Code to Image - Turn Code Snippets Into Beautiful Images
Convert code snippets into shareable images with syntax highlighting. Choose from custom themes, fonts, and backgrounds — Carbon alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a code-to-image converter and why would I use one?
A code-to-image converter transforms source code snippets into visually styled images with syntax highlighting, themed backgrounds, and window chrome decorations. Developers use these images to share code on social media platforms (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram) where code formatting is not natively supported, to create visually consistent code examples for blog posts and documentation, and to produce polished slides for technical presentations. Unlike plain text screenshots, these tools produce consistently styled, high-quality output.
How do I use this code-to-image tool?
Paste or type your code in the editor on the left side, select the programming language from the dropdown, choose a syntax highlighting theme (e.g., Dracula, GitHub Dark, Tokyo Night), customize the background color or gradient, window style, padding, and font size, see the live preview update in real-time on the right side, then click Download PNG for a raster image, Download SVG for a vector image, or Copy to Clipboard to paste directly into other applications.
Is my code safe? Does it get sent to a server?
Your code is 100% safe and never leaves your browser. All syntax highlighting is performed client-side using Shiki (a JavaScript/WASM-based highlighter), and image generation uses the html-to-image library to convert the styled DOM element into a PNG or SVG entirely within your browser. No code, images, or data are transmitted to any server. This makes the tool safe for proprietary, confidential, or sensitive code.
What is the difference between PNG and SVG export?
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a raster image format that produces pixel-based images at a fixed resolution. This tool exports PNG at 2x scale by default for retina-quality output, making it ideal for social media, chat apps, and web use. SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is a vector format that can scale to any size without quality loss, making it ideal for print materials, presentations, and documentation where the image may need to be resized.
Which programming languages are supported?
This tool supports 30+ popular programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, C, C++, C#, PHP, Ruby, Swift, Kotlin, Dart, HTML, CSS, SQL, Bash, JSON, YAML, and many more. The syntax highlighting is powered by Shiki, which uses the same TextMate grammars as Visual Studio Code, ensuring accurate and high-quality token coloring for all supported languages.
How do I get the best quality output?
For the highest quality images: use 2x or 3x export scale for retina displays, choose a theme with good contrast (dark themes like Dracula or GitHub Dark tend to look best on social media), use adequate padding (48px or 64px) for visual breathing room, and enable drop shadow for depth. For print or presentations, export as SVG for perfect scaling at any size.
Can I use the generated images commercially?
Yes, the images you generate are entirely yours. Since all processing happens in your browser and this tool is free with no watermarks or branding requirements, you can use the output images for any purpose including commercial blog posts, paid courses, client presentations, and product documentation.
What themes and customization options are available?
The tool offers 13+ syntax highlighting themes from popular editors (Dracula, GitHub Dark/Light, Tokyo Night, One Dark Pro, Nord, Catppuccin, Vitesse, Ayu), three window chrome styles (macOS, Windows, none), solid or gradient backgrounds with color pickers, 5 padding options, 5 font sizes, multiple monospace fonts (JetBrains Mono, Fira Code, Source Code Pro), line numbers toggle, drop shadow toggle, and optional watermark text.
Code Examples
// Code to Image using Shiki + html-to-image
import { codeToHtml } from 'shiki';
import { toPng, toSvg } from 'html-to-image';
// Generate syntax-highlighted HTML
async function highlightCode(code, lang = 'javascript', theme = 'dracula') {
return await codeToHtml(code, { lang, theme });
}
// Export DOM node as PNG
async function exportToPNG(node, scale = 2) {
const dataUrl = await toPng(node, {
pixelRatio: scale,
quality: 1.0,
});
const link = document.createElement('a');
link.download = 'code-snippet.png';
link.href = dataUrl;
link.click();
}
// Copy image to clipboard
async function copyToClipboard(node) {
const dataUrl = await toPng(node, { pixelRatio: 2 });
const res = await fetch(dataUrl);
const blob = await res.blob();
await navigator.clipboard.write([
new ClipboardItem({ 'image/png': blob }),
]);
}