What this is
ASCII art draws a picture with letters and symbols: a dark spot gets a sparse character such as a dot, a bright spot gets a dense one such as @. That ordered list of characters, from sparse to dense, is a luminance ramp. Motion ASCII shrinks each video frame to a grid, measures the brightness of every cell and prints the matching character from the ramp, many times a second, all in your browser.
How to use it
- Drop a video on the frame or choose one, or keep the moving test pattern.
- Pick a character set and an ink, then tune resolution, contrast, brightness and glow.
- Hover over or press on the art to look through the loupe, then save a frame or download the video.
Read the guide
Words: luminance ramp · frame rate · WebM
Common questions
Can I use a picture instead of a video?
No. Motion ASCII takes video only. For a still picture, use ASCII art.
How do I use the loupe on a phone?
Press on the picture and drag; the loupe follows your finger and hides when you lift it. Set its zoom with Lens zoom; the mouse wheel only works with a mouse.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Phones and touch screens open at 160 columns instead of 240 and with a smaller loupe, to keep it smooth; every slider keeps its full range. If it stutters, lower Resolution or Frame rate.
Is my video uploaded?
No. The video is read and drawn on your device and never leaves it.