artty 0.1.3

Convert any image to Unicode braille ASCII art with 24-bit ANSI color support — directly in your terminal

arTTY

Convert any image to braille ASCII art directly in your terminal

Documentation  ·  Demo  ·  Install  ·  Open an Issue  ·  Join the Conversation

What is artty?

artty is a command-line tool and Python library that converts images to Unicode braille ASCII art with 24-bit ANSI color support. It preserves image contrast and sharpness while producing detailed, scanable output that works in any modern terminal on macOS, Linux, or Windows.

Whether you're building a terminal-based dashboard, creating visual presentations, or just having fun with ASCII art, artty gives you professional results with minimal configuration.

Features

Feature	Description
⚡ Unicode Braille Output	Uses braille characters (U+2800–U+28FF) for efficient 2×4 pixel cell representation
🎨 24-bit ANSI Color	Embedded color codes sample only from lit pixels, preventing dark edge contamination
🖥️ Cross-Platform	Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows with VT support
📐 Preserves Contrast	Advanced threshold and sharpness controls maintain image definition
⚙️ Fully Configurable	Adjustable width, threshold, contrast, sharpness, and padding
🔧 Python API	Import image_to_braille directly in your own code

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Installation

Prerequisites: Python 3.10+

From PyPI

# Using uv (recommended)
uv pip install artty

# or using pip
pip install artty

From Source

git clone https://github.com/divisionseven/artty.git
cd artty

# Using uv (recommended)
uv sync
uv run artty --version

# Or using pip
pip install -e .

Verify

artty --version
# Output: artty, version <version>

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Usage

Basic Conversion

# Convert an image to braille ASCII art with default settings (default 100-character width)
artty input.png

Specify Output Width (Characters)

# Convert an image to braille ASCII art with 80-character width (using defaults for all other settings)
artty input.png -w 80

Plain Text Output (No ANSI Color Embedding)

# Convert an image to plain text using default settings (no ANSI color codes embedded)
artty input.png --no-color

Full Example

# Convert with custom width, black background, contrast boost, and save to file with custom name/path
artty photo.jpg -w 120 --bg 0 0 0 --boost 1.4 -o output.txt

Expected output: A detailed braille ASCII representation of your image, preview displayed in your terminal and saved to output.txt.

Commands List

# Show help screen
artty -h
artty --help

artty --help Output

Usage: artty [OPTIONS] INPUT

artty — Convert images to detailed braille ASCII art.

A CLI tool that converts images to detailed braille ASCII art with
accurate color embedding or plain text output.

Features:
  - Unicode braille characters
  - 24-bit ANSI color support
  - Cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux)
  - Configurable output options

Options:
  -o, --output TEXT              Where to save the .txt file. Accepts a full file path or a directory. If a directory is
                                 given, the filename is derived from the input image name. Defaults to the same directory as
                                 the input image.
  --preview / --no-preview       Print the result to the terminal after saving (default: on).
  --no-save                      Do not write a .txt file — only print to stdout.
  -w, --width INTEGER RANGE      Output width in braille characters. Height is auto-calculated. (default: 100)  [10<=x<=500]
  -t, --threshold INTEGER RANGE  Luminance threshold (0-255). Pixels brighter than this become braille dots. Lower = denser,
                                 higher = sparser. (default: 50)  [0<=x<=255]
  --padding INTEGER              Pixels of padding around auto-detected content. (default: 30)
  --contrast FLOAT               Contrast enhancement factor. 1.0 = unchanged. (default: 1.0)
  --sharpness FLOAT              Sharpness enhancement factor. 1.0 = unchanged. (default: 1.0)
  --color / --no-color           Enable/disable 24-bit ANSI color output. (default: on)
  --boost FLOAT                  Color brightness multiplier. 1.0-1.4 typical. (default: 1.2)
  --bg R G B                     Solid ANSI background color as three integers (0-255).  [0<=x<=255]
  --hide-paths                   Show only filenames in output (hide full paths).
  --version                      Show the version and exit.
  -h, --help                     Show this message and exit.

Examples:
  artty logo.png
  artty logo.png -o ~/Desktop/logo.txt -w 120
  artty logo.png --no-color --width 80
  artty logo.png --bg 0 0 0 --boost 1.4

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Demo Images

[!Note] All demo screenshots were captured using the Ghostty Terminal, which supports full TrueColor (24-bit) color output. Other terminal emulators that support TrueColor include iTerm2, Kitty, Alacritty, and WezTerm, and various others. arTTY has currently been tested with both the Ghostty and the Visual Studio Code integrated terminal.

If you use arTTY with another terminal emulator, please open an issue to report its performance.

Full-Color JPEG Conversions

NASA 2026 Artemis II Crew Photo

# Convert a JPEG image to braille art using default settings
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty nasa.jpeg --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Output

_{Credit: NASA | Brand logos shown for demonstration purposes only. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.}

Large Color JPEG Photograph

# Convert a JPEG image to 150-character width braille art
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty JB1.jpeg -w 150 --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Output

_{Credit: © Division 7 | All trademarks are property of their respective owners.}

Large Color JEPG Photograph

# Convert a JPEG image to 175-character width braille art
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty JB3.jpeg -w 175 --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Output

_{Credit: © Division 7 | All trademarks are property of their respective owners.}

PNG Logos (with transparency)

arTTY Logo

# Convert the arTTY logo to 200-character width ASCII art
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty logo.png -w 200 --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Output

_{Credit: artty GitHub}

Visual Studio Code Logo

# Convert the VS Code PNG image to braille art
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty vscode.png --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Output

_{Credit: Microsoft/VSCode | Brand logos shown for demonstration purposes only. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.}

Linux "Tux" Logo

# Convert the Linux logo to braille art
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty linux.png --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Output

_{Credit: Linux | Brand logos shown for demonstration purposes only. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.}

GitHub White Logo

# Convert GitHub logo to 200-character width plain text (no color)
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty github_full.png -w 200 --no-color --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Plain TXT Output

_{Credit: GitHub | Brand logos shown for demonstration purposes only. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.}

PKG-Defender Repo PNG Logo

# Convert pkg-defender logo to 125-character width plain text
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty pkg-defender.png -w 125 --no-color --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Plain TXT Output

_{Credit: PKG-Defender GitHub | "Supply-Chain Attack Defense CLI"}

Conversions With and Without Color Embedding

Arch Linux Logo

# Convert Arch Linux logo to color-embedded output (200-char width)
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty arch.png -w 200 --hide-paths

# Convert Arch Linux logo to plain text output (200-char width)
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty arch.png -w 200 --no-color --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Color-Embedded Output	arTTY Plain TXT Output

_{Credit: Arch Linux | Brand logos shown for demonstration purposes only. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.}

Apple 1977-1998 Color Logo

# Convert Apple logo to color-embedded output (80-char width)
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty apple.png -w 80 --hide-paths

# Convert Apple logo to plain text output (80-char width)
# with input/output paths hidden from the output message
artty apple.png -w 80 --no-color --hide-paths

Input	arTTY Color-Embedded Output	arTTY Plain TXT Output

_{Credit: Apple | Brand logos shown for demonstration purposes only. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.}

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Technical Documentation

For detailed technical information, see the Documentation Index, which provides:

• Algorithm — How Unicode Braille rendering works
• CLI & API Reference — Complete command-line options and Python library examples
• Examples — Practical usage examples

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Configuration

Category	Option	Type	Default	Description
Input	input	path	(required)	Path to the input image file
Image Processing	-w, --width	int	100	Output width in braille characters (10-500)
Image Processing	-t, --threshold	int	50	Luminance cutoff for braille dots (0-255)
Image Processing	--padding	int	30	Pixels of padding around auto-detected content
Image Processing	--contrast	float	1.0	Contrast enhancement factor. 1.0 = unchanged
Image Processing	--sharpness	float	1.0	Sharpness enhancement factor. 1.0 = unchanged
Image Processing	--color / --no-color	bool	True	Enable/disable ANSI color output
Image Processing	--boost	float	1.2	Color brightness multiplier. Typical range: 1.0-1.4
Image Processing	--bg	tuple	None	Background color as three integers (R G B)
Output/Terminal	-o, --output	str	Input name w/ conversion attributes	Save output to file with custom name/path. Accepts full path or directory. Defaults to same directory as input.
Output/Terminal	--preview / --no-preview	bool	True	Show preview in terminal
Output/Terminal	--no-save	flag	False	Print to stdout only, don't save to file
Output/Terminal	--hide-paths	flag	False	Show only filenames in output (hide full paths)
Output/Terminal	--version	flag	False	Show version number and exit
Output/Terminal	--help	flag	False	Show help message and exit

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Python API

arTTY can be used directly as a Python library for more control over the conversion process. Import the image_to_braille function and pass various parameters to customize the output.

Basic Usage

The simplest way to convert an image is to provide just the path. This uses all default settings (100-character width, color enabled, automatic background detection):

from artty import image_to_braille

# Simple conversion with just the image path - uses all defaults
result = image_to_braille(path="logo.png")
print(result)

Custom Dimensions

Control the output width to fit your needs. Smaller widths work better for narrow terminals, while larger widths capture more detail:

from artty import image_to_braille

# Convert to narrower 60-character width (good for sidebars or compact displays)
result = image_to_braille(
    path="photo.jpg",
    width=60,  # Output width in braille characters (default is 100)
)
print(result)

# Or use a larger width for more detail (good for wide terminals)
result = image_to_braille(
    path="photo.jpg",
    width=150,  # Capture more image detail with wider output
)
print(result)

Full Options Example

Here's a demonstration of every available parameter with explanations:

from artty import image_to_braille

# Full example showing all parameters
result = image_to_braille(
    path="logo.png",        # Path to the input image file (supports PNG, JPEG, etc.)
    width=100,              # Output width in braille characters (10-500, default: 100)
    threshold=50,           # Brightness cutoff (0-255, default: 50) - lower = more dots
    contrast=1.0,           # Contrast multiplier (1.0 = unchanged, >1 = more contrast)
    sharpness=1.0,          # Sharpness multiplier (1.0 = unchanged, >1 = sharper edges)
    crop_padding=30,        # Padding pixels around image content before processing
    color=True,             # Enable 24-bit ANSI color output (True = color, False = plain text)
    bg_color=None,          # Background color as (R, G, B) tuple, or None for auto-detection
    color_boost=1.2,        # Color brightness multiplier (default: 1.2)
)
print(result)

Plain Text Output

Disable color output when you need plain text for logging, saving to files, or terminals without color support:

from artty import image_to_braille

# Convert to plain ASCII without ANSI color codes
result = image_to_braille(
    path="logo.png",
    color=False,  # Disable color - output will be plain text with braille characters only
)
print(result)

# Useful for saving to plain text files
with open("output.txt", "w") as f:
    f.write(result)

With Background Color

Specify a background color when the image has transparency or you want to override the detected background:

from artty import image_to_braille

# Use a black background (good for light images)
result = image_to_braille(
    path="logo.png",
    bg_color=(0, 0, 0),  # RGB tuple for black background
)
print(result)

# Use a white background (good for dark images)
result = image_to_braille(
    path="photo.jpg",
    bg_color=(255, 255, 255),  # RGB tuple for white background
)
print(result)

# Use a custom color (e.g., dark blue for a themed terminal)
result = image_to_braille(
    path="logo.png",
    bg_color=(10, 20, 40),  # RGB tuple for dark blue
)
print(result)

From Bytes (File-like Objects)

Process images from memory without writing to disk - useful for web applications, APIs, or processing uploaded files:

from artty import image_to_braille
from io import BytesIO

# Convert from bytes in memory
image_bytes = b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n..."  # Your image bytes here
result = image_to_braille(path=image_bytes)
print(result)

# Or use BytesIO for more control
with open("photo.jpg", "rb") as f:
    image_data = f.read()

result = image_to_braille(path=image_data)
print(result)

# For web frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, etc.)
async def process_upload(upload):
    # upload.read() returns bytes
    result = image_to_braille(path=upload.read())
    return result

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Testing

# Using uv (recommended)
uv run pytest

# Or using pip
pytest tests/ -v

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please review our contributing guidelines before getting started. If you'd like to contribute, please open an issue to discuss your proposed changes or feel free to submit a pull request directly.

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Acknowledgements

• Pillow — Primary image processing library
• click — CLI framework

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License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.

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Last updated: 2026-04-18