to save downloading time for people reading the messages,
if possible give the URL (Web address) of the picture instead.
If you saw the picture on a Web page, you can find out its URL by
right-clicking on it (on the Macintosh, right-clicking,
Ctrl-clicking, or holding down the mouse button) and selecting
`Open this image' (or its equivalent for your Web browser), then
copy the URL from the Location bar to your news program (make sure
you copy it exactly).
If the picture is not on a Web site anywhere, put it up on your own
site (if you have one), or get a friend to put it up on their site,
and post the URL to alt.ascii-art. If you can't do this, post your
request to the newsgroups and wait for someone to reply, then post
the picture to news:alt.binaries.pictures.ascii or e-mail to them.
========================================================================
[15] How do I convert a picture to ASCII art?
========================================================================
[15.1] programs:
There are computer programs available which convert graphics files
of a variety of formats (often GIF) to ASCII art. They go by names
such as ascgif, gifa, gifscii, and gif2ascii. Do a Web search for
any of these programs to find places where you can download them.
Try:
gopher://twinbrook.cis.uab.edu/1A/atools.70
ftp://ftp.simtel.com/.
http://www.jave.de/. <== new
Many think that you just put a GIF into a converter program and
out comes a perfect ASCII pic. Here are some things you can do
to improve the chances of getting a good conversion:-
o Use an 8 bit grey scale or color image instead of a 2 bit B&W.
o Use an image with a wide, even distribution of tones.
o Keep it simple, like a face or close-up of an object.
o Avoid busy backgrounds. Generally avoid bright backgrounds.
o Use an image that is tightly cropped, without a lot of waste.
o Be prepared to quickly run through a series of conversions,
you will probably not like 9 to 11 out of 12.
o It helps to do touch-up work on the converted picture,
concentrate on the focal points and important areas.
[15.2] tracing:
Another method is by tracing a picture, either onto clear-plastic
and sticking it onto the screen then opening an editor to trace
under or using an editor which allows the loading of a background
image to trace over, a process known as `water-mark'.
[15.3] image2html:
There are computer programs and web-servers available which convert
graphics files of a variety of formats (often GIF) to HTML colored
TEXT art for use on web-pages. Do a quick search on your favourite
web search-engine.
========================================================================
[16] How do I put ASCII art on a webpage?
========================================================================
HTML, the language used in Web pages, can display ASCII art using
the "pre-formatted text" tags
like this:-
Ascii art on a webpage<br />
.----------------------------------------.
: __ :
: =='_)) __-:!:- (your ascii here) :
: ,.' .' ))-:!:- :
: ((_,' .'-:!:- :
: ~^~~~^~~^~~~^~ :
`----------------------------------------'
HTML can be used to add special effects such as colours, font size,
and blinking text. For full instructions on how to do this see:-
http://llizard.crosswinds.net/ascii-art/asciionpage.htm
========================================================================
[17] What should I know about signature files?
========================================================================
A signature file (or `sig' for short; not to be confused with the
initials added to an ASCII picture) is a small, personalized text
file which an e-mail or news program can add to the end of every
message a person sends -- the equivalent of a letterhead for dead
tree (paper) mail (or snail-mail). Usually it contains little more
than the person's name, organization and e-mail address, maybe an
inspirational quote of some sort and some people like to incorporate
ASCII art into their signature files as well.
_ _ _ _ _ _ ___ ___ \|/ ____ \|/
| | | ___| | (_) \| | __/ __| @~/ ,. \~@
|_ _|___| |__| | .` | _|\__ \ /_( \__/ )_\ Mike
|_| |____|_|_|\_|___|___/[Figlet] \__U_/ Jittlov
The lack of importance in relation to global warming, violence in
society, and so on, can be the subject of heated arguments. To be
brief, (almost) no-one will complain if your signature file is four
lines long or fewer -- and it is quite possible to draw good ASCII
pictures which are that small.
_______________________________________________
(@) (@) `) There are a lot of web-pages on this with )
^ < > ^ ( google search ascii sig. _______)
=== `----Richard James-----------------'
Some e-mail/news programs don't allow you to have a signature file
which is longer than four lines, while others just complain. Five or
six lines may be acceptable, but any longer, and you're starting to
take the risk that your signature will be longer than some of your
e-mail messages; this wouldn't really make sense on paper, so it
isn't really acceptable in cyberspace either. The exception is in
messages posted to news:alt.ascii-art itself -- we're used to seeing
long sigs, so we won't complain.
-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-'*((,,.-
But, no matter what the length of your signature, make sure it's
fewer than 72 characters wide, otherwise it may end up a horrible
mess (see Question 8).
========================================================================
[18] What is ascii-animation?
========================================================================
An animated image produced by a sequence of changing ASCII pictures.
The speed will depend on the system you are using.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
o \ o / _ o __| \ / |__ o _ \ o / o
/|\ | /\ __\o \o | o/ o/__ /\ | /|\
/ \ / \ | \ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ascii-Animation transports vary a lot. The earliest known portable
types used the Control-Codes of the (often .VT or .ANS) terminal
screens for either `paging' or `direct cursor addressing'.
Sometimes found as c-code in .sigs, which, when compiled and run
produce moving patterns or images.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
o _ _ _
_o /\_ _ \\o (_)\__/o (_)
_< \_ _>(_) (_)/<_ \_| \ _|/' \/
(_)>(_) (_) (_) (_) (_)' _\o_
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Most Web Ascii-Animation uses Java or Javascript.
* To find out how to animate ASCII art using JavaScript, see:-
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Marina/4942/faq_hta.htm
http://llizard.crosswinds.net/ascii-art/animation/animlesson.htm
* To find out how to animate ASCII art using Java, see:-
http://www.jave.de/.
http://www.jave.de/javeplayer/.
========================================================================
[19] What does ObAscii mean?
========================================================================
ObAscii = Obligatory Ascii
Obligatory: [adj] compulsory (of a ruling) having binding force
Ascii: [slang] ascii-art picture
A funny way to remind people to put a drawing in their post.
This means an ascii in every post! (especially off-topic threads)
Failure to comply can result in flaming! This implies that if you
don't include an ascii in your post you deserve to get flamed!
====================================================================
The concept of ObAscii has been around since the creation of the
usenet group news:alt.ascii-art and it's purpose is to provide some
on-topic content to an otherwise off-topic posting.
====================================================================
*NOT* The 1st ever! ObAscii :
====================================================================
From: Matthew Thomas
Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 13:50:09 +1300
Organization: University of Canterbury.nz (opinions are my own)
^
,' \ [snip - 3rd party flame ]
L""/
` | BOLLOCKS!!!
J |
J L I am staying out of this as much as
| | . , possible, Colin, because I really ...
| | `v_L.'
// ,>'--\'_ :.
\`' \ - /-. [snip - rant/rave]
/ /`""| :.
),' `-
( ,-' \ Anyway, I think a lot of this
) ,' ,' h flaming would decrease if everyone
/ / / `)--.. was required to post a (different)
\/ / \ <) obligatory ASCII pic in each message
< , L<' -- at the very least, it would slow
F/ _/ ,' the flames down.
L ,-' \
| ___L So, to start the trend, here's my
/ ( F
J ___,' L ObAscii: the Statue of Liberty.
| ,' |
F ,' |
(_,--..__ mt-2|_
,' `"`--.._\
,' / \
/ (_
[snip - .sig of Matthew Thomas]
========================================================================
[20] The ASCII Art Rough-Guide to m$.Outlook?
========================================================================
Microsoft's Outlook Express program has a number of flaws, including
* deleting spaces from the beginning of lines, and
* inserting the word `file://' in unexpected places
which make it very difficult when using it for ASCII art. Whether
these are bugs or features we don't know and a registry patch to fix
some of the flaws in Outlook Express is available from the ADA.
====================================================================
How to get rid of blue-lines in OE5:
1. Press the decode button twice when viewing a blue-struck image.
Because, after ROT13, OE will not parse links and so 2 x ROT13
returns everything back to normal, but without the blue lines.
2. Create a button in your toolbar so you can do it quickly.
In OE 5.5-6.0 the URL parsing code is slightly better and
doesn't foul as many images as previous versions.
====================================================================
How to stop Ms.Outlook giving wrapped output
or the ascii-art you are sending is wider than 72 characters:
1. Tools menu
2. Options
3. Send
4. Both of these Mail and News format
5. Plain text settings ____
6. Automatically wrap text at |____|
====================================================================
How to set your Outlook Express 6 to view ASCII art correctly:
1. On the TOOLS menu, click OPTIONS
2. Select the READ tab
3. International settings
4. "Use default encoding for all incoming messages" [tick]
5. Set the FONTS to display as western european.
set both the PROPORTIONAL font and FIXED-WIDTH font to
LUCIDA CONSOLE, and FONT SIZE to SMALLER
6. Click OK, then OK again.
====================================================================
How to set your Outlook Express 5 to view ASCII art correctly:
1. On the TOOLS menu, click OPTIONS
2. Select the READ tab
3. Click the FONTS button near the bottom of the box
4. For the languages UNICODE, WESTERN EUROPEAN and USER DEFINED
set both the PROPORTIONAL font and FIXED-WIDTH font to
LUCIDA CONSOLE, and FONT SIZE to SMALLER
5. Click OK, then OK again.
====================================================================
How to set your Outlook Express 4 to view ASCII art correctly:
1. On the TOOLS menu, click OPTIONS
2. Select the READ tab
3. Click the FONTS button near the bottom of the box
4. For the languages UNIVERSAL ALPHABET, USER DEFINED and WESTERN
set both the PROPORTIONAL font and FIXED-WIDTH font to
LUCIDA CONSOLE, and FONT SIZE to SMALLER
5. Click OK, then OK again.
====================================================================
NOTE : If LUCIDA CONSOLE is not available as a font, pick another
from the list of available FIXED-WIDTH fonts.
Examples of fixed-width fonts 1. ANDALE MONO
commonly available with ms.windows: 2. COURIER NEW
3. LUCIDA CONSOLE
4. LUCIDA SANS TYPEWRITER
5. OCR A EXTENDED
If you have followed the above steps correctly, you should now
be able to view and create ASCII art as it should be.
========================================================================
[21] Where do I find ASCII art pictures, tutorials and information?
========================================================================
There are a number of ASCII art Usenet groups:-
news:alt.ascii-art
news:alt.ascii-art.animation
news:alt.ascii-art.endless.blabla
news:alt.binaries.pictures.ascii
news:rec.arts.ascii
are English-speaking ones that are widely used.
alt.ascii-art [original ASCII art discussion group]
alt.ascii-art.animation [is about animating ASCII art]
alt.ascii-art.endless.blabla [an off-topic follow-up troll-trap]
alt.binaries.pictures.ascii [ASCII art sofware/image drop-zone]
rec.arts.ascii [primary moderated ASCII art group]
Lots of ASCII artists put up libraries of their own and others'
ASCII art on their Web sites, as well as tutorials on how to draw
ASCII art:
The DMOZ Open Directory Project ASCII art sites:
http://dmoz.org/Arts/ASCII/.
Allen Mullen has links to many of these sites at:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/2695/links.htm.
The Ascii-Art Dictionary at: The Ascii-Art dot com at:
http://www.ascii-art.de http://www.ascii-art.com
The Ascii-Art Document Archive (address as listed in the header)
The Ascii-Art Library Archive http://www.chris.com
There is an on-line panel of experts at: The ASCIItorium
http://www.ludd.luth.se/~vk/cgi/asciichat/
And webrings:
http://artcode.org/ascii/index.php
http://webring.org/ascii/
Also IRCascii.8bit:
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Marina/4942/ascii.htm
http://www.remorse.org/ (irc.efnet#ascii)
========================================================================
[22] Historacle: from the old-old FAQ v1.2 March 14, 1994
========================================================================
What types of ascii-art are there?
o Linedrawing - like stickmen
o Lettering - like Figlet does
o Grey scale pictures - These create the illusion of grey shades
by using letters for their light emitting value.
Here is an example of how they break down by light intensity:
(Jorn Barger's light value scale)
Darker .'`,^:";~ Lighter
bright /|\ -_+<>i!lI? /|\ dark
letters | /\|()1{}[] | letters
on rcvunxzjft on
dark | LCJUYXZO0Q | bright
background \|/ oahkbdpqwm \|/ background
Lighter *WMB8&%%$#@ Darker
o 3-D images - Can be viewable by people with similar vision in
both eyes. You try to focus as if you are looking at the back
of the monitor. The image should pop into focus and create a
3-D illusion. Other 3-D images are viewed by putting your nose
on the monitor glass.
o Geometric Article - Text is formed into meaningful shapes.
o Picture Poem - A geometric article that is also a poem.
o Page Making - Text and graphics are intermixed, as in a magazine.
o Picture Story - A story told with accompanying ASCII pictures.
o Color - You can view color ASCII pics, if you have a color screen
and 'ANSI' color compatible software, or Web access using HTML.
o Color Graphics - You can view color ASCII pics if you have color
o Animation - take a look at [dead-link snipped]
o Color Animation - take a look at [dead-link snipped]
o Scroll Animation - This is an animation that is made to be viewed
by scrolling down. The image plays out as the screen is redrawn
with the next 'page' of the image.
o Overstrike Art - It contains carriage returns without line feeds
at times. The print head can overstrike a line on the paper that
has already been printed on. This allows for darkening, and for
placing different characters at the same place on the paper.
This kind of art is obviously only printed.
========================================================================
[X1]
-------------------THE ASCII ART FAQ TEN COMMANDMENTS-------------------
\\\\`///
/ _ _| 1. Thou shalt read the FAQ.
(\'('\/') 2. Thou shalt not remove the
______/( >(__ initials from any ASCII art.
/`- \ \_=__| `\ 3. Thou shalt not claim ownership
/ /__( _____\ _____ of someone else's ASCII art.
/_ \.____ ," "." ",__ 4. Thou shalt read the FAQ.
| / _\__/_ - / \ 5. Thou shalt ask permission
\/ /____ \ASCII ART FAQ /// before using someone else's
) / / \__\ - | ASCII art.
'-.__|_/ ///| I VI | 6. Thou shalt not sell someone
\_ | | | else's ASCII art.
| | II VII | 7. Thou shalt read the darn FAQ.
\ | | | 8. Thou shalt not post someone
/ | III VIII | else's ASCII art without making
\ | | | clear that you didn't make it.
\_ | IV IX | 9. Thou shalt not assume that
\| | | ASCII art isn't art at all.
| V X | 10. Thou shalt read the FAQing FAQ.
|______b'ger______|
========================================================================
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END O F T H E A S C I I A R T FAQ
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