Mezzotone is a terminal-based application for converting images and animated GIFs into ASCII and Unicode artwork. It provides an interactive interface for choosing source media, configuring the rendering process and examining the generated result.
The program is written in Go and uses the Bubble Tea framework for its terminal interface. It is intended for users who want more direct control over image conversion than a command-line tool with a fixed collection of options.
Mezzotone supports several character representation modes. These produce different visual effects by using ordinary ASCII characters, Unicode symbols and other patterns to reproduce the source image.
The generated artwork can be displayed within the application or exported in different formats. Its support for animated GIFs makes it useful for both static illustrations and moving character-based graphics.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Converts PNG, JPEG, BMP, WebP, TIFF and GIF images.
- Supports ASCII, Unicode, dots, rectangles and bars rendering modes.
- Provides optional colour rendering.
- Allows output text size and font aspect ratio to be adjusted.
- Supports contrast and edge threshold controls.
- Includes an interactive file picker.
- Provides a terminal preview of generated artwork.
- Supports scrolling and fullscreen viewing.
- Exports converted artwork as TXT and PNG files.
- Exports animated artwork as GIF files.
- Copies generated artwork to the clipboard.
- Supports playback and export of animated GIFs.
- Cross-platform support – runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Website: github.com/JoaoHeitorGarcia/Mezzotone
Support:
Developer: João Heitor Garcia
License: MIT License

Mezzotone is written in Go. Learn Go with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| ASCII Art Tools | |
|---|---|
| gif-for-cli | Convert media to animated ASCII art |
| ASCIIQuarium | Embrace marine life from the terminal with beautiful ASCII art |
| Calligraphy | Converts short texts into large, imposing banners |
| CMatrix | Terminal based “The Matrix” |
| Diagon | Transforms markdown-style expression into an ascii-art representation |
| Aewan | Ascii-art Editor Without a Name |
| Steam Locomotive | C program written in 295 lines. It's harmless fun |
| boxes | ASCII box drawing |
| Durdraw | ASCII, Unicode and ANSI art editor |
| FIGlet | Make large letters out of ordinary screen characters |
| pipes.sh | Animated pipes terminal screensaver |
| jp2a | Convert JPEG images to ASCII |
| asciify | Turn images into attractive ASCII art |
| lolcat | Rainbows and unicorns |
| Artem | Convert images to ASCII art |
| TOIlet | Similar in many ways to FIGlet with additional features |
| textdraw | Draw geometric figures and text |
| PyBonsai | Generates procedural ASCII art trees |
| No More Secrets | Recreates the data decryption effect seen in the 1992 film Sneakers |
| Letterpress | Converts your images into a picture made up of ASCII characters |
| draw | Simple drawing tool for the terminal |
| ASCII Art Converter | Converts images into ASCII art |
| cbonsai | Generate bonsai trees |
| cadubi | Creative ASCII drawing utility |
| cacafire | Color ASCII Fire |
| cowsay | Generates ASCII pictures of a cow with a message in a speech bubble |
| Mezzotone | Convert images into ASCII art |
| img2ascii | Command-line tool for converting images to ASCII art |
| gti | Typo-based curio inspired by Steam Locomotive |
| ctree | Christmas tree on your terminal |
| ASCII Draw | Sketch anything using characters |
| catspeak | Like cowsay but catty |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
LinuxLinks helps you discover the best free and open source software for Linux. Explore our extensive collection of recommended applications, including alternatives to popular proprietary software.We also publish software reviews, Linux tutorials, hardware reviews, free programming books and articles covering the wider open source community. Browse our Linux resources to discover more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application we haven't covered? Suggest a program for inclusion. Has your software been featured on LinuxLinks? Display one of our Featured on LinuxLinks badges on your website or GitHub README. |


Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.