py-generate-ascii

Generates Ascii art from an image

Overview

This repo is a tool to transform an image into ASCII art. Follow these steps to generate the art:

1. Choose an image
2. Run main.py
3. Input the path to your image
4. Choose what character set you want the completed art to be in. I prefer the full character set (option "r") but some people think it looks neater with the other options.
5. Pick the size. 1 results in the largest possible, 3 is 1/3 of the size (in 12 pt. font, approx. the same size as original) and 5 is 1/5 the size of 1.
6. Open output.txt with notepad or a similar application and follow the steps in the section "Viewing the completed art" to change the font to courier.
7. Yay! You did it!

Requirements

To use this, you must have: Python 3.6.x or Python 3.7.x installed.

Sample output

This image is included as a demo.

Using the demo example with option "n" and size 1, the following art is generated:

                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
                                                        .*k$AXkAbAw$$$$D8bh~                                                         
                                                    lA$bAwDD8F$AAP0PDXDFX$$8DAbI                                                     
                                                 ;b8$8886v}v[vt[]ttt[[]v]t]*DkDXA8@                                                  
                                               '$X8DZl7{ll}v7l{]CICIt]}7v[vv][7ddFdw                                                 
                                              lAXbx}7l`  `xJuJuuuJuu2fu2JfOr{}t{lNDeX                                                
                                             `wdXj{l{      ofu2uu22JJf22Juf2ufr7{lNX$N                                               
                                             ybXz11j)      {I2rrufJf2f2JfJffffuf}{lXAP                                               
                                             ZA8u1j{c@   `.ICIcIIcCrCCc2J2Ju22I2l77$$D                                               
                                             5b$2jj7IItIJIIICIICIrcCrcCCIcCcrcIc17j8$$                                               
                                             YA8I1ji1ijji11jj111111j11jCrCCCrCIcjj1DDX                                               
                                             YF$Ciiiiiiiiiiiiiii1111jjit[]t[II[c1jiDD8                                               
                                   "wd8bwwb$XX8DDX$X$8$XXD8D88X$DDD$iii[][]tttvvj]C$bb   `           `                               
                                `D$k8PDwX88DbXXXADPAkkXDXDXX$8X8DdAbiiitt]t]][v3CcrAwb`         ``   `                               
                               &DX$b|((???()))(??)?)??(|?)|iiiiiiiii(ii7l]{}vV*zCIrXXbOOxOo3o3x3n3J- `                               
                              hXP8?|(((?(((|||??())((?()(|))(i()iii?(|(}7nzsa**VIrI$DwO%%Onx%xona*Oxyo ` `                           
                             ]Pd8)))i111jjjj1j1j}1j1jj11{7t[t]IcuxnszVyanzzasyyVCCc$8F3xn---------^3xnn|                             
                             FXP==)i11j11j1jjjjl%aanansnn***yayz**ynssnyynya*anVIIrDDP%Ox--'---------yy%j                            
                            FAP2===iiiiiiiitzanx*Ozaysn**znnyzzasaz**asaz*nz**yVICc$DFOon'--:!__"~-'-'az*'                           
                           'DF$===iiiii)3xznyanassa**y*ayzssasnyyyzanszsnsassnV2CIcXd83zx''./"::"::---^3x2`                          
                           F8dl===iiiv*%xoznzyz*nnsnynznnznsa*a*yszsnaynayaznsJcrr$d$cn3y'-'"/""//"/'..ozy,                          
                           8$X;=;i)yo%OOo3xa**nzyy*ssnsnyy*nnanz*sz*ass*zssa2rCrCk88Dozo-'.-":/","^"-'.<axJ                          
                          @XkX;;;**%OOxO%xxyznysysnzctCI[rIrcIICrrrccrrrcrIrC[r3$w$p%so;.''^^,^,:^^/^.'.*ns`                         
                          ;PkZ;7]x3O3Oo%3OOyas***]C[]tC[CnVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVAXddAPVO3a>''',,^,^^^^^,^'.'o3a^                         
                          |Dw&C[[xoox%x3%O%z*szc]ctCaXXb$8DXX8DXD88$D$X$$D$X8$DUyxyx*.'.'^,^,^^,^^^,^-'')sa]                         
                          -8Xwv[t3oOoo3xO%xssx[]C]$8b8Xpoi[vtcrIu2JJffuufuJ%33Ozxan-..''-^^^,^,,^,,,,-',>zz%                         
                           8$DtvtOO%xx%O33xocvcv6ADwXuyOzy3zaassyna3o%za*ysys%33;'.'''----------^---,~:^~yzf                         
                           8wX[t[%3xo3oOo%n3]]v8bPDxxazn1-''..''.''..''.'.'.''.'.'.'-'------------/=;;^^!ay2                         
                           8b$o[vCxOooooOnst[Ikd8Dxss7.'.'.'.''''..'.'..''...'.'.'----------'-^>=====>^:isyt                         
                           -dA8v[[ooxxo%OOrtCIk8bOay^'..'..''.'...'.'-'.-''.'.'''.''--^/_;=====;=====/^,zOs-                         
                            Xk8vvvcooOxoxz[]tPXDyaou.@...''.''.'..'''.:;=)=;========================>:":s33`                         
                            1dXdt]v3xOos%a]]vDw$*yn_@@@..'..'''..:?=================================/:/%xyj                          
                             $8X4v]]ranonn[][Db8y*y"@@...''''';))====)=============================~":!O%x                           
                              PXkbIt[]tv[[v][DP8zn%:@@@.'''!=)==?================================|=""^an%"                           
                             ` X8XDdv][][vtv]Xk8ya3"@@@@'(|(==(==?===)===========================;//:OszJ                            
                                .k8X$8AkwFdbFAw8axn"``.|?=|?|==!""///:/"://""://"":":":"/":::":"":":s%Ox                             
                                   .u8kkAdkPwwkda3*^`"~?|?=?)=)<~:"!>/"::"//:":/""""/""/"/:""::"/;3oxa%                              
                                                oa3=/!_)(??|??(~:/;yaOxOs*annnsy*yaan*ynsyOynayzzaz3o.`                              
                                                3z*=":<(|(||)?|!_/;JJf2f2fJJu2ufuf2J2u3asvtt][]v{>`                                  
                                              `@%an=::>()??|||(~~//"::~~_~!~_~!>"::::"3*o `                                          
                                        `@@''.--xaa=//>?|((|(|?=;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;</"zno..@@`     `                                 
                                    `@@..--,::~!%*a=/_<|))|)||)(??(|?|()||)(i-@-||)":~Ozx^,--'..@`                                   
                                  `@'.--,/_<>;=?onz=~_~i)(|)?)(((|?)|??())?,     -):</Oao>~_//,-..@@`                                
                                `@..-^":_<;=))i13zsl<_!(?)?))|??()?)(??((|)`    ``__>:ns3==;<<_/^-'.@@`                              
                               `@.'-,:<_;==)i1{[f%3x_~<!=i)?iii()||(()?|()(" @ ` ._!"sa3r1i?=;>_/^-'..@`                             
                              `@..--^/<_;=(ij{[ru33ao=~_~~!~?iiiiiiii))?iiij=,.-!~_)3n%371i)==;<>:,-.'@`                             
                              `@.'--^/~<;=)i1l[tcuO3**%[~!!!!><~>>!_~<~::_<>~_~<<sn*%or]}1i?=;~~~/,-'.@`                             
                               `@.''-^"<!;=|(i1lvCu2Osxoszz2;!<_>~!!_>_~!!:<1yasa*oOrt]l1i(=;<~!"^-.'@`                              
                                ``@..-,,:!!;==?ij1lvII2333**sxn*sxszsna%Oznxo*axuf[llji)(=;!<!:^-..@@`                               
                                   `@@.'-^,/>>_;;??iii7{[ttrfJooszo**%%sx*32f}l7jji?==;;<~:"^-..'@``                                 
                                      `@@...-,^::!_>;;==???|ij1jiiiiiiiiiii)|===;;!_~!:^,--'.'@`                                     
                                           `@@...'--,,,/"!<~>~_>>!>___!<!_!~!/""^,--'..'@@``                                         
                                                 ```@@@''.'.'..--------..'.'...@@@```                                                
                                                                                                                                     

Viewing the completed art

Be sure to use Courier. You can view text in courier like this (on a windows computer):

This is what the above example would look like in Courier: