All you need to do is launch the photo in your browser and add some modifications in the URL, and you are all set to get the ASCII version of your photo. Here’s the entire procedure to do so for both Facebook and Instagram.

Convert Facebook Photos to ASCII

This should only work for the photos that have their privacy set as Public. It will not work for photos that are hidden from Public.

  1. Head over to Facebook and find a photo that is publicly viewable. This means you cannot use the photos that are set to only be viewed by yourself, friends, or friends of friends.

  2. When the photo loads, right-click anywhere on the photo and select the option that says “Open Image in New Tab.” The photo will then load without the interference of Facebook features.

  3. When the photo launches in a new tab, look in the address bar of your browser, and you should see the full path to the photo on Facebook. The path should end with the format of the photo (.jpg, .png, etc.).

What you need to do is add “.html” (without quotes) at the end of the URL and press Enter. It will instantly convert the photo to ASCII characters. 4. You should be able to see the converted photo in your web browser tab. You can now copy these ASCII characters laid out as the given photo anywhere on your computer. Press “Command + S” for Mac or “Ctrl + S” for Windows to save the ASCII photo to your computer.

While it was easy to convert Facebook photos to ASCII, converting Instagram photos to ASCII is not that easy because you cannot get the direct URL of a photo easily.

Convert Instagram Photos to ASCII

  1. Head to Instagram using any of the browsers on your computer, and click on the photo that you want to convert to ASCII. Make sure you click on the photo so that you are taken to the photo page and not the Instagram profile where you found the photo. Again, the photo has to be set as viewable to the public or you cannot do the task.
  2. Once you are on the chosen photo page, add “media” at the end of the URL in the address bar to go to the direct link for the photo.

The URL to my photo is  “https://www.instagram.com/p/vvPs4bMUjh/.” After adding “media” it will look like “https://www.instagram.com/p/vvPs4bMUjh/media.” 3. Now that you are on the direct page of the photo, click on the address bar in your browser and add “.html” after the photo format as shown below.

  1. Your photo will be converted to ASCII, and you can save it to your computer for other uses.

Conclusion

If you wish to convert a photo on Facebook or Instagram to ASCII, then you can use the built-in features on those sites to do the job without running to third-party tools.