The Night Watch ASCII Art

Rembrandt van Rijn's 1642 group portrait: a captain in black and a lieutenant in pale yellow step forward among guards, with a bright girl at left and a drum at right

Rembrandt's Night Watch: start with the pale lieutenant and bright girl against the dark company. At 100 columns, faces and long weapons merge into broad light-and-shadow shapes; increasing contrast can erase the darkest figures. This is the surviving composition, not a reconstruction of the painting's removed edges.

Built Standard preview: 100 columns by 45 rows. Each result card lists its recipe. Select the text below to copy it without JavaScript.

View the conversion source

Source and reuse rights: documented; owner review pending

The conversion-source link provides the file used to make this example, not permission to redistribute it.

View bundled original file

Original source: Wikimedia Commons reproduction. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, object SK-C-5; reproduction via Wikimedia Commons. Evidence link Evidence: Downloaded unchanged on October 25, 2026: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/The_Nightwatch_by_Rembrandt_-_Rijksmuseum.jpg/1280px-The_Nightwatch_by_Rembrandt_-_Rijksmuseum.jpg.
File creator: Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669); a digital reproduction of an existing two-dimensional artwork, not new artwork. Evidence link Evidence: Artist and reproduction source are identified on the exact file page. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, object SK-C-5; reproduction via Wikimedia Commons..
License or terms: Public-domain artwork and faithful two-dimensional reproduction, as documented by the exact Commons file record. Evidence link Evidence: The 1642 painting's author died in 1669; the exact file records PD-Art with PD-old-100-expired and a Rijksmuseum source handle. The Rijksmuseum Information and Data Policy section 1.1 makes photographs of out-of-copyright collection objects public property, including thumbnail variants. Checked October 25, 2026: LicenseShortName=Public domain, Copyrighted=False, AttributionRequired=false, no additional restrictions listed. Source and artist credits are retained voluntarily. No institution endorsement is implied; this is not a blanket clearance for other reproductions..
Preparation: The bundled JPEG is the unchanged downloaded rendition, not the full-resolution archival master. Sharp applies sRGB/Lanczos3 sampling for thumbnails and the 100-column Standard preview. ASCII is a lossy adaptation; no reconstructed image regions are added. Evidence: scripts/build-example-previews.cjs; exact bundled-file and raster SHA-256 hashes in lib/generated/example-previews.json.

Owner review: PENDING. Exact-file source and public-domain evidence are documented above for owner review; no claim is made about unrelated files or institutional affiliation.

Standard ASCII

Standard ASCII Art: 100 columns; rows = max(1, round(columns × source height / source width × 0.55)).

Character ramp: @%#*+=-:. (including a final space).

Brightness 100%, contrast 100%, saturation 100%, hue 0, sepia 0%, inversion off. Dithering: none.

Open this recipe in the editor to keep this source, mode and settings. Browser resampling and fonts can differ from the built preview. Copy/TXT retain text; PNG uses black text on white at 12 px monospace, at least 1.2 line spacing and 20 px padding, independent of screen theme.

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%%%%%%@%%#%%%%%%%@@%%%%@@@@@@@@@@%*%%%@@@@@@@@@%%#%%%@@@@%%%%%#####%%%%%%%#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#%%%%
%%%%%%%@%%%%%%%%%@@%%%%@@@@@@@@%%**#%#%@%%%@@%%%*+#%%%@%%%%###%####%%%%%%%#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%##%%%%%%%%%%%@%%%@@%%%@@%%%%%@%%**#%%@%%**%@%%@%*##%%%%%%%%**#*##%%%%%%%%#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#%#%%
#*#%%%%%%%%%%%%#%%@@%%%@@%%%%###**#%%%%%#+*#%%%###++#%%%%%%%#*####%%%%%%%%#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%@@@%%%%%%
%#*#@%#%@%%%%###%%@@%%%@@%%%%%%%**#%%%#####%%%%***+*##%%@@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%##%%%%%%%%%%%%%@%#*#%%%**%
%##%%%%%@%####%%%#%@%%%%%%%%%@@@%*#%%%%%##%%%%%@@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%##%%%%%##++*##%*+#
%%%%%%%@@##%**#%%#@%#%%##%%%%@@@%#*#%%%%%%@@@@@%#%%@%###%##%#####%%%%%%%%%%%@%%%%###%%%%%+++*##%%%%#
%%@@@@@@@%*###%%##%##%%%%%#%@@@@@%%#%%%%%%%%@%#==+#@%#**%%%+:=*+==*#%%%@%*+#%####%%%%@@@@%%##%@@%%%%
%%@@@@@@@#*#**#*#%%%##%%%%%%%@@@@@%%%%%%%%%%%%#++*##%#**##+-=*##***#%%%%%#*%%#%%%%%%%%@@%%%*#@%#%%%%
@%%@@@%%%%#*%**+*#*=#%#%@@@@@@@@%%%@%%%%%@@#==---=-=*######++#%%%%@#%%##%%%%@%%@@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#+*#
%%%@@%%%%%%%@%#%%%#*###%%@@@@@@@@@@%##%%%%%*+==+=+#%@@%###%*+##%%%%**%%%%%%%%%%@@%%%%%%%%@%%%%@@%#*#
%%@@@@@@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%@@%%**%@@%#%%%%%#####*#@%%@@@%%@@%%=*%%%#**#%%%%%%%%%%@%%%%%%@@@@@@@@@@%##
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%%%%@@@@%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#**+=+######%%@@@@@%#**+++#%@%#==-==::-:=+###%%%#%%%%%@%%@@@@@%@@#=####%%%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#++=++#%%%%%%%@@@@@%%%%#%%%%%%%*+-:::=+::=*%%%%%%%%@%%@@@@@@@@@@@@%%%%###%
@@%@%%%%@@%%%%@%%%%%%%%%%%#++**=+%%%##%%@@@@@@@@@@@@@%%%%*=-:--=+-:=*%%%%%%%%@%%@@@@@@@@@@%#*+*####%
@@%%@%##%%%%#%%%%%%%%%%%%#*+++=+#%####%%%%@@@@@@@@@@@@%%@#=---:-=+:-*%%%%%%%%%@%%@@@@%@@@#+===++*###
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%@%%@%%%%%%%##%%%%%%%%%##*=+##+=+%@%%%%%%%@@@@@%%@@@%%%%@*-+**+*%###*#%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#**+=++**
%%%%%%%%%%%%##%%%%%%%%%%%*+++**+%@%%##***#@@@@%*%@%%%%%%%+=***#+=+*###%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%#*++***#
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%%#######################################*#%%++===#%%#*#%#=*##%%%%###%%%%%###########*********####%%
%###############%%%###################*++*%%@+=+++*%%%%#*++#%%%##%#*####*****************++++**#####
######################*****######**++++=+#%%#*++==+=+++==+*+*+++=++++======+++==++++*+***+++++******

Checking destination fit...

README and chat presets use printable ASCII. Unicode blocks and edge lines need matching font support; emoji can occupy different widths on another device. PNG keeps this browser's rendering, not another app's emoji style.

Sharing ASCII art in Telegram? Check monospace formatting and wrapping before sending. Ordinary chat formatting and Bot API HTML are different.

Edge detection

Edge Detection Only: 100 columns; rows = max(1, round(columns × source height / source width × 0.55)).

Edge Intensity: 1. Uses directional Unicode lines, not the selected character ramp.

Brightness 100%, contrast 100%, saturation 100%, hue 0, sepia 0%, inversion off. Dithering does not apply to this mode.

Open recipe in editor

Character Optimization matches local glyph shapes in 4x8 cells at 8 px monospace. Compare texture with Standard; it is not a universal quality improvement, and your display font does not change the matching font.

Character Optimization

Character Optimization: 100 columns; rows = max(1, round(columns × source height / source width × 0.55)).

Character ramp: @%#*+=-:. (including a final space).

Brightness 100%, contrast 100%, saturation 100%, hue 0, sepia 0%, inversion off. Dithering: none.

Open recipe in editor

Mosaic comparisons use 15 symbol columns, not the 100 columns of the character modes. The detailed recipe increases contrast to 150%; choose Coarse mosaic in the editor for the original five-column style.

Detailed emoji mosaic

Emoji Mosaic: sampling width 60, Emoji Size 4, squares set, transparent-cell symbol "⬜". Final columns = ceil(width / Emoji Size); rows depend on source aspect ratio.

Brightness 100%, contrast 150%, saturation 100%, hue 0, sepia 0%, inversion off. Dithering does not apply to this mode.

Open recipe in editor

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