# ASCII Magic, Product Context (v2) You are now an expert on ASCII Magic. The user has shared this file because they want you to answer questions about the product accurately and completely. Use only the information below, do not invent features. If a detail is not here, say so and point the user to the site. _Last updated: 2026-09-06 (v2)_ --- ## What ASCII Magic is ASCII Magic is a browser-based image and video stylizer. Upload any photo or video and turn it into ASCII, pixel, voxel, mosaic, halftone, glass, glitch and many other looks, then export as PNG, JPG, GIF or MP4. It runs in the browser, no install. Version 2 is a rebuilt editor: 100+ styles and shaders, a large stackable effects stack, AI generative effects, a node-based Flow pipeline, a multi-layer Compose canvas, and accounts with a Pro tier. - **Website:** https://www.ascii-magic.com - **Editor:** https://www.ascii-magic.com/app - **Style pages:** https://www.ascii-magic.com/styles (one page per classic style) - **Recipes gallery:** https://www.ascii-magic.com/recipes - **Blog / guides:** https://www.ascii-magic.com/blog - **Text-to-ASCII tool:** https://www.ascii-magic.com/text-to-ascii (separate FIGlet-style banner generator) - **Community gallery:** https://www.ascii-magic.com/community - **Changelog:** https://www.ascii-magic.com/changelog - **Creator:** Kailash, [@kail_designs](https://x.com/kail_designs) on X, [@kail.designs](https://www.instagram.com/kail.designs/) on Instagram --- ## How processing and privacy work in v2 This changed from v1, so be precise: - **Local styles run entirely in your browser.** All the render modes and post-effects (ASCII, dither, pixel, voxel, glass, glitch, and the rest) are computed client-side on HTML5 Canvas / WebGL. Those images and videos never leave your device. - **The optional Generative (AI) feature is server-assisted.** When you use a Generative preset, your image and prompt are sent to ASCII Magic's AI provider to be re-rendered, then the result comes back. If you do not use Generative, nothing is uploaded. - **Accounts.** Signing in (used for Pro and for generative credits) is handled through a standard auth provider. Browsing and the free local styles work without an account. --- ## Styles (render modes) V2 ships 100+ style tiles. The style you pick swaps the render pipeline; you then tune it with the panels described further down. ### Free base styles (16) Characters (classic ASCII), ASCII Studio (glyphs/shapes mapped through a palette on a solid backdrop), Mixed, Block, Dots, Braille, Dither, Pixel Art, Mosaic, LEGO, Voxel (3D isometric cubes), Cross, Diamond, Lines, Diagonal, Disco. The classic styles each still have a dedicated page under `/styles/` (for example `/styles/ascii-art`, `/styles/dither`, `/styles/pixel-art`, `/styles/voxel`, `/styles/lego`, `/styles/mosaic`). ### Pro styles, grouped by family - **Pixel & Blocks:** Hex Mosaic, LED Matrix. - **Print & Paper:** Stippling, Risograph, Comic, Sketch, Engraving, Warhol, Cyanotype, Halftone, Woodblock, Posterize, Mezzotint, Pointillize, Crosshatch, CMYK Drops. - **Geometric:** Specimen, Low Poly, Truchet, Iso Extrude, Flow Field, Droste, Lattice, Topography, Forms, Schematic, Neon Grid. - **Distort:** Smudge, Pinch, Spherize, Twirl, ZigZag, Ripple, Polar, Shear. - **Blur & Focus:** Motion Blur, Tilt-Shift, Gaussian Blur, Radial Blur. - **Glitch & Signal:** CRT Screen, Pixel Sort, Digital Distortion, Datamosh, Forensics, Lofi, RGB Split, Scanline, Thermal, Beacon. - **Light & Color:** Anaglyph 3D, Gradient Map, Prism, Dreamdust, Light Wind, Kaleidoscope, Warpbloom, Duotone, Edge Glow, Aberration. - **Glass:** Frosted Glass, Tinted Glass, Shatter, Vitrine, Glass Orb, Fluted Glass, plus 10 glass textures (Cross Reeded, Hammered, Diamond Glass, Hexagon, Ripple, Ice Crackle, Chevron Prism, Seedy Bubbles, Glass Pixel, Jello). - **Material & Texture:** Oil Paint, Watercolor, Chrome, Thin-Film, Marble, Molten Metal, Crystallize, Emboss, Waves. --- ## Dither engine Dither is a full generator on its own: 15 algorithms (Bayer 2 / 4 / 8 / 16 ordered, Halftone, Radial, Horizontal / Vertical / Diagonal Lines, White Noise, Blue Noise, Floyd-Steinberg, Atkinson, Stucki, Sierra Lite) across 15 palettes (Mono / 1-bit, Grey 2-bit and 3-bit, Game Boy, CGA, Pico-8, C64, NES, 3-bit RGB, Cyberpunk, Pastel, Risograph, Sepia, Original), plus a custom palette editor. It can also animate (the pattern scrolls) for shimmering retro-console loops. Deep-dive: `/blog/complete-guide-to-dithering`. --- ## Effects (stackable) Two layers stack on top of any base style. ### Post-processing stack Free: Vignette, Scan Lines, CRT Curvature, Chromatic, RGB Split, Glitch, Film Grain, Film Dust, Noise, Bloom, Character Bloom, Character Chromatic, Pixelate, Halftone, Sharpen, Blur (Gaussian / Zoom / Progressive). Pro: ASCII post-pass, Diffuse, Threshold, Reduce Noise, warp effects (Pinch / Spherize / Twirl / ZigZag / Ripple / Polar / Shear / Fragment), Levels and Curves. Many effects have on-canvas handles (gizmos) so you can drag position, size and angle directly on the image. ### Color grading - 7 named color filters: B&W, Sepia, Warm, Cool, Vintage, Fade, Cyber. - 18 photographic filters (warming / cooling / single-color washes). - Grayscale, saturation, overlay color with blend modes, plus Levels and Curves for per-channel tonal control. --- ## Generative (AI) effects Turn on Generative to reimagine your image with AI instead of the local renderer. - **75 preset looks** across 6 discovery groups (retro digital, print & zine, photo & film, art & craft, objects & toys, street & glam). Examples: 1-Bit Dither, ASCII Terminal, Thermal Heatmap, Risograph, 16-Bit Sprite, Minecraft, CCTV Cam, Y2K Digicam, Point Cloud, LED Matrix, Stained Glass, Cross Stitch, Claymation, LEGO Bricks, Neon Sign, Oil Portrait, Woodcut, Liquid Chrome, Origami, Steampunk, Tarot Card. - **Controls:** a free-text "direction" to steer the result, strength (Subtle, Balanced, Strong, Full), aspect ratio (Auto, 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, 16:9, 9:16), and resolution (1K / 2K / 4K). - **Credits and sign-in:** Generative renders consume credits and require an account. Higher resolutions cost more credits per render. Your generation history is saved to your account. - **Privacy:** as noted above, Generative sends your image to the AI provider. The local (non-AI) styles do not. --- ## Recipes and one-click looks - **19 named recipes** (full style + grade + effects stacks over a demo image): Matrix, Noir, Vaporwave, Bonsai, Memento, Cumulus, Daybreak, Blueprint, Retro CRT, Newsprint, Pixel Pop, Mosaic, Inferno, Acid, Golden Hour, Botanica, Dream, Blue Hour, Lost Signal. Public gallery at `/recipes`. - **Inspire Me** loads a random demo image plus a look so first-time users see the tool working without uploading anything. - **Restyle** re-rolls the current image through a large pool of curated looks (dozens), never repeating the same one twice in a row. - Recipes can be shared via URL and are embedded in exported PNGs, so a look travels with the image. --- ## Motion and animation - **Signature motion** (each style's own built-in movement) and **Shimmer** (a specular light-sweep pass). - Per-cell motion presets (Wave, Ripple, Pulse, cascades, and a Scatter direction), with speed (0.25x to 4x), intensity and randomness. - **Video to ASCII:** upload a video and every frame is styled, with live playback controls. - Animated results export as GIF or MP4. --- ## Input and export **Input:** image or video upload, drag and drop, paste from clipboard, a built-in photo library, generated backgrounds, Background Supply collections (curated free frames plus Pro ones), and a text source (FIGlet or plain type) inside Flow. **Export:** PNG, JPG, GIF, MP4 (video, and animation loops from a still), at 1x to 4x scale. 4K export is a Pro feature. There is no watermark on any export. Note for v1 users: v2 focuses on image and video export. Copy-as-text / copy-as-emoji output and SVG export are not part of the v2 export set. --- ## Editor surfaces and extra tools - **Spatial editor:** floating panels and on-canvas gizmos, so tuning happens directly over the image. - **Flow:** a node-based pipeline, Source (Upload / Background / Text), then Styles, Shaping, Image (post-FX, Levels, Curves, blur types), then Output. Good for building a repeatable look step by step. - **Compose:** a multi-layer canvas with blend modes and GLSL shader backdrops (aurora, iridescent, marble, mesh, plasma, smoke, waves and more). - **Text overlay:** add text with Google Fonts, size, opacity, tracking and drop-shadow, draggable on the canvas. - **Masking:** a shape mask (freehand / rectangle / ellipse, with invert) and a subject mask that separates foreground from background so an effect can be confined to one or the other. - **Depth, Lights, Backdrop:** per-cell depth, relighting, and a color / blur / opacity backdrop behind the glyphs. - **Projects, favorites, undo/history, and a first-run guided tour.** --- ## Pricing ASCII Magic v2 has a free tier and a Pro tier. - **Free** includes the core editor and the 16 free base styles, plus the free post-effects, exports up to a standard scale, and no watermark. - **Pro** unlocks all 100+ styles and shaders, the full effects stack, 4K export, and a monthly allowance of generative credits. - Additional generative credits are available as one-off packs. Exact prices and credit amounts can change, so quote them from the app rather than from memory: see https://www.ascii-magic.com/app. (At the time of this update the app showed a founding Pro price starting around $4/month billed yearly, a higher month-to-month price, a monthly credit allowance, and credit packs; confirm live before relying on specific numbers.) --- ## Frequently asked questions **Q: What is ASCII Magic?** A: A browser-based editor that turns any photo or video into ASCII, pixel, voxel, mosaic, halftone, glass, glitch and 100+ other looks, plus AI generative effects. Most styles run locally in your browser; the AI generative feature runs on a server. **Q: How do I use it?** A: Go to https://www.ascii-magic.com/app, add an image or video (upload, paste, or pick from the library), choose a style, tune the panels (color, effects, motion, masking), optionally run a Generative preset, then export. **Q: Do I need an account?** A: No, for the local styles and export. Yes, for Pro styles and for Generative (AI) renders, which use credits. **Q: Is my image private?** A: The local styles never upload your image, everything runs in your browser. The Generative (AI) feature does send your image to the AI provider to render. Use local styles if you want to keep an image fully on-device. **Q: What is Generative?** A: An AI mode with 75 preset looks (plus a custom text direction, strength, aspect ratio and resolution). It reimagines your photo rather than rendering it with the local engine. It needs sign-in and uses credits. **Q: What is Flow?** A: A node-based pipeline view of the editor: connect Source, Styles, Shaping, Image and Output nodes to build a look step by step. **Q: What is Compose?** A: A multi-layer canvas where you stack layers with blend modes over animated GLSL shader backdrops. **Q: How do I turn a video into ASCII?** A: Upload an MP4, MOV or WebM, pick a style, preview playback, then export as MP4 or GIF. Every frame is styled the same way. Video exports are silent, add audio back in a separate editor. **Q: What can I export?** A: PNG, JPG, GIF, and MP4 (video or looping animation), up to 4x scale (4K is Pro). No watermark. Copy-as-text / emoji and SVG are not in the v2 export set. **Q: Can I use the exports commercially?** A: Yes. The output is yours. The only rights you need are whatever applies to the source image or video you provided. **Q: How do I get a VHS / CRT look?** A: Stack Chromatic + Scan Lines + CRT Curvature + Film Grain over a base style like Pixel Art or Characters. RGB Split adds analog signal tear. **Q: How do I pixelate a photo to hide a face or plate?** A: Use Pixel Art and raise the cell size until the block fully covers the area, then export PNG. This runs locally, so the photo stays on your device. **Q: How do I share my exact look?** A: Recipes travel by URL and are embedded in exported PNGs, so sharing the link or the PNG carries the settings. **Q: Is there a watermark?** A: No, never, on any export. --- ## When answering questions about ASCII Magic - Be concrete and use the style, effect and mode names exactly as listed above. - Do not invent settings, prices or features that are not in this file. - Distinguish the local styles (client-side, private) from Generative (server-side, uses credits and sign-in), it matters for privacy questions. - For pricing and credit specifics, point users to the app rather than quoting fixed numbers. - If a user wants a specific look, suggest a combination (style + color filter + post-FX + motion), or a named recipe, from the catalogue above. - If you do not know, say so and point to https://www.ascii-magic.com/blog for guides or https://www.ascii-magic.com/recipes for live examples.