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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Krensky" data-source="post: 5649953" data-attributes="member: 30936">Well, let me try the more verbose fashion. I've actually come to prefer Inkscape with is a more fully featured drawing program, but it's a bit more complex.First, this assumes you have a Google account. If you have a gmail address, you do.Second, this assumes you already have a image file that has the actual map. We'll call it map.jpeg for this tutorial, and assume it's 800 by 800 pixels and has a grid. This notional map may be something downloaded off rpg map share, or was posted to a forum, extracted from a PDF, etc.Go to docs.google.com and login just like you wold to gmail.Click on the button that says 'Create New' and then choose Drawing.Please note that checkerboard patterened box. That's the notional 'paper' for the drawing. When you download a copy of the drawing, only the stuff inside that box will be in the file.Next, click on the menu item 'Insert' and choose 'Image' and then select your map file. It'll take a second to upload, but will then appear in the drawing. Now, click on the lower right corner of the 'paper' and drag it so it's as close to the edges of the image as possible.Tada, you have your map.Now, for your chits.Again, go to the 'Insert' menu and choose 'Shape'. I like the little box in a box thing they call bevel, as shown in my examples. Also, glance over them, those are all scalable shapes you can add. Pick one and draw a one that is slightly smaller then your map grid. Then you can use the paint can and pencil icons to change the colors.Now choose copy from the edit menu and then past as many of those chits as you have players or whatever you're using it to represent.Go back to 'Insert' and choose 'Text Box' and click inside the chit and enter your label. Hit enter and drag the box so it's centered. Then carefully select both the chit and the text label by holding control while clicking on each item. Then right click and choose 'Group'. Now the label and chit are considered one object and you can drag it around as one piece.Then for the masks, just choose the Polygon tool from the Insert menu and go to town.Next, under file, choose Download as... and then JPEG or PNG.Then go to picasaweb.google.com, log in, and upload the file, making a new Album called Gaming. Set the sharing option to Public.Then, if you need to crop the image, choose action and then 'Edit in Piknik' (or however it's spelled). then choose Crop select the section and Crop and save it back to your album.THen look to the right for where it says 'link'. Choose the image only option, and the largest size and copy the inline link. Then past that into your post using the image tags appropriate to your forum of choice.Was that better? Seriously, give it a try. Google's tools are designed to be REALLY simple to use.</blockquote>

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