ASCII art generator
Your photo, rebuilt from text
Drop a photo or clip and it is rebuilt from text characters mapped to brightness, with edge detection and tone ramps. Export a crisp PNG or a flawless MP4.
What is ASCII art?
ASCII art draws a picture using only text characters. Read each little patch of an image for how bright it is, then swap it for a character that has about that much ink: a space for white, a dense @ for black, a whole ramp in between. Step back and the letters blur into a recognizable image. It is the look of old terminals, BBS boards and demoscene intros.
zlabz does it live in your browser. Eight character sets from binary to dense, four monospace fonts, contrast and brightness, and a Sobel edge pass that traces outlines instead of filling solids. Colour the characters white, keep the source colour, or map brightness to a tone gradient. Feed it a photo for a poster, or a video and every frame is converted the same way.
How it works
Four steps to text art
Drop in a photo or clip
JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV or WebM up to 150MB. A demo image is already converted when you arrive, so you can explore before you upload.
Pick a look
Terminal, Matrix, Newsprint, Blueprint, Thermal or Blocky. Each is a full look you can then tune character by character.
Shape the characters
8 character sets or your own, font, density, contrast, edge detection and colour. Every change repaints the preview live.
Export PNG or MP4
Photos export as a crisp PNG at any size. Videos render every frame offline and keep their original audio.
Why zlabz
Built to beat the other ASCII tools
Plenty of tools convert a still. The difference shows up on video and at export.
How the alternatives stack up
Artkit ASCIIKit
The original browser tool this mode is measured against. Great character range, but its video export captures the live preview and HD sits behind a paywall.
ASCIIcraft
Fast browser generator with a huge font and charset library and GIF/MP4 export. Strong on stills; heavier UI and fewer colour-mapping controls.
asciiart.eu
A simple, free image-to-ASCII converter that outputs monospace text. No video, no colour, no image export.
CLI tools (jp2a, chafa)
Command-line tools give great terminal ASCII if you are comfortable in a shell. No timeline, no one-click social export.
Feature notes reflect the public versions of these tools as of July 2026. All names belong to their owners. Try them and compare the exports yourself.
Made for every feed
The text-art look reads instantly and never goes out of style.
Profile and cover art
Turn a portrait into a terminal-green avatar or banner.
Music visuals
Convert footage frame by frame for hacker and demoscene edits.
Dev and tech content
README headers, launch teasers and slides with a code-native aesthetic.
Retro and glitch art
BBS, CRT and matrix looks straight from your own photos.
Posters and prints
High-density dense-ramp ASCII prints sharp on paper and merch.
Meme edits
The classic caught-in-ASCII gag, animated and exported in seconds.
Questions, answered
Is the ASCII art generator free?
Yes. Every character set and dial is free. Generating uses free daily credits, and free exports carry a small watermark you can remove with Pro.
Can I convert a video, not just a photo?
Yes. Drop an MP4, MOV or WebM and every frame is converted the same way, then exported as an MP4 that keeps its original audio.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The conversion, preview and export all run in your browser. Your file never uploads to a server, it stays on your device.
What export formats are there?
Photos export as a crisp PNG at your chosen size. Videos export as an MP4. Both render entirely on your device.
Can I use my own characters?
Yes. Type any custom character ramp from dark to light, or pick one of the eight built-in sets from binary to dense.
How long can a video be?
Up to 30 seconds per export at up to 150MB. Longer uploads are trimmed to the first 30 seconds automatically.
Ready to go full text?
Open the editor and the demo is already converted. Drop your photo or clip and export in minutes.
Try ASCII free