Roll20 Handout Choose an Already Uploaded File

April 13, 2022 Post a Comment

Similar pretty much anybody else around the globe right now, we are under strict quarantine. Nosotros too happen to run a D&D group that, up until recently, exclusively met in person. Since we're all home-bound for the foreseeable future, I've started learning how to fix digital maps in Roll20 for my players. I learned that it wasn't quite equally directly-forward as I would like, and so I wanted to put a tutorial together for you nearly making maps for Roll20. All of the digital work I exercise is in Photoshop, so I'm going to go through the whole procedure for today's topic.

Not merely will I discuss how to optimize your map for Roll20 if y'all're creating your own, I will also testify y'all how to add and format it once you lot're ready. Even if you aren't a Photoshop wizard, this tutorial will assist guide you lot into uploadingany map you may have access to (Yous're certainly welcome to cheque out our Shop page if you need to stock upwardly on some maps).

Allow'due south begin!

Making Maps for Roll20

File Size

The start thing to consider for your maps is the file size. When starting the blank project you lot'll accept the option of choosing your page elevation and width. Knowing ahead of time what kind of encounter you desire to create will help make up one's mind what you lot need. Roll20 has a 10 Mb limit for uploaded images, so nosotros'll desire to keep things small. Larger maps often mean larger file sizes, simply keep in mind that larger maps, such as dungeons, can be separate into individual room images to keep file sizes down.

For example, instead of doing ane full image…

…you can separate information technology into smaller rooms equally needed!

Getting Digital with DPI

Side by side up is establishing your page DPI or Dots per inch. DPI determines the dots per inch in a digital image. A higher DPI count increases moving-picture show quality but causes the file size to increase exponentially. Loftier DPI is great for images that you intend to physically print, merely for Roll20 we'll want a DPI between 72 and 150.

Now draw similar the wind!

(Here's some of our all-time tips for digitizing your maps.)

Once you're finished with the map, it'southward fourth dimension to pick a file type! The ii main file types we can choose from are JPEGs and PNGs.

JPEGs (Joint Photographic Experts Group) are the preferred file type for Roll20 as their file sizes are lower. The disadvantages of JPEGs are that their motion-picture show quality degrades over fourth dimension and that they cannot have any transparency effects. For example, any blank space in a JPEG paradigm is automatically filled in with white which could obscure other images beneath it.

The alternative is PNGs or Portable Graphic Network. PNGs have larger file sizes but their quality remains consistent over long periods of use, plus boosted furnishings, such as transparencies, are available. Picking the right file type is going to exist dependent on what maps you lot're planning on using for your games.

Are you:

Making maps to apply multiple times and including transparencies? Consider PNGs.

Using the map as a one and done encounter? JPEGs are the way to become.

(I promise these are two different files–can you see the white background effectually the JPEG?)

Become Rolling with Roll20

Now that we've got our maps ready, information technology'due south time to import them intoRoll20. If you don't have an account with Roll20 all the same, it's easy (and costless) to sign up.

Once that'south done, click on the Create New Game button from the Home folio. From here y'all'll get to name your game, add together any relevant tags, and selection the game organisation yous and your players desire to use.

Afterward, click I'm ready, Create Game! (photo 1) and you'll have new options to add players, specific game content and insert a thumbnail image (photo two).

Next, click on theLaunch Game button: this volition accept you to the virtual tabletop where you can beginning poking around. If you need to find your game later, you'll discover information technology under theMy Games section.

Making Maps for Roll20

Now that we're familiar with the game editor, start by selecting the Fine art Library tab in the upper correct corner.

The first page is the Premium Assets, where you can either pay for pre-made content from thousands of artists, or Free Assets, which holds a list of free-to-use content for your games. We want to select theMy Library tab, where nosotros can upload our content. Simply select theUpload button which will prompt you lot to either drib a file on the window or upload information technology.

Resizin' and Alignin'

Step 1:

Before we add a map onto the lath, the first affair we desire to do is brand certain that nosotros select theMaps and Background layer. If you don't, you lot could accidentally select and move the map when you meant to move a character token.

Footstep 2:

In one case we're on the right layer, drag and drop your map onto the lath. The map won't display at the correct size, so we'll have to resize it ourselves. Start, zoom in to 150% to better see what you lot're doing and then click on the map. You tin can resize the map by pulling any corner and stretching it out to become to the right size.

Step 3:

Conversely, Roll20 has a feature called Marshal to Grid that takes much of the guesswork out of resizing the map. To use this feature, right-click on your map, mouse over the Avant-garde section, and so select Align to Grid. Click and drag to create a iii by three square box aligned with the grid on your map, non the Roll20 grid.

Step 4:

Try to get as authentic as yous can, equally information technology means you won't take to alter the size subsequently. Once you've got your box, allow go, and a window volition pop up and ask if yous're satisfied with your size. You tin can adjust the size manually here too. Click Marshal to Grid and your map will resize automatically.

Footstep five:

If your map size still isn't to your liking, concur theAlt key subsequently selecting your map and you lot can manually suit the image. If that still doesn't work, right-click the map and selectAvant-gardeand soSet Dimensions; from here you lot tin can change the pixel width and height

In one case yous're satisfied with the map, change the layer toObjects & Tokens and start dropping players & NPCs onto the board!

Every bit a note: one thing I did notice while making maps for Roll20 is that it likes to reshape non-square images to fit inside the board tiles. For case, in that location was a ship deck map I wanted to utilize that was longer than it was wide. Roll20 compressed the image to fit within its filigree, making the map far more narrow than I intended. I found that property theAlt primal as I added the map to the board kept the original shape, though it still needed experimenting to get the correct scale.

Game time

With that knowledge nether my belt, I ran my first session using Roll20 this by Dominicus. My players are normally used to physical maps and tokens, but it didn't accept long for them to get acclimated to the program. Our druid usedConjure animals for the showtime time and summoned 8 Behemothic Bats. Usually, I'd take to scramble to observe appropriate tokens merely Roll20 has a library of pre-made tokens I was quickly able to add to the board. Overall, our session went swimmingly (ship pun), and I look forward to making bigger and better encounters in Roll20!

So tell us, what kind of crazy maps and encounters accept you used in Roll20?

Wrap up

Thanks for dropping by! If y'all'd like admission to more maps and content, including downloadable PDFs of our adventures, check out ourPatreon. We're able to do what nosotros do because of all our astonishing Patrons! Let us know in the comments or on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Discord to let united states know how it went! If y'all'd like access to more maps and content, including downloadable PDFs of our adventures, check out ourPatreon. We're able to do what we do because of all our amazing Patrons!