Characterize
Turns a picture into text art that still looks like it, so an image becomes a handful of characters.
- stack
- Python, JavaScript
The idea: reduce an image’s size drastically by converting it into its corresponding visual text while keeping what it shows. Step back from the screen and the characters turn back into the picture.
On the workbench
- The Python scriptReads a .jpg or .png and redraws it as characters; you choose the height, width and the character set.
- The web appThe same idea in the browser: drop in a picture, get the text version back.
Build log
- Jun 2019 First version as a Python script, with install scripts for Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Jun 2021 Rebuilt as a web app and put it online at char-it.netlify.app.
What it taught me
- A picture can shrink to a fraction of its size and still be recognisable: try looking at the text from far away.