How do I import custom art into RPG Maker? In RPG Maker MZ, use Tools > Resource Manager and choose the matching resource category, or copy a correctly formatted PNG into that category’s project folder. For fonts, MZ uses the fields in Database > System 2; RPG Maker MV uses a different method: edit fonts/gamefont.css and place the font file in the same fonts folder. The two engines should not be configured the same way.
Before you import anything
Decide which engine and which asset type you are working with. RPG Maker MZ and MV have different font workflows, while image importing in MZ depends mainly on putting a file in the right resource category and following that category’s layout rules. A character sheet is not interchangeable with a face sheet, tileset, picture, or title image simply because all of them are images.
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- Use RPG Maker MZ instructions for an MZ project and MV instructions for an MV project.
- Prepare MZ image assets as PNG files. MZ’s asset standards specify PNG for images.
- Keep the original artwork in an editable source file, then export the game-ready PNG or font file separately.
- Check the license for every asset or font you did not create. Owning an RPG Maker version does not automatically grant rights to arbitrary third-party files.
The official RPG Maker FAQ also distinguishes included default materials from outside content: default materials from another RPG Maker version may be used when you own both the version supplying the material and the version in which you use it. That does not establish permission for an unrelated artist’s sprite or font.
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How do I import custom art into RPG Maker MZ?
Method 1: use Resource Manager
The editor’s Resource Manager is the clearest method when you want RPG Maker to place a file in the correct project location.
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- Open your MZ project.
- Choose Tools > Resource Manager.
- Select the resource category that matches the file, such as characters, faces, tilesets, pictures, or another image category.
- Choose the material you want to import and complete the import dialog.
- Open the relevant database or event selector and confirm that the new asset appears in the category you selected.
The RPG Maker FAQ describes Resource Manager as the route for adding additional graphics and audio resources, including DLC resource packs and custom resources. Choosing the category first matters: it tells MZ which folder and, for some asset types, which layout convention to expect.
Method 2: copy the file into the project
You can also place an original image directly in the matching asset folder inside the project. MZ’s asset documentation says files in the appropriate folders become selectable in the editor and permits subfolders. Use simple half-width alphanumeric folder names for subfolders; avoid unusual punctuation and characters that may behave differently across operating systems.
- Close the project or save your work before changing files outside the editor.
- Open the project directory and locate the folder for the asset category.
- Create a clearly named subfolder if you need to organize several sets.
- Copy the exported PNG into that folder.
- Return to MZ and reopen the relevant selector. If the file is not listed, restart the editor so it refreshes the project resources.
Direct placement is useful for batch work and version control. Resource Manager is safer when you are unsure which folder corresponds to a category. Both methods depend on the same image format and layout standards.
PNG and category rules
MZ’s asset standards require images to be PNG. Export at the intended pixel dimensions rather than relying on an image editor’s automatic scaling, which can soften pixel art or change transparent edges. The dimensions and arrangement are category-specific. Check the standard for the selected category instead of assuming a character-sheet grid will work for a tileset or portrait.
| Asset type | What the layout controls | Important preparation point |
|---|---|---|
| Character sheet | Direction rows, movement columns, number of characters per sheet, and optional filename prefixes | Use equal cells and the required grid; see the character section below. |
| Face sheet | Portrait positions in a two-row, four-column sheet | Each face image is 144 × 144 pixels under MZ’s published standard. |
| Tileset | Tile grid and tileset-page arrangement | Follow the tileset template for the project’s map system; do not use a portrait or sprite sheet. |
| Picture or other image | The event, menu, battle, or screen feature that displays it | Use a transparent PNG when the image needs to sit over another scene, and test its display position in game. |
The table gives the distinctions that affect importing; the exact template for a category should come from MZ’s official asset standards or the project’s own established art pipeline.
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Character sprites: make the sheet match MZ’s animation rules
Character sheets are the most common source of “the image imported but looks wrong” problems. MZ reads the sheet as a grid of equal cells, then chooses a row for direction and a column for the walking frame.
Normal multi-character sheet
A normal character sheet contains eight characters arranged as four columns by two rows. Each character occupies one quarter of the sheet’s width and one half of its height. Within each character block, MZ expects four direction rows and three movement-pattern columns.
The RPG Maker Web character-set tutorial describes the row order as Down, Left, Right, Up. The center column is the standing frame; the outer columns are movement frames. A character walking down therefore uses the top row, while walking left uses the second row, right uses the third, and up uses the fourth.
Cell-size examples
MZ commonly uses 48 × 48-pixel cells, but that is an example rather than an unchangeable requirement. A single four-row, three-column character set made from 48-pixel cells is 144 × 192 pixels. If each cell is 96 × 96 pixels, the same arrangement is 288 × 384 pixels. Other cell sizes are possible when every cell remains the same size and the grid is laid out correctly.
| Example | Cell size | One character block | Rows × columns inside the block |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical example | 48 × 48 px | 144 × 192 px | 4 × 3 |
| Large-cell example | 96 × 96 px | 288 × 384 px | 4 × 3 |
These dimensions describe one character block, not the full eight-character sheet. A full normal sheet is four such blocks across and two blocks down.
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Filename prefixes
Put a dollar sign at the beginning of a character filename when the image contains one character rather than the normal eight-character sheet. The prefix tells MZ to treat the entire image as one character block instead of dividing it into the eight-character arrangement.
Put an exclamation mark at the beginning when you need to suppress the usual six-pixel upward offset applied to a character image. This is useful for objects that must sit exactly on the tile grid, such as doors, signs, or other map fixtures. The two prefixes can be combined when a single-character image also needs the offset disabled; the resulting filename begins with both symbols according to the engine’s naming convention.
Sprite preparation checklist
- Every cell has identical width and height.
- The four rows are in the Down, Left, Right, Up order.
- The center frame in each row is the standing pose.
- Transparent pixels surround the artwork where the character should not be visible.
- The filename uses the single-character or offset prefix only when needed.
- The PNG is in the project’s characters folder or imported into the Characters category through Resource Manager.
Test the sprite on a map with movement turned on. A sheet can be technically valid yet appear misaligned if the artwork’s feet, shadow, or baseline are drawn at inconsistent heights from frame to frame.
Other MZ art categories and how to avoid misclassification
Face sheets
MZ’s face-sheet standard uses two rows by four columns. Each face occupies a 144 × 144-pixel cell, so a complete sheet is eight portraits in that arrangement. If you have a single portrait, build a sheet that places it in the expected slot or use the project’s established face-resource convention; do not rename a character sheet and expect the face selector to interpret it correctly.
Tilesets
Tilesets are read as map tiles, not as free-positioned pictures. Their grid, passage settings, terrain tags, and page organization affect mapping. Prepare the art against the tileset template used by the project, import it into the tileset resource category, and then configure the tileset in the database before painting a map with it.
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Pictures, battle art, and interface graphics
Pictures and interface images are usually displayed at their native pixel dimensions or scaled by an event, scene, or plugin. Keep a transparent background when the image overlays the map or a window. For battle backgrounds, title graphics, and other specialized categories, use the folder and naming convention shown by that category in the project. The import operation alone does not tell MZ how an image should be positioned or cropped.
How do I add custom fonts to RPG Maker MZ?
MZ’s documented font controls are in the database, not in the MV-style CSS file.
- Open the project in RPG Maker MZ.
- Choose Tools > Database.
- Open the System 2 tab.
- Set Main Font Filename to the project font you want for ordinary text.
- Set Number Font Filename if numbers should use a separate font, such as for damage values or counters.
- Set Fallback Font to a font that can supply characters missing from the main font.
- Adjust Font Size for the project’s text display.
- Save the database, launch a test play session, and inspect menus, dialogue, battle numbers, and any text containing accented or non-Latin characters.
The fallback field matters when a decorative font lacks a symbol, accented letter, or an entire writing system. Without a suitable fallback, those characters may display as empty boxes or substitute glyphs. The MZ help documents these controls but does not establish a universal file-extension rule or every installation detail for third-party fonts, so follow the font creator’s packaging instructions and test the actual project build rather than assuming one extension works in every setup.
MZ font troubleshooting
- Text remains in the old typeface: verify that the filename in System 2 exactly matches the project font file and that the file is stored where the project can load it.
- Only some characters are wrong: choose a fallback font with the missing glyphs and test the affected language.
- Numbers look inconsistent: check Number Font Filename separately from Main Font Filename.
- Menus clip after changing size: test the largest expected text in windows, choices, battle results, and name-entry fields; a larger font may require window or text-layout adjustments.
How do I add custom fonts to RPG Maker MV?
MV uses a separate, clearly version-specific workflow. Do not copy MZ’s System 2 instructions into an MV project.
- Open the MV project folder.
- Open the
fontsdirectory. - Place the font file in that same directory.
- Open
fonts/gamefont.cssin a text editor. - Edit the font declaration so the project’s family name and file reference point to the font you added, following the CSS syntax already present in the file.
- Save the CSS file and font, then run the game from the project and check dialogue, menus, numbers, and special characters.
The official MV help specifically directs users to change fonts by editing fonts/gamefont.css and copying the font file into that folder. Keep the CSS filename and relative path intact unless you have a deliberate reason to change the project structure. If the game works in the editor but not after deployment, inspect the deployed fonts folder and CSS file as well as the source project.
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MZ versus MV font setup
| Engine | Primary configuration | Font-file location described by the official help | Distinctive controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| RPG Maker MZ | Database > System 2 | Use the project’s configured font resource and the font maker’s packaging instructions; a universal extension rule is not established here. | Main Font Filename, Number Font Filename, Fallback Font, Font Size |
| RPG Maker MV | fonts/gamefont.css |
Copy the font file into the same fonts folder. |
CSS font declaration controls the family and file reference. |
When helping someone else, ask for the engine version first. “The font is in the project but does not load” has very different fixes in MZ and MV because the configuration files are different.
Check the result in a real test project
Importing proves only that the editor can see a resource. A short test map or test scene verifies that the engine interprets its dimensions, transparency, animation, and font fallback correctly.
- Create a backup or commit the project before replacing an existing resource.
- Import or copy the asset into the intended category.
- Open the database, map editor, event editor, or scene that consumes the asset.
- Use the asset in the smallest possible test case: one event for a character, one message for a font, or one map region for a tileset.
- Run a playtest and check all directions, animation frames, transparency, text sizes, and special characters.
- Check the deployed build, not only the editor preview, before distributing the game.
Symptoms and likely causes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Asset does not appear in a selector | Wrong project folder, wrong Resource Manager category, or stale editor view | Move or re-import it under the matching category, then reopen the selector or restart MZ. |
| Character is split into tiny or multiple characters | Single-character artwork lacks the dollar-sign prefix or uses the wrong sheet layout | Use the correct four-row, three-column block and add the single-character prefix when appropriate. |
| Character floats or sinks | Baseline differs between frames, or the six-pixel offset is unsuitable | Align the artwork across frames and consider the exclamation-mark prefix for fixed-position objects. |
| Face appears cropped or shifted | Portrait is not in the two-row, four-column face-sheet arrangement | Place each 144 × 144 portrait in the expected face-sheet grid. |
| Some letters show boxes | Main font lacks those glyphs | Configure an appropriate fallback in MZ or revise the MV CSS/font package. |
| Font works in the editor but not in the release | The font or CSS was not copied into the deployed project | Inspect the deployed font folder and configuration, then rebuild or redeploy. |
Licensing, redistribution, and team workflow
Keep a text file or spreadsheet recording the creator, source, license, allowed platforms, commercial-use status, attribution requirement, and redistribution limits for every imported asset. Store that record with the project so a future team member does not mistake “available online” for “licensed for a game.”
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The RPG Maker FAQ’s cross-version permission applies to default materials supplied with RPG Maker versions when the user owns both relevant versions. It should not be used as a blanket license for a font downloaded from an independent creator, a commissioned sprite, or a purchased resource pack whose terms impose additional conditions. Review the particular font or art license before shipping a game, including whether embedding the file in a downloadable build is allowed.
You do not need a graphics tablet to import art. A tablet can be convenient if you are drawing original sprites from scratch, and RPG Maker’s product information supports importing or creating original characters, but the import workflow works with files made in any suitable art program.
Quick Recap
A practical MZ and MV checklist
- Confirm the engine version before touching font settings.
- For MZ images, export PNG and select the matching resource category.
- Use Tools > Resource Manager or place the file in the corresponding project folder.
- For character art, verify the four direction rows, three animation columns, equal cell sizes, and any required filename prefixes.
- For face art, use the two-by-four sheet and 144 × 144-pixel face cells.
- In MZ, configure fonts in Database > System 2 and test main, number, and fallback behavior.
- In MV, edit
fonts/gamefont.cssand keep the font file in the samefontsfolder. - Playtest unusual glyphs, movement frames, transparency, and deployment output.
- Retain the license and attribution terms for every third-party asset.
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