GAV — Generate ASCII Video

CLI-first tool to convert videos into retro ASCII terminal movies. Dark-mode aesthetic.

Official landing for GAV

Turn any video into an ASCII-styled MP4 or JSON frames

Terminal-first

Use the CLI to tune width, characters, FPS, and output format. (working on GUI)

Threaded conversion

Multi-threaded frame conversion for faster processing on modern CPUs.

JSON export

Export frames as plain ASCII JSON for creative uses. (got some bugs, do -thread 1 to prevent JSON bugs from happening)

Speed

Depends on your CPU.

Quick install & usage

Download Installer
gav -videopath input.mp4 -output out -width 120 -fps 20 Copy

CLI options

OptionDefaultMeaning
-videopathvideo.mp4Path to input video
-outputascii_framesFolder to save frames
-ascii_videoascii_video.mp4Output ASCII video
-fps20Target FPS
-width120ASCII characters per line
-chars@%#*+=-:. Characters from dark -> light
-jsonfalseSave frames as JSON instead of a video