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Convert a JPEG to ASCII Art With jp2a

Turn a photo into monochrome ASCII characters sized to your terminal.

macOSimagesmediaASCII artLow risk
Run jp2a --width=80 photo.jpg to print the picture as ASCII text.

01Command

Command
$ jp2a --width=80 photo.jpg

02What it does

jp2a samples the JPEG and maps brightness onto a character ramp, producing pure text output that works anywhere. Use --width to fit the terminal, --chars to change the ramp and --colors for ANSI color. The result can be redirected to a .txt file.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsbrew install jp2a
CompatibilitymacOS with Homebrew installed
!Warning: Very small or low-contrast images can become unrecognizable; increase the width for more detail.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • Talinx/jp2a
    GitHub · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
    Evidence: Documents -width, --chars and color options for jp2a.
  • Homebrew formula: jp2a
    Homebrew · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
    Evidence: Installs jp2a, which converts JPEG images to ASCII text.

Last verified: 2026-09-20 · Category: Media

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