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In RPG Maker MZ, bring custom graphics in through Tools > Resource Manager or by copying files into the project’s matching asset folder. Configure MZ fonts in Database > System 2. RPG Maker MV uses a different documented font workflow: edit fonts/gamefont.css and place the font file in that same folder. The image and sprite rules depend on the asset category, so importing a file is only the first step.
How do I import custom art into RPG Maker?
The following procedure applies to RPG Maker MZ, which is the current focus of this guide. MZ accepts original graphics made in an image editor, graphics created from scratch, and additional resource packs. The safest process is to identify the image category first, prepare the file to that category’s layout rules, and then import it through the editor or place it in the corresponding project folder.
Prepare the project and the artwork
- Open the intended MZ project rather than copying files into a different project by mistake.
- Decide whether the file is a character sheet, face sheet, tileset, picture, animation image, title image, or another category. MZ presents these categories separately because each one is interpreted differently by the engine.
- Save image assets as PNG. The MZ asset standards specify PNG for all images.
- Use equal cell sizes wherever a sheet is divided into repeated cells. Do not assume that a character sheet, face sheet, and tileset use the same grid.
- If you create a new subfolder, use a short half-width alphanumeric name. MZ permits subfolders inside the appropriate asset directories, and this naming style avoids avoidable path and character-encoding problems.
Import through Resource Manager
- Open the project in RPG Maker MZ.
- Choose Tools > Resource Manager.
- Select the resource category that matches the file, such as characters, faces, tilesets, pictures, or another listed material type.
- Choose the command to import a material, browse to the PNG, and confirm the import.
- Open the map, database entry, event, or other editor screen that uses that category and select the imported asset.
The RPG Maker FAQ identifies Resource Manager in the Tools menu as the route for adding additional graphics and audio resources to an MZ project. Selecting the correct category matters: the editor uses the category to determine how the image is displayed and what layout it expects.
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- Close or save the project before changing files outside the editor.
- Open the project’s folder and locate the asset directory that corresponds to the image category.
- Copy the PNG into that directory, or into a clearly named subfolder inside it.
- Return to MZ and open the relevant selection dialog. Files in the appropriate folders become selectable in the editor.
- If the file does not appear, verify the folder level, filename, extension, and image category. Restarting the editor can also refresh a list that was already open while the file was copied.
Direct placement is useful when adding many files or when an external art pipeline exports directly into a project folder. Resource Manager is preferable when you want the editor’s category selection to guide the import. Both methods ultimately depend on the file being in the folder MZ associates with that category.
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Which image standards apply to each MZ asset category?
There is no universal RPG Maker image size. Use the category’s documented layout rather than resizing every image to one arbitrary canvas.
| Asset type | Documented MZ layout or requirement | What to check before import |
|---|---|---|
| All images | PNG format | Confirm the file is actually exported as PNG and that transparency is preserved when needed. |
| Character sheet | A normal sheet contains eight characters arranged in four columns by two rows. Each character set has four directional rows and three animation columns. | Use equal cells, correct direction order, and the appropriate filename prefixes. |
| Single character image | A single character can be stored in its own image. | Start the filename with $ so MZ treats the image as one character rather than an eight-character sheet. |
| Face sheet | Two rows by four columns; each face image is 144 by 144 pixels. | Keep the eight faces in the expected grid and make every face cell the same size. |
| Other categories | Tilesets, pictures, title graphics, animations, and other categories have their own conventions. | Check the category’s MZ asset standard and the editor preview instead of applying character-sheet rules. |
The table’s character and face specifications come from the official MZ asset standards. They are format conventions, not a requirement that every project use a particular artistic resolution. A project can use larger or smaller cells when the cells remain equal and the sheet arrangement matches the engine’s expectations.
How do I format a custom character sprite sheet?
Character sheets are the most common source of imported-art errors because the engine reads direction and animation from position, not from the drawing itself.
Understand the four-by-three character set
A single character set uses four rows and three columns. The rows are ordered Down, Left, Right, and Up. In each row, the center column is the standing frame and the two outside columns are movement frames. If you put the right-facing row where the left-facing row belongs, the editor will still import the PNG, but the character will face the wrong direction during play.
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The RPG Maker Web character-set tutorial illustrates a 48-by-48-pixel cell. That produces a 144-by-192-pixel image for one three-column by four-row character set. The same tutorial gives a 96-by-96-pixel cell example, producing a 288-by-384-pixel image. These are examples of the arithmetic, not mandatory project dimensions: cell width and height may vary as long as every cell is equal and the layout is correct.
Build a normal eight-character sheet
MZ’s asset standards describe a normal character sheet as eight character sets in a four-column by two-row arrangement. If one character set is 144 pixels wide and 192 pixels high, the complete eight-character sheet is 576 by 384 pixels. The important relationship is the grid: each set occupies one quarter of the sheet’s width and one half of its height, and each set contains the four directional rows and three animation columns described above.
Leave no uneven gutters between cells. A one-pixel shift in a repeated grid can make adjacent characters bleed into one another or cause the engine to crop a frame incorrectly. Use guides or a grid in the image editor and verify the final pixel dimensions before exporting.
Use filename prefixes deliberately
$at the beginning of a filename tells MZ that the image contains one character set. This is required when a single character is saved without the normal eight-character arrangement.!prevents the usual six-pixel upward offset applied to character graphics. Use it for objects that must sit exactly on the tile grid, such as doors, signs, or sprites whose artwork already includes its intended vertical placement.$!combines both behaviors: one character set and no six-pixel upward offset. The prefixes are placed at the start of the filename.
For example, a one-character file that should not be shifted can be named $!guard.png. The prefix changes how MZ interprets the file; it does not change the pixels in the image itself.
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How do I import face graphics, tilesets, and other art?
Face sheets
Prepare a face sheet as two rows of four columns, with each face occupying a 144-by-144-pixel cell under the MZ standard. Keep the portrait centered consistently across cells so dialogue windows do not appear to jump when the speaker changes. Import it through Resource Manager’s face category or copy it into the project folder used for face graphics.
Tilesets
Tilesets are interpreted as map tiles rather than as character animation. Select the tileset category in Resource Manager and follow the MZ tileset standard for the tile grid and sheet arrangement. Do not place a tileset in the characters folder simply because it is also a PNG; the wrong category can make a valid image unavailable or cause it to be previewed with the wrong rules.
Pictures, title art, and other images
Pictures and title graphics are selected from their own editor commands and folders. Use the same two principles: import through the matching Resource Manager category or copy the PNG into the matching project directory, then test the image in the scene where it will appear. Large illustrations may be visually correct but still need practical testing for cropping, scaling, transparency, and readability at the game’s display resolution.
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MZ’s documented font controls are in Database > System 2. This is a different workflow from MV’s CSS-based method.
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- Open the MZ project and choose Database from the editor.
- Open the System 2 tab.
- Locate Main Font Filename and enter the filename of the font you want used for ordinary game text.
- If your project uses a separate font for displayed numbers, set Number Font Filename as well.
- Set Fallback Font for characters that are missing from the main font. A fallback is especially important for multilingual text, symbols, or punctuation that the primary typeface does not contain.
- Adjust Font Size, then playtest menus, dialogue, battle windows, and number displays.
The reviewed MZ help establishes these four controls: main font filename, number font filename, fallback font, and font size. It does not define one universal installation procedure for every font package or promise that every file extension is accepted in every deployment context. Follow the font’s packaging instructions, use the filename exactly as MZ expects, and test a deployed build rather than assuming that a font visible on the development computer will be available to players.
Check the result in real game windows
- Test uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals, punctuation, and any accented or non-Latin characters your game uses.
- Check the smallest text windows first; a font that looks attractive in a large title may become unreadable in a narrow choice or battle window.
- Verify that the fallback font supplies missing glyphs without an obvious change in height or baseline.
- Confirm that number-heavy interfaces use the intended number font and remain aligned in shops, status screens, and battles.
How do I add custom fonts to RPG Maker MV?
MV uses the font workflow documented in its official help, not the MZ System 2 controls.
- Open the MV project folder.
- Open the
fontsfolder. - Open
gamefont.cssin a text editor. - Edit the font declaration in that CSS file to refer to your chosen typeface, preserving the structure already present in the file.
- Copy the font file into the same
fontsfolder. - Save the CSS file, launch the project, and test text in the game.
The official MV help specifically directs users to change fonts by editing fonts/gamefont.css and placing the font file in that folder. Do not describe this as the MZ procedure: MZ exposes font filename fields in System 2, while MV’s documented route is the CSS file and adjacent font asset.
MZ and MV font workflows compared
| Question | RPG Maker MZ | RPG Maker MV |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you configure the font? | Database > System 2 | fonts/gamefont.css |
| Documented controls | Main Font Filename, Number Font Filename, Fallback Font, and Font Size | Font declaration in the CSS file |
| Where is the font asset placed? | The MZ help reviewed for these settings does not establish one universal folder or extension rule; follow the project and font package instructions and test the build. | Copy the font file into the project’s fonts folder alongside gamefont.css. |
| Common mistake | Following an MV tutorial that edits gamefont.css instead of using System 2. |
Looking for MZ’s System 2 filename fields, which are not the documented MV path. |
What licensing permissions do custom art and fonts need?
RPG Maker’s included-material rules do not automatically grant permission for arbitrary third-party files. The RPG Maker FAQ says that default materials from another RPG Maker version may be used when you own both the version in which the material is supplied and the version from which it is taken. That permission concerns included default materials, not every image or font found online.
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For each external asset, retain the license text and record the exact file version you downloaded. Check whether the license permits commercial use, modification, redistribution inside a game, and distribution to customers or testers. Font licenses can distinguish between embedding in a game, serving a web font, and redistributing the original font file. If the license is unclear, obtain permission or choose an asset with explicit game-distribution terms.
Resource packs and DLC are an optional source of ready-made art. The FAQ specifically addresses adding DLC resource packs through Resource Manager. Confirm that the pack’s license covers your intended game and distribution method; owning a pack is not a substitute for reading its usage terms.
Troubleshooting imported art and fonts
The file does not appear in the editor
- Confirm that the file is in the project currently open, not a similarly named project.
- Check that it is in the category’s folder or was imported under the matching Resource Manager category.
- Verify the extension and spelling. Avoid unusual characters in filenames and use the recommended half-width alphanumeric folder names.
- Close and reopen the relevant selection window, then restart MZ if the file was copied while the editor was running.
The character is cropped or animated incorrectly
- Measure one cell and confirm that every cell has identical width and height.
- For a single character, add the
$prefix. Without it, MZ expects the normal eight-character sheet. - Check the four-row order: Down, Left, Right, Up.
- Check the three-column animation order, with the center frame as the standing pose.
- If the sprite is vertically displaced, decide whether the
!prefix is appropriate.
The face portrait is split or assigned to the wrong actor
Rebuild the sheet as two rows by four columns with 144-by-144-pixel face cells, then reselect the sheet and index in the database or event command. A portrait that looks correct in an image viewer can still be indexed incorrectly if the grid contains an extra margin.
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The font falls back unexpectedly or shows boxes
- Check the filename entered in MZ System 2 against the actual project asset name.
- Set a fallback font that contains the missing characters.
- Test the exact glyphs used by the game, including accented letters, symbols, and non-Latin scripts.
- In MV, verify both sides of the CSS workflow: the declaration in
fonts/gamefont.cssand the font file in the same folder. - Test a packaged or deployed build. A font installed on the development computer may mask a missing project asset.
A reliable production workflow
- Create a folder outside the project for source artwork and keep editable originals there.
- Export game-ready PNGs into a separate project-import folder.
- Name files by role, such as character, face, or tileset, and use the MZ prefixes only when their behavior is intentional.
- Import a small sample through Resource Manager and test it before exporting a large batch.
- After placement, open every editor screen that will use the asset and playtest the actual event, map, menu, or battle.
- Keep a text record of each third-party asset’s author, source, license, and permitted distribution.
- Before release, test on a clean copy or packaged build so that locally installed fonts and files cannot hide missing dependencies.
Optional hardware such as a graphics tablet can make drawing original sprites more convenient, but it is not required to import art into MZ. The editor supports characters made from scratch as well as imported graphics; the required part is a correctly prepared file and a license that permits your intended use.
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