img2ascii is a command-line utility written in C that converts image files into character-based artwork. It replaces the visual information in a picture with text characters that approximate the original image’s shapes and shading.
The application supports common image formats including PNG, JPEG and BMP. Its output can be displayed directly in a terminal or written to a text file for later use.
img2ascii is designed for straightforward image conversion. Users can adjust the output width and supply a custom character set to change how different brightness levels are represented.
The ability to reverse the selected character sequence provides another way to modify the appearance of the result. This can be useful when displaying artwork against different terminal backgrounds.
The program is particularly suitable for experimenting with character representations of photographs and illustrations without requiring a graphical editor.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Converts PNG, JPEG and BMP images into ASCII artwork.
- Uses characters of different densities to represent image shading.
- Provides a command-line interface for selecting source images.
- Allows the output width to be specified.
- Supports custom character sets.
- Reverses the character sequence used during conversion.
- Displays generated artwork directly in the terminal.
- Saves converted artwork to a text file.
- Supports processing different source images with individual settings.
- Cross-platform support – runs on Linux and Windows.
Website: github.com/JosefVesely/img2ascii
Support:
Developer: Josef Vesely
License: MIT License
img2ascii is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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