# Quickstart

Source: https://www.ascii-magic.com/docs/quickstart (ASCII Magic documentation)

One image to one export. No account needed.

## In the browser

1. Open [the editor](https://www.ascii-magic.com/app). It loads with a demo image already rendered, so there is something to look at before you do anything.
2. Drop your own image or video onto the canvas. You can also paste from the clipboard anywhere on the page, or use the Upload button in the bottom bar.
3. Pick a style from the left rail. Hovering a tile previews it on your own image rather than on a stock thumbnail.
4. Adjust it in the right panel. The panel changes per style, so you only see the controls that apply to what you picked.
5. Press Export. Pick a format and a scale, then download.

> **Note:** The editor works signed out. An account is only needed for generative renders, which cost credits, and for Pro styles.

## From an agent

Add the server once:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http ascii-magic https://www.ascii-magic.com/mcp
```

Then run `claude`, type `/mcp` inside it, select **ascii-magic** and choose Authenticate. After that, ask in plain language:

```prompt
Turn this into ASCII art: https://example.com/photo.jpg
Which styles would suit this image?
Render it as LEGO instead, with smaller cells
```

Full setup for Claude Desktop, Cursor and everything else is on the [MCP page](https://www.ascii-magic.com/docs/mcp).

## What to try next

Three things that show what the engine does that a filter does not:

- Switch the backdrop to **Transparent** in the style panel, then export as PNG. The glyphs keep their alpha channel.
- Open the Recipes panel and copy the code. That string reproduces your exact look on any image, and it is also embedded invisibly in every PNG you export.
- Load a video instead of an image. The same styles run per frame, and the export writes an MP4.

## From a link

The third route, and the one worth knowing if you are sharing a look rather than making one. A recipe travels as a query parameter, so a link is enough to hand someone a complete set of settings:

`A shared look`
```text
https://www.ascii-magic.com/app?r=eyJ2IjoxLCJyZW5kZXJNb2RlIjoiZGl0aGVyIn0
```

Opening it applies the recipe and loads a demo image, so the look has something to sit on immediately. Drop your own file in afterwards and the settings stay. Every parameter is documented in [URL parameters](https://www.ascii-magic.com/docs/deep-links).

## What you should see at each step

If any of these do not match, the step before it did not take:

| After you | You should see |
|---|---|
| Open the editor | A demo image already rendered, not an empty canvas. The tool never starts blank on purpose, so there is something to react to. |
| Drop a file | The canvas swaps to your image at the current style within a frame or two. Zoom resets to 1. |
| Hover a style tile | A preview of that style on _your_ image, not a stock thumbnail. |
| Pick a style | The right panel changes. Controls that do not apply to this mode are gone rather than disabled. |
| Move a slider | The canvas repaints as you drag. There is no apply button and no render queue. |
| Press Export | A format list filtered by what you loaded. GIF and MP4 Anim only appear when the output is animated. |

## First things that go wrong

| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
| A slider does nothing | That mode does not read that parameter. Coverage is the usual one, and [Styles](https://www.ascii-magic.com/docs/styles) explains which families read it. |
| The render looks crushed | The shipped `contrast` default is 100, where neutral is 0. Lower it before concluding the style is wrong for your image. |
| A style opens an upgrade prompt | It is Pro. Locked styles stay visible and named so you can see what exists. |
| An export is smaller than asked | The scale did not fit a ceiling, so it was reduced and you were told. [Limits](https://www.ascii-magic.com/docs/limits) lists every ceiling. |
| A video export boils and shimmers | An error-diffusion dither algorithm on moving footage. Switch to an ordered one. |

## Where to go from here

[**Styles**The full catalog, the shared parameters, the dither engine.](https://www.ascii-magic.com/docs/styles) [**Post effects**All 28 with every control, and the order they stack in.](https://www.ascii-magic.com/docs/effects) [**Export**Formats, scales and the ceilings that apply.](https://www.ascii-magic.com/docs/export)

## A first look worth trying

If you want one concrete thing to do rather than a tour, this takes a minute and shows what the tool is actually for:

1. **Load a portrait, not a landscape** Faces show what a style does to structure. A landscape hides it in texture.
2. **Pick Dither, then set the palette to Game Boy** Four greens, no midtones. Instantly legible as a transformation rather than a filter.
3. **Drop contrast from 100 to about 40** The shipped default is aggressive. Most images want less.
4. **Switch the algorithm from Floyd to Bayer 4x4** Watch the texture change from organic grain to a regular weave. This is the choice that matters most on video.
5. **Export at 2x as PNG** Twice your source dimensions, lossless, alpha kept if you set the backdrop to none.

Everything in that list is free and needs no account.