Roll20 How to Upload Files Bigger Than 10mb

Like pretty much everyone else around the globe right now, nosotros are under strict quarantine. We also happen to run a D&D group that, upwards until recently, exclusively met in person. Since we're all habitation-leap for the foreseeable futurity, I've started learning how to set up digital maps in Roll20 for my players. I learned that it wasn't quite equally direct-forrad as I would like, so I wanted to put a tutorial together for you about making maps for Roll20. All of the digital piece of work I practice is in Photoshop, and then I'k going to go through the whole procedure for today'southward topic.

Non but volition I hash out how to optimize your map for Roll20 if you're creating your own, I will also show yous how to add together and format it one time yous're ready. Fifty-fifty if you aren't a Photoshop magician, this tutorial will assistance guide you into uploadingany map you lot may have access to (You're certainly welcome to check out our Shop page if you lot demand to stock up on some maps).

Let's begin!

File Size

The showtime thing to consider for your maps is the file size. When starting the blank project you'll have the choice of choosing your folio height and width. Knowing ahead of fourth dimension what kind of come across you want to create will assistance determine what you demand. Roll20 has a x Mb limit for uploaded images, so we'll want to keep things small. Larger maps ofttimes mean larger file sizes, but keep in heed that larger maps, such as dungeons, can be divide into individual room images to keep file sizes downwardly.

For example, instead of doing one total epitome…

…you lot can separate it into smaller rooms as 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 college DPI count increases picture quality just causes the file size to increase exponentially. High DPI is peachy for images that you intend to physically print, only for Roll20 nosotros'll want a DPI betwixt 72 and 150.

Now draw similar the wind!

(Here'due south some of our best tips for digitizing your maps.)

Once you're finished with the map, information technology's time to pick a file type! The two primary file types nosotros can choose from are JPEGs and PNGs.

JPEGs (Joint Photographic Experts Grouping) are the preferred file type for Roll20 as their file sizes are lower. The disadvantages of JPEGs are that their picture quality degrades over fourth dimension and that they cannot accept any transparency furnishings. For instance, any bare infinite in a JPEG prototype is automatically filled in with white which could obscure other images beneath it.

The alternative is PNGs or Portable Graphic Network. PNGs accept larger file sizes just their quality remains consistent over long periods of utilise, plus boosted effects, such as transparencies, are available. Picking the right file blazon is going to be dependent on what maps y'all'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 washed meet? JPEGs are the way to become.

(I promise these are ii unlike files–can yous encounter the white background around the JPEG?)

Become Rolling with Roll20

At present that we've got our maps ready, it's fourth dimension to import them intoRoll20. If you don't have an account with Roll20 yet, it's easy (and costless) to sign up.

Once that's done, click on the Create New Game  button from the Home folio. From here yous'll get to name your game, add together whatsoever relevant tags, and pick the game organization you and your players want to use.

Afterward, click I'thou prepare, Create Game! (photo 1) and you'll have new options to add players, specific game content and insert a thumbnail prototype (photograph 2).

Next, click on theLaunch Game button: this volition take you to the virtual tabletop where yous tin can starting time poking around. If you demand to find your game later, you'll find it 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 right corner.

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

Resizin' and Alignin'

Stride 1:

Earlier we add a map onto the board, the outset thing we want to practise is make sure that nosotros select theMaps and Groundwork layer. If you don't, you could accidentally select and move the map when yous meant to move a graphic symbol token.

Step 2:

Once nosotros're on the right layer, drag and drop your map onto the board. The map won't brandish at the correct size, so we'll have to resize it ourselves. Commencement, zoom in to 150% to amend see what you're doing and then click on the map. You tin can resize the map by pulling any corner and stretching it out to go to the right size.

Step 3:

Conversely, Roll20 has a feature called Align to Grid  that takes much of the guesswork out of resizing the map. To employ this feature, right-click on your map, mouse over the Advanced  section, then select Align to Grid. Click and drag to create a three past three square box aligned with the filigree on your map, not the Roll20 filigree.

Step 4:

Try to get as accurate as you can, as it means yous won't take to alter the size later on. One time you've got your box, allow go, and a window will popular upwardly and ask if you're satisfied with your size. You can adjust the size manually here likewise. Click Align to Filigree  and your map will resize automatically.

Pace 5:

If your map size still isn't to your liking, hold theAlt key after selecting your map and you can manually adjust the prototype. If that nonetheless doesn't piece of work, right-click the map and selectAdvancedand soSet Dimensions; from here y'all can change the pixel width and height

Once you lot're satisfied with the map, modify the layer toObjects & Tokens and start dropping players & NPCs onto the board!

As a note: one matter I did observe while making maps for Roll20 is that information technology likes to reshape non-square images to fit within the lath tiles. For example, in that location was a ship deck map I wanted to apply that was longer than it was wide. Roll20 compressed the image to fit within its grid, making the map far more narrow than I intended. I constitute that holding theAlt key as I added the map to the lath kept the original shape, though it yet needed experimenting to become the right scale.

Game time

With that knowledge nether my chugalug, I ran my first session using Roll20 this past Sunday. My players are unremarkably used to physical maps and tokens, simply it didn't take long for them to get acclimated to the program. Our druid usedConjure animals for the first time and summoned 8 Behemothic Bats. Unremarkably, I'd have to scramble to find advisable tokens only 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 u.s., what kind of crazy maps and encounters have yous used in Roll20?

Wrap up

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

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Source: https://www.lightheartadventures.com/dungeon-master-tips/making-maps-for-roll20/

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