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Whether you’re running into a file format question, a blurry export, or a missing webcam feed, this page covers the most common issues and how to resolve them.
ASCII accepts the following input formats:
  • Images: JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF (static; animated GIFs use the first frame)
  • Videos: MP4, MOV (a scrub bar and Play/Pause controls appear after loading)
  • Clipboard: paste any image directly with Ctrl+V / Cmd+V
  • Webcam: live feed via the Start webcam button (requires browser permission)
The core ASCII renderer works entirely in your browser and needs no internet connection after the page has loaded. The one exception is GIF export: the first time you export a GIF in a session, the tool fetches the gif.js.optimized worker script from jsDelivr CDN. Subsequent exports within the same session reuse the cached blob URL. If you are offline and have not yet exported a GIF, that first export will fail with a network error.
The browser needs explicit camera permission. Check your browser’s address bar for a blocked camera icon and click it to allow access. Also confirm that no other application is using the camera exclusively — some video conferencing apps hold the camera lock even when minimised. After granting permission, click Start webcam again.
The gif.js.optimized library failed to load from the CDN before the export was attempted. Check your internet connection and refresh the page, then try the export again. If you are behind a content filter that blocks jsDelivr, you will need to open the tool on a network that allows CDN access.
The canvas renders at the natural pixel dimensions of your output. To get a sharper, larger file, select 2× or 4× from the PNG scale dropdown before clicking Save PNG. The 4× option is well suited for print use or sharing on high-DPI screens.
Monospace characters are taller than they are wide. The Char aspect slider (default 0.55) compensates for this. If your output looks vertically stretched, lower the value; if it looks squashed, raise it. The correct value depends on the specific font and renderer — try values between 0.45 and 0.65 until proportions look right.
Custom presets are stored in your browser’s localStorage. They will be lost if you clear site data, use a private/incognito window, or switch to a different browser. To back up a configuration you want to keep, use Copy share link — it encodes all current settings in a URL that you can bookmark or save anywhere.
For maximum detail: use a small cell size (6–10), the Dense character set, contrast around 1.5–2.0, and Floyd-Steinberg dithering. Enabling Edge-aware chars adds directional line characters (─ ╲ │ ╱) at detected edges, which sharpens outlines in photos and illustrations.
Yes. The layout is responsive — the sidebar stacks above the preview on narrow screens. Touch drag-and-drop works on most mobile browsers. GIF export can be slow or run out of memory on older or lower-RAM devices, because each frame is rendered to a canvas before encoding. For mobile use, keep frame counts low (under 30) and cell size moderate (10+).
Your settings are automatically saved to localStorage on every change (with a 250 ms debounce) and restored the next time you open the page. No action is needed. If you want to reset everything, click Reset to defaults in the sidebar — this clears the saved session and returns all controls to the Classic preset values.