Webcam to ASCII Art
See yourself in ASCII art, live. Adjust character set, scale, and color mode, then record a video or grab a snapshot — all processed locally in your browser.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is my webcam feed uploaded anywhere?
No. All conversion happens inside your browser using the Canvas API. Your video never leaves your device — there are no servers involved.
What format does the recorded video download in?
Recordings are saved as WebM files, which is the format natively supported by browsers for canvas recording. Most modern video players and editors (VLC, DaVinci Resolve, Premiere) open WebM without additional codecs.
Why does the ASCII output look pixelated?
ASCII art represents images with text characters, so the output is inherently low-resolution. Lower scale values (6–8px) produce finer detail with more characters; higher scale values (10–14px) are coarser but run faster on lower-end devices.
Can I use this on mobile?
Yes. The converter works on mobile browsers that support the WebRTC getUserMedia API (Chrome and Safari on iOS 14.3+, all modern Android browsers). Use the front-facing camera by selecting it in the browser permission prompt.
Which color mode should I use?
Monochrome renders each character in white, producing a classic terminal look and running at maximum speed. Color mode samples the original pixel color per character, giving a richer result but using slightly more CPU — ideal on desktop hardware.
Troubleshooting
The camera permission was denied
Click the camera icon in your browser's address bar and allow access, then reload the page and try again. In Chrome you can also go to Settings → Privacy and Security → Site Settings → Camera.
The canvas stays black after starting the camera
This usually means the camera is initialising. Wait a moment — the video dimensions are read from the stream once the first frame arrives. If it stays black, try stopping and restarting the camera.
The Record button is not visible
Recording requires the MediaRecorder API, which is not available in all browsers. It is supported in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari 14.1+. If the button is missing, try a different browser.
Frame rate drops or the output looks choppy
Increase the scale value (use a larger number) to reduce the number of characters rendered per frame. Switching from Color to Monochrome mode also reduces per-frame work and typically restores smooth playback.