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Author: DefinetlyNotAI

ASCII Art Generator/README.md

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+# Terminal ASCII Renderer
+
+Render images, GIFs, and videos directly in the terminal using high-detail ASCII, Unicode braille, and full 24-bit RGB color. Supports smart edge-based rendering and auto-scaling to your terminal size.
+
+---
+
+## Features
+
+- Render **images, GIFs, and videos** in the terminal
+- Real-time video playback with frame timing from metadata
+- Smart rendering pipeline:
+  - Sobel edge detection for detailed regions
+  - Braille characters for high-frequency detail
+  - Half-block Unicode for vertical contrast
+  - ASCII fallback for smooth regions
+- Full 24-bit ANSI color support
+- Auto-resize to terminal resolution (Windows only)
+- Multi-file drag-and-drop support, opening each file in a separate terminal
+- Optional frame export as plain ASCII text
+
+---
+
+## Supported Formats
+
+**Images:** `png`, `jpg`, `jpeg`, `bmp`
+**Animated:** `gif`
+**Videos:** `mp4`, `avi`, `mkv`, `mov` (and most OpenCV-supported formats, though this has some limitations)
+
+---
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Python 3.8 or newer
+
+Install dependencies:
+
+```bash
+pip install opencv-python numpy pillow
+```
+
+---
+
+## How It Works
+
+Each frame is processed as follows:
+
+1. Resize to terminal resolution (or user-specified width/height)
+2. Convert to grayscale
+3. Apply Sobel edge detection
+4. Render each pixel block based on detail:
+   - High edge → braille
+   - High contrast → half-block Unicode
+   - Low detail → ASCII mapping
+5. Apply foreground and background RGB color using ANSI codes
+
+When saving frames, ANSI formatting is stripped to provide raw ASCII output.
+
+---
+
+## Usage
+
+### Drag and Drop (Windows)
+
+1. Place `script.py` somewhere accessible
+2. Drag supported file(s) onto the script
+3. Each file opens in a separate terminal and renders automatically
+
+---
+
+### Command Line
+
+```bash
+python script.py [--save-file] [--width <WIDTH>] [--height <HEIGHT>] <file> [<file2> ...]
+```
+
+Examples:
+
+```bash
+python script.py video.mp4
+python script.py image.png --width 120 --height 40 --save-file
+python script.py video.mp4 gif.gif image.jpg
+```
+
+- `--save-file` saves each frame as a `.txt` file in a folder named after the media file
+- `--width` and `--height` specify terminal dimensions (Windows only)
+
+---
+
+## Notes on Terminal Compatibility
+
+- Works best in:
+  - Windows Terminal
+  - CMD with ANSI enabled
+  - Linux terminals with truecolor support
+- Recommended minimum terminal size: 120x40
+- Larger terminal → higher resolution output
+
+---
+
+## Performance Considerations
+
+- Playback depends on CPU and terminal rendering speed
+- High-resolution videos are downscaled to fit terminal
+- GIFs respect embedded frame durations
+- Real-time rendering may stutter on slower terminals
+
+---
+
+## Known Limitations
+
+- Terminal rendering can bottleneck FPS
+- Colors may vary across terminals
+- No audio support for videos
+- Braille rendering requires a Unicode-compatible font
+- Video rendering may stutter or flicker due to clearing and frame timing