teachingai/ascii-image-to-ascii

When to use this skill

CRITICAL TRIGGER RULE

• Use this skill ONLY when the user explicitly mentions the exact skill name: ascii-image-to-ascii.

Trigger phrases include:

• "ascii-image-to-ascii"
• "use ascii-image-to-ascii"
• "用 ascii-image-to-ascii 把图片转字符画"
• "使用 ascii-image-to-ascii 生成可读优先/细节优先两版"

Boundary

• Default output is ASCII-only; ANSI coloring is optional.
• The bundled script is for local conversion/verification only. Do not fetch/upload images on the user’s behalf.
• Always give pre-processing advice (crop subject, raise contrast, simplify background) before generating the final ASCII art.

How to use this skill

Inputs

• imagePath (local path, required)
• width (default 100; common: 80/100/120)
• charset (default .:-=+*#%@, from light to dark)
• mode (readable | detail; if outputting both, this can be ignored)
• background (light | dark | unknown, default unknown)
• colorMode (none | ansi256, default none)

Outputs (required)

• asciiReadable: readable-first (less noise, clearer silhouette)
• asciiDetail: detail-first (more levels, richer texture)
• paramsGuide: recommended width/charset + pre-processing tips
• pitfalls: 3-5 common failure modes with fixes

Steps

1. Pre-processing advice (required):
   • Crop the subject, remove irrelevant background
   • Increase contrast to reduce gradient noise
   • Target width usually 80–120 columns
2. Charset + mapping direction:
   • Space is the lightest, @ is the darkest (or invert consistently)
3. Generate two variants:
   • readable: fewer levels (less noise)
   • detail: more levels (more texture)
4. Optional ANSI:
   • Use color only as a hint; keep the silhouette readable
   • Always provide a no-color fallback

Script

• scripts/image_to_ascii.py
  • Requires Python + Pillow (pip install pillow)
  • Supports: readable/detail variants, optional --ansi256

Sample Output Comparison

Readable variant (fewer levels, clearer silhouette):

        .:::.
      .=*##*=.
     .+######+.
    .:########:.
    .+########+.
     :*######*:
      .=*##*=.
        .:::.

Detail variant (more levels, richer texture):

        .:=+:.
      .-+*##*+-.
     .=*######*=.
    .:*########*:.
    .=*########*=.
     :+*######*+:
      .-+*##*+-.
        .:=+:.

Examples

• examples/readable-vs-detail.md

Quality checklist

1. Lines are consistent and <= width
2. The readable variant must preserve the main silhouette
3. No trailing spaces (copy/paste safe)

Keywords

English: ascii-image-to-ascii, image to ascii, ascii art, terminal preview, charset, grayscale, dithering, ansi 中文: ascii-image-to-ascii, 图片转字符画, ASCII 字符画, 终端预览, 字符集, 灰度映射, 降噪, ANSI 彩色