📋 Table of Contents

• 📦 Dependencies
• 🔧 Installing
• ⚡ Usage
• 📸 Examples

📦 Dependencies

these dependencies are only for the av library to output videos. This will be opt-in in the future.

Linux:

sudo apt-get install libavutil-dev libavformat-dev libavcodec-dev libswscale-dev

MacOS:

brew install ffmpeg pkgconf

Windows:

choco install ffmpeg-shared

🔧 Installing

Homebrew

brew install glyph

build from source

zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseFast

the above command builds an executable found at ./zig-out/bin

if you want to just directly run the executable, run:

zig build run -Doptimize=ReleaseFast -- [options]

see below for explanations for available options

⚡ Usage

run the program with the following options (the default zig install directory is ./zig-out/bin):

/path/to/glyph [options]

1. options:
   • -h, --help: print the help message and exit
   • -i, --input <file>: specify the input media file path (local path/URL) (required)
   • -o, --output <file>: specify the output media file (txt/img/vid) (required)
   • -c, --color: use color ascii characters (optional)
   • -n, --invert_color: Inverts the color values (optional)
   • -s, --scale <float>: set the downscale or upscale factor (optional, default: 1)
   • -e, --detect_edges: enable edge detection (optional)
   • --sigma1 <float>: set the sigma1 value for DoG filter (optional, default: 0.3)
   • --sigma2 <float>: set the sigma2 value for DoG filter (optional, default: 1.0)
   • --dither floydstein: enable dithering (currently only supports floydstein algorithm)
   • -b, --brightness_boost <float>: increase/decrease perceived brightness (optional, default: 1.0) advanced options:
   • --full_characters: Uses all ascii characters in generated output.
   • --ascii_chars <string>: Use what characters you want to use in the generated output. (default: " .:-=+*%@#")
   • --disable_sort: Prevents sorting of the ascii_chars by size.
   • --block_size <u8>: Set the size of the blocks. (default: 8)
   • --threshold_disabled: Disables the threshold.
   • --codec <string>: Set the encoder codec like "libx264" or "hevc_videotoolbox". (default: searches for encoders on your machine)
   • --keep_audio: Preserves audio from input video.
   • --stretched: Resizes media to fit terminal window
   • -f, --frame_rate: Target frame rate for video output (default: matches input fps)

To render on the terminal directly, just omit the output option.

To output to a text file, use the .txt extension when setting the output option

📸 Examples

🖼️ Image

basic usage:

glyph -i input.jpg -o output.png

text file output:

glyph -i input.jpg -o output.txt

using color:

glyph -i input.png -o output.png -c

with edge detection, color, and custom downscale:

glyph -i input.jpeg -o output.png -s 4 -e -c

with brightness boost and url input:

# bonus (this is a sweet wallpaper)
glyph -i "https://w.wallhaven.cc/full/p9/wallhaven-p9gr2p.jpg" -o output.png -e -c -b 1.5

terminal output (just omit the output option):

glyph -i "https://w.wallhaven.cc/full/p9/wallhaven-p9gr2p.jpg" -e -c -b 1.5

🎬 Video

with an input video (no urls allowed):

glyph -i /path/to/input/video.mp4 -o ascii.mp4 --codec hevc_nvenc --keep_audio

with an input video and rendering on the terminal (stretched to fit terminal):

glyph -i /path/to/input/video.mp4 --stretched -c

with input video and custom ffmpeg encoder options:

glyph -i /path/to/input/video.mp4 -o ascii.mp4 -c --codec libx264 --keep_audio-- -preset fast -crf 20

with input video and custom ffmpeg encoder options:

glyph -i /path/to/input/video.mp4 -o ascii.mp4 -c --codec libx264 --keep_audio-- -preset fast -crf 20

1. the program will generate an ascii art version of your input media and save it as a new media file.

for images: output file needs to be a .png since i saw some weird issues with jpegs.

1. using the long arguments on windows may or may not work. please use the short arguments for now.