Fix Wonderdraft Export Resolution Issues

Wonderdraft creates beautiful fantasy maps. But if you've ever exported one for print or zoomed in on a finished export only to find blurry terrain, pixelated coastlines, and labels that look like they were rendered on a calculator from 1995, you've discovered how Wonderdraft's exports work: the image comes out at exactly the map size you chose when you created the map.

This guide covers why that happens, what resolution you actually need for different uses, how to export correctly, and what to do if you've already built a map at the wrong resolution.

Why Your Export Looks Blurry

Wonderdraft is a raster graphics program. Unlike vector programs (Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape), which store shapes as mathematical formulas that scale infinitely, Wonderdraft exports your map as a grid of colored pixels. When you create a new map, you set the pixel dimensions: 2048x2048, 4096x2304, 8192x4096, whatever you choose. That grid size stays the same unless you change it yourself.

On export, every brush stroke, every mountain, every label gets rendered onto that grid. Export the map, and you get an image with exactly those dimensions. Zoom in past 100% on that image, and you're looking at individual pixels. The terrain blurs. The coastlines turn jagged. The labels become unreadable.

This isn't a bug. It's how raster graphics work. Photoshop, GIMP, Procreate, and every other pixel-based art program behave the same way. The difference is that experienced digital artists know to start at high resolution. It is easy to overlook until you've finished a map that exports at 2048x1024.

What Resolution Do You Actually Need?

The answer depends on what you're doing with the map.

For Web and VTT Use

If your map will only appear on screens (websites, virtual tabletops like Roll20 or Foundry, social media), you need less resolution than you think. The most common monitor resolution is 1920x1080 pixels. A 4K monitor shows 3840x2160. A map larger than your viewer's screen will get shrunk to fit anyway.

For Roll20 specifically, the free tier limits uploads to 20MB per file, and Roll20 recommends keeping image resolution low: its grid squares are 70 pixels wide, and it suggests 70-150 DPI for game images. A 4096x4096 map is overkill for most campaigns.

For web display on a portfolio site or blog post, 2000-3000 pixels on the long edge handles most use cases. Larger images just force your visitors to download bigger files for no visual benefit.

For Print

Print requires serious resolution. The standard for professional printing is 300 DPI (dots per inch). That means every inch of your printed map needs 300 pixels of image data.

Calculate your required resolution by multiplying your desired print dimensions (in inches) by 300.

A poster at 18x24 inches needs 5400x7200 pixels. A book page at 6x9 inches needs 1800x2700 pixels. A wall map at 36x48 inches needs 10,800x14,400 pixels. That last number exceeds Wonderdraft's maximum canvas size, which caps at 8192x8192. For oversized prints, you'll need to accept lower DPI (acceptable at viewing distances over 3 feet), use Wonderdraft's 2x upscale export, which allows up to 16K output with slight detail loss, or use a different tool.

For prints viewed at arm's length (book interiors, small posters), 300 DPI remains the target. For large posters viewed from several feet away, you can drop to 150-200 DPI without visible quality loss. At 6 feet viewing distance, even 100 DPI looks sharp.

Resolution Quick Reference

For an 8.5x11 inch print at 300 DPI: 2550x3300 pixels minimum. For a 12x18 inch poster at 300 DPI: 3600x5400 pixels minimum. For an 18x24 inch poster at 200 DPI: 3600x4800 pixels minimum. For a 24x36 inch poster at 150 DPI: 3600x5400 pixels minimum.

When in doubt, go larger. You can always shrink an image and lose detail. You cannot enlarge an image without losing quality.

How to Set Resolution When Creating a Map

Open Wonderdraft. Click New (or Ctrl+N). The dialog that appears sets your map's size in pixels, which is the resolution of the final export.

Wonderdraft offers a Template dropdown with popular map sizes for screen display and printing. You can also enter custom dimensions directly. The maximum is 8192x8192 pixels.

For print projects, calculate your needs before starting. Decide your final print size, multiply by your target DPI, and enter those dimensions. If the result exceeds 8192, you'll need to either reduce your print size, accept lower DPI, rely on the 2x upscale export, or consider whether Wonderdraft is the right tool for this particular project.

For digital projects, 4K (3840x2160) provides comfortable headroom for most uses. You can always shrink the exported image later. Going larger means scaling the map with Change Map Size or using the 2x upscale export.

The theme selection in this dialog affects visual style (colors, terrain textures), not resolution. You can change themes later. You can change the map size later too, with Change Map Size in the menu, but that step is irreversible, so it is better to pick the right size now.

How to Export Correctly

Click Export in the top menu or press Ctrl+E. Wonderdraft presents options for filename, location, and format.

Choosing a Format

PNG produces lossless compression. Every pixel exports exactly as you created it. File sizes run larger, but quality remains perfect. Use PNG for archival copies, print submissions, and any situation where quality matters more than file size.

JPG produces lossy compression. The algorithm discards some data to reduce file size, introducing artifacts (subtle blockiness and color shifts) that worsen each time you edit and re-save. File sizes drop dramatically. Use JPG for web uploads where file size matters, understanding that some quality loss occurs.

WEBP offers better compression than either format with minimal quality loss. All major browsers support it. Use WEBP for web display when you want small files without JPG's artifacts.

For most users: export PNG for your master copy, then convert to JPG or WEBP for distribution if file size becomes a concern.

Export Resolution Options

Wonderdraft exports at your map's native resolution by default. If you created a 4096x2048 map, you get a 4096x2048 image. The exception is the 2x upscale export added in version 1.1, which allows up to 16K output with slight detail loss.

You can go smaller. If you need a reduced-size version for web use, shrink the exported image in an image editor. And you can go larger. If you need more pixels than you started with, use the 2x upscale export, or scale the map itself with Change Map Size, covered below.

What to Do If Your Map Is Already Too Small

You've built an entire continent at 2048x1024 and now realize you need it for print. You have options, starting with two built into Wonderdraft.

Open the menu, choose Change Map Size, turn Scale Map on, and enter the new resolution. That step is irreversible, so save a copy first. Or use the 2x upscale export, which costs slight detail. If neither gives you a result you're happy with, you have three more options.

Option 1: Rebuild at Higher Resolution

Export your current map as PNG. Create a new map at your target resolution with the same aspect ratio. Load your old map into the Trace Tool (on the Overlay tab, click Select and pick the image). Redraw your terrain, mountains, forests, and labels using the trace as a guide. This takes time, but everything is drawn fresh at the new resolution.

Option 2: AI Upscaling

AI upscaling tools (Topaz Gigapixel, Let's Enhance, Upscale.media) use machine learning to add plausible detail when enlarging images. Results vary.

Export your map at native resolution as PNG. Run it through an AI upscaler at 2x or 4x. Inspect the results closely, especially coastlines and labels. Expect to touch up problem areas in GIMP or Photoshop.

AI upscaling works best when you need a modest increase (2x) and can accept some imperfection. It works poorly when you need dramatic increases (8x) or pixel-perfect precision.

Option 3: Accept the Limitation

Sometimes a map at lower resolution serves its purpose. If you're printing an illustration at 8x4 inches, 2048x1024 provides roughly 250 DPI. Visible at close inspection, but acceptable for most readers.

Calculate what DPI your current resolution actually provides at your target print size. You might have more headroom than you think.

Performance Considerations for High-Resolution Maps

Large canvas sizes stress your hardware. An 8192x8192 image holds 256MB of uncompressed pixel data at four bytes per pixel, before accounting for undo history, asset libraries, and the application itself. Wonderdraft's manual warns that a larger map size is more intensive for the computer, specifically the graphics card.

If Wonderdraft runs slowly on large maps, try these fixes.

Reduce active asset packs. Wonderdraft loads only the packs selected for each map. Open the Assets menu, uncheck the packs you won't need for this project, and save. The developer recommends this for faster loading.

Update your graphics drivers. Wonderdraft uses OpenGL for rendering. Outdated drivers cause crashes and display glitches. Both NVIDIA and AMD release driver updates regularly.

Work in sections. For extremely large projects, you can create regional maps at high resolution, then composite them in image editing software. This works best for maps where regions don't need to blend seamlessly.

Consider your hardware honestly. An 8192x8192 map with hundreds of placed assets will lag on older machines. If your computer can't handle your target resolution smoothly, you'll need to compromise somewhere: smaller canvas, fewer assets, or hardware upgrades.

Common Export Problems and Solutions

Labels Look Pixelated

Labels render at your map's resolution. If your map is 2048 pixels wide and your label spans 200 pixels, that label only has 200 pixels to work with. Zooming in reveals the limited detail.

Solution: Work at higher base resolution. Labels need more pixels than terrain because readers expect text to be crisp. A terrain texture that looks fine at 2048 might coexist with labels that look terrible at the same resolution.

Coastlines Look Jagged

Landmass brushes paint at your map's resolution. At lower resolutions, the anti-aliasing (smoothing between pixels) becomes visible as stepping artifacts.

Solution: Higher resolution, or accept some jaggedness. You can also smooth coastlines in post-processing (GIMP's Gaussian blur filter applied selectively), but this requires image editing skills and time.

Export Fails or Crashes

Very large maps can fail to export cleanly if your graphics card runs out of video memory during the operation. Since version 1.1, Wonderdraft exports in many steps instead of one to reduce the video memory it needs.

Solution: Close other applications before exporting. If exports still fail, make sure you're running version 1.1 or later, and try exporting to a folder you're allowed to write to. Wonderdraft's manual warns that saving to a restricted folder such as Program Files will fail.

Colors Look Different After Export

Monitor calibration and differences in how applications handle color can cause exports to display differently than expected.

Solution: Check your export in multiple applications (web browser, dedicated image viewer, Photoshop). If only one app shows wrong colors, the issue is that app's color management.

Resolution Planning for Different Projects

Novel Interior Illustration

Most print-on-demand services accept 300 DPI minimum. A typical 6x9 novel interior allows roughly 5x8 inches for a full-page map (accounting for margins). At 300 DPI: 1500x2400 pixels minimum. A 4K canvas (3840x2160) provides comfortable headroom, allowing the publisher to crop or resize without quality loss.

Campaign Setting Book

Campaign books often use larger trim sizes (8.5x11 inches) and multiple maps. Plan for 2550x3300 pixels minimum per full-page map. A 4K canvas works for smaller maps; a two-page spread needs 5100x3300 pixels, which is beyond 4K but within Wonderdraft's 8192 limit.

Poster Print

For wall display, resolution requirements depend on viewing distance. A poster in a game room viewed from 3+ feet away looks sharp at 150 DPI. A poster framed and examined up close needs 200-300 DPI.

An 18x24 inch poster at 200 DPI needs 3600x4800 pixels. At 150 DPI: 2700x3600 pixels. Both fit comfortably within Wonderdraft's 8192x8192 maximum.

VTT Campaign Map

Roll20 and Foundry display maps at screen resolution. A regional map at 4096x4096 exceeds what most users will ever see at full detail. A 4K canvas or 4096x2048 handles nearly all VTT use cases. Larger maps just increase upload time and storage costs without visible benefit.

The Single Most Important Takeaway

Your export is exactly as large as your canvas. Before you draw a single coastline, decide how you'll use the finished map and calculate the pixel dimensions you need. Wonderdraft can scale a map up afterward, but the step is irreversible and the 2x upscale export costs some detail. Starting right takes five minutes of planning.

Open Wonderdraft. Click New. Think about where this map will end up. Enter the dimensions that will get it there. Then draw your world, knowing the export will look exactly as sharp as you need it to.