email Signatures
Create unique text-based email signatures that work in plain text email clients.
Retro Gaming
Convert game sprites and logos to ASCII for text-based games or retro-style documentation.
Social Media
Create text-based art for platforms where images may not display well or for accessibility.
Character Sets Reference
Standard (10 chars)
Best for most images. Good balance of detail and clarity.
@%#*+=-:. Extended (70 chars)
Maximum detail. Best for high-contrast images with fine details.
$@B%8&WM#*oahkbd... Blocks (4 levels)
Bold, blocky look. Great for logos and high-contrast art.
@#=-. Simple (2 chars)
Binary output. Creates bold silhouettes from any image.
#. Frequently Asked Questions
The image is drawn to an HTML canvas, then each pixel is analyzed for brightness. Each pixel's brightness is mapped to a character from the selected character set - darker pixels get denser characters like @ or #, while lighter pixels get sparser characters like . or space. The aspect ratio is compensated since characters are taller than they are wide.
FIGlet (Frank, Ian & Glenn's letters) is a program that generates text banners in ASCII art. FIGlet fonts define how each letter should be rendered as multi-line ASCII art. There are hundreds of fonts available with different styles - from simple block letters to elaborate decorative designs.
This typically happens with dark images or images with dark backgrounds. The ASCII output assumes light backgrounds (where more ink = darker). Enable the "Invert" option to swap dark and light values, which usually fixes this issue.
It depends on where you'll use the ASCII art. 80 characters works well for most terminals and code comments. Use 40-60 for narrow columns or mobile. Use 120-200 for wide displays or when you need maximum detail. Wider outputs show more detail but require more horizontal space.
Yes! Select "Custom..." from the character set dropdown and enter your own characters. Order them from darkest (most filled) to lightest (least filled). Include a space at the end for the lightest areas. For example: "MWNXK0d+:. " would work well.
No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript and the HTML Canvas API. Your images are never uploaded to any server - they're processed locally on your device and never leave your computer. The tool works fully offline.
Why We Built ASCII Art Generator
ASCII art has been a part of computing culture since the earliest days of text-based terminals. Despite modern graphics capabilities, there's still something uniquely charming about art made from plain text characters. Developers use it for code comments, README files, CLI applications, and email signatures.
We wanted to create a tool that handles both major ASCII art use cases: converting images to text representations, and generating stylized text banners using FIGlet fonts. Unlike many online tools, this generator processes everything locally - your images never leave your device.
For image conversion, we implemented real-time preview with adjustable width and multiple character sets. For text banners, we bundled 10 of the most popular FIGlet fonts so they load instantly without network requests.
ASCII Art Generator is part of RJL.io's collection of free developer tools - each designed to do one thing exceptionally well, with no accounts, no tracking, and no data collection. Check out our other tools: Text Case Converter, Code Screenshot, Placeholder Image, and more.