How to Turn Any Image Into ASCII Art (Complete Guide)

A complete guide to converting images to ASCII art: how image-to-ASCII works, character sets, Braille art, picking the right photo, and where to use ASCII in posters, READMEs and social posts.

ASCII art is older than the web. People were drawing with keyboard characters on terminals and printers in the 1960s and 70s. Today it shows up in GitHub READMEs, terminal splash screens, album covers and posters that want a hacker or lo-fi feel.

This guide explains how image-to-ASCII conversion works and how to get good results.

How image to ASCII works

The basic idea is simple:

Split the image into a grid of small cells.
Measure how bright each cell is.
Replace each cell with a character whose "ink density" matches that brightness.

A typical character ramp from light to dark looks like this:

.:-=+*#%@

A space is the lightest. @ is the darkest. Bright areas get dots and dashes, dark areas get hashes and at-signs.

The settings that matter

Columns (width)

How many characters across. More columns means more detail.

40–80 columns: fits a terminal or README nicely.
120–200 columns: detailed, best as an image or poster.

Character set

Short ramp (like .:#): bold, graphic.
Long ramp (70+ characters): smoother tones.
Custom: use only letters from your band name or brand for a hidden detail.

Aspect correction

Characters are taller than they are wide. Good converters compensate so the result isn't stretched.

Invert

Dark text on a light background needs the ramp reversed versus light text on a dark terminal.

Braille art: ASCII's high-res cousin

Unicode Braille characters contain a 2×4 grid of dots. That means each character can represent eight pixels instead of one, so Braille art carries much more detail in the same space.

It's great for detailed portraits in places that only accept text, like bios and chat messages.

How to convert an image to ASCII in Bitgrain

In Bitgrain:

Drop your image into the editor.
Choose ASCII (or Braille for more detail).
Set the number of columns.
Pick a character set, or type your own.
Adjust contrast until the subject pops.
Export as an image for posters and social, or as text for READMEs and terminals.

You can also stack it: grade the photo first, then convert, then lay the result into a poster template.

Choosing the right image

ASCII works best with:

High contrast subjects
Simple backgrounds
Clear silhouettes like faces, logos and objects

It struggles with low-contrast landscapes and busy scenes. Crop tight and boost contrast before converting.

Where to use ASCII art

GitHub READMEs and CLI tools
Album and single covers for electronic, hyperpop and lo-fi releases
Posters with a terminal or retro-computer theme
Social posts that stand out from photo-heavy feeds
Merch, especially on black shirts with bright green or amber text

Quick tips

Use a monospace font whenever you display ASCII as text, or it falls apart.
For colour, try green on black (classic terminal) or amber on black (old monitors).
Mixing ASCII with a dither or halftone layer makes a great collage.

Final thoughts

ASCII art is one of those effects that always makes people look twice. It's simple, it's nostalgic and it works across text and image.

Open Bitgrain, drop in your logo or a portrait and convert it. Then try Braille mode and compare the detail.