--- title: "Replacing Photoshop With NSString" url: https://daily.dev/posts/replacing-photoshop-with-nsstring-q12agfsrc source_url: http://cocoamine.net/blog/2015/03/20/replacing-photoshop-with-nsstring type: article source: "Lobsters" published: 2026-05-31T20:47:52.263Z updated: 2026-05-31T20:48:19.675Z tags: ["ios", "objective-c"] reading_time: 11 upvotes: 1 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Replacing Photoshop With NSString **[Lobsters](https://daily.dev/sources/lobsters)** · 11 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary ASCIImage is an open-source iOS/Mac library that lets developers generate UIImage/NSImage assets directly from ASCII art strings in code, eliminating the need for external image editors for simple icons. Instead of writing verbose Core Graphics drawing code, developers define shapes using sequential characters in a grid string — the library parses these into NSBezierPath shapes using a 'connect the dots' approach. It supports filled shapes, lines, ellipses, anti-aliasing control, and layered rendering via a block-based API. The post covers the library's usage, internals, and implementation tricky bits like pixel alignment, aliased line widths, and cross-platform scale handling between iOS and OS X. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Generating images in Swift using Image Playground](https://daily.dev/posts/generating-images-in-swift-using-image-playground-eudluwkqo) · Swift with Majid · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [ASCII Drawing Board](https://daily.dev/posts/ascii-drawing-board-gl4je2zo4) · Hacker News · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ios](https://daily.dev/tags/ios), [#objective-c](https://daily.dev/tags/objective-c) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/replacing-photoshop-with-nsstring-q12agfsrc)