What character density means
Character density is how much ink a glyph appears to put on the page. @ and # fill almost their whole cell, so they read as dark. . and : leave most of the cell empty, so they read as light. ASCII art works by ordering characters along this density scale and using them as the grey levels of an image. Get the order right and a flat block of text suddenly has shading and depth.
Building a good ramp
A ramp is just characters sorted from densest to lightest, for example @%#*+=-:. . Two things matter: the order must match real visual weight, and the steps should feel even. A ramp that jumps from @ straight to . will band like a cheap gradient. Longer ramps (10–16 characters) give smooth tonal range and suit photos; short ramps give a graphic, posterised look and suit logos and icons.
Charsets for different jobs
- Standard
@%#*+=-:.— balanced, good default for photos. - Blocks
█▓▒░— solid coverage, great for bold portraits and high contrast. - Minimal
#*:.— clean and light, good for line-art and logos. - Binary
10— pure two-tone, stylised and compact.
Density and output width
Density and width work together. A dense ramp at a narrow width hides detail because every cell looks dark. A light ramp at a wide width can wash out. If your output looks muddy, either raise contrast or switch to a shorter, lighter ramp before you touch the width slider.
Quick experiments
Convert the same image four times — once per charset — and compare. You will quickly learn which subjects want solid blocks and which want a light, minimal touch. This single habit improves your results faster than any other setting.