YOUR IMAGES, YOUR COLLECTION
A missing cover need not leave an empty square.
Write any game title, choose your own artwork or an image you have permission to use, and build a personal collection. Image processing happens on your device; exporting does not create a public page.
Start with the game, not a search result
A regional release, a small prototype, or an older game can belong in your collection even when you cannot find its cover in a database. This editor has no game catalog: the title is a text field. Fill that first, then decide whether an image adds something. The original abstract illustrations are a complete option, not an error state.
Use your own drawing, or a local image you are permitted to use for your intended purpose. Importing an image does not give you permission to redistribute it. We do not fetch artwork from another site or infer a license from a file name.
Keep the game name in the title field even if it appears on the cover. Small cover lettering can become unreadable in a multi-tile composition, and the written title is also used in the caption.
Add, position, then compare the whole grid
- Open the studio, choose a tile and type its game name. Add one short memory if it helps explain the choice.
- Use the image control to choose a local JPG, PNG or WebP, and wait for the image-added message. Do not leave the tile while processing if you want to keep that import.
- Adjust Horizontal crop and Vertical crop. These move the visible window; they do not stretch, rotate, or redraw the picture. An axis may barely change when the image already fits it.
- Look at the whole board in Preview. Keep faces, landmarks and important artwork away from the crop edges. A tall poster will lose more at the top and bottom in a wide window.
- Use the movement controls to reposition the entire pick. Its title, note, image and crop travel together. Choose whether that position is a rank or simply part of a collection.
For example, an original drawing of a lighthouse might work better with the tower near the middle and open sky on each side. This is an illustration of the cropping task, not a tested game recommendation. If the crop cannot show the story you want, prepare a differently framed local image or choose the abstract illustration.
Remove image returns to the original illustration without deleting the title or note. Undo can recover a recent removal while the page stays open. For rejected files and decoding errors, use image troubleshooting.
What happens to the file
| Input or step | What to expect |
|---|---|
| File type | JPG, PNG or WebP. SVG and animated formats are not supported. Changing an extension does not convert a file. |
| Size limits | At most 5 MiB (5 × 1024 × 1024 bytes) and 24 million decoded pixels. The image must also be decodable by the browser. |
| Resizing | The longest edge is reduced to at most 512 pixels; small images are not enlarged. The processed copy is encoded as JPEG. |
| Transparency and detail | Transparent areas become white. JPEG compression can soften fine text and texture. The editor does not enhance resolution. |
| Original file | The selected source file is not overwritten. Keep it separately if you may need a different crop or larger version later. |
Keep an editable copy, then choose an output
Check the save indicator after importing. A storage warning means the latest board may exist only in this tab. Keep the tab open and download a JSON backup before reloading. The backup includes the processed images, crops, titles, notes and ordering choice; it is not an archive of your original image files and is not encrypted.
Download PNG creates a 1440 × 1600 picture for nine slots or 1920 × 2080 for sixteen. It exports the visible layout, including empty slots, without uploading or creating a public page. Marked spoiler notes are hidden unless you explicitly include them in Preview; images themselves are never automatically checked for spoilers. A PNG cannot restore editing fields. Keep a JSON backup as well.
Open the actual downloaded PNG and check the smallest title, crop edges, notes and optional name. Use the print and PDF checklist before printing. The full PNG size does not make every imported cover high resolution; printing larger cannot restore detail removed during resizing.
Switching to nine slots hides the last seven entries without deleting their images. Both single-work and library JSON backups include all sixteen slots and private notes. Before sharing, inspect the actual image for usernames, people or story reveals; see the sharing checklist. Keep original artwork separately so you can prepare a different crop later.
Image-heavy works can reach the whole-library 3 MiB serialized budget before the eight-work limit. Archived works still count. If saving is paused because another tab changed the library, back up this tab before loading the saved version. Read the library guide before deleting anything to make room.
Why did my transparent PNG turn white?
The image processor places it on a white background before encoding the local JPEG copy. The original PNG stays unchanged. Use artwork that works on white or prepare an opaque background yourself.
Can I paste an image URL?
No remote image import is implemented. Select a local file you can use, or retain the original illustration. This also avoids quietly sending your board to an image service.
Can I move the board to another browser?
Download a single-work or library JSON backup and keep the source open. In the destination browser, a single-work backup adds a separate work; a library backup replaces that browser’s library after confirmation. Check the restored images and notes before removing the old copy. See the restore steps.
Game Grid Maker is an independent local editor, not My9Games or a mirror of another service. These steps describe this implementation, not a claim about competitor capabilities or a user research result.