What is Minecraft map art?
Map art is a giant picture built from blocks so that it shows up as an image on a map item. A standard map (zoom level 0) shows a 128×128 block area at one block per pixel, so one map is a 128×128 picture. You build the art on the ground, fill in a map over it, lock it and hang it in an item frame. Several maps side by side make a bigger picture: 2×2 maps is 256×256 blocks.
The colors on a map are not the block textures. Each block has a fixed map color, and Java Edition has 61 of them plus "none". This generator only uses those map colors, so the preview shows what the finished map will look like rather than what the blocks look like up close. For art you look at in the world, use the pixel art generator instead.
Flat vs. staircase map art
Every map color comes in four shades, made by multiplying the base color by 180, 220, 255 or 135 and dividing by 255. Which shade a block shows depends on its height compared to the block directly north of it:
| Block compared to its north neighbor | Shade | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Same height | Normal | 220 |
| Higher | Lighter (the base color) | 255 |
| Lower | Darker | 180 |
| Not possible in survival | Darkest | 135 |
Flat art is built on one level, so every block uses the normal shade. With the colors in this tool that is 59 colors, and it is the fastest way to build. Staircase art moves each block up or down to pick one of three shades, giving 177 colors and much smoother photos. The generator works out the lowest heights possible for every column (a column runs north to south), but photos can still need a tall build, and you will need scaffolding because most blocks end up floating. The fourth shade cannot be made in normal gameplay, so it is never used here.
How to build map art in survival
- Find the map area. Maps do not center on you. The world is divided into a fixed grid of 128×128 squares, and a new map always shows the square you were in when you first used it. At zoom level 0 a map made at X 0, Z 0 is centered on 0, 0, so the squares run from −64 to 63, 64 to 191 and so on. Enter your coordinates in the map area finder above, or simply craft a map, use it at your build site and look at where its edges are.
- Clear and flatten the area. Flat art is easiest on a flat surface at one height. For staircase art, start the lowest blocks a little above the ground.
- Place the north reference row. The top row of the picture compares itself with the blocks just north of it, which lie outside the map. Place one row of any block there (the schematic includes it at the right height), or the top row of your map will have the wrong shade.
- Collect the blocks. Use the block list and change any block to one that is easier for you to get. The stack calculator helps you work out how many shulker boxes to fill.
- Build, then make the map. Build row by row, then hold a fresh empty map inside the area and use it. Stay inside or near the area so every pixel loads.
- Lock and frame it. Put the map and a glass pane in a cartography table to lock it, then hang it in an item frame. Copies made in the cartography table show the same art.
Building with Litematica
Litematica is a client-side Fabric mod that shows a see-through hologram of a schematic you can build over. Put the downloaded .litematic file in your .minecraft/schematics folder, open the Litematica menu (M by default), choose Load Schematics and load it. Move the placement so its north-west corner is on the first block of the north reference row: X = the west edge of the map area, Z = one block north of the map area. The map area finder gives you those exact numbers. Litematica's material list and verifier help you spot missing or wrong blocks. On servers that allow it, .schem files can be pasted with WorldEdit using //schem load and //paste.
Tips for better map art
- Bold images work best in flat mode. Logos, pixel art and cartoons look clean with 59 colors. Turn on dithering for photos and gradients.
- Dithering adds blocks of more colors. It mixes nearby colors so smooth shading looks right from far away, but every pixel matters on a map, so compare the preview with dithering on and off.
- Staircase plus dithering makes tall builds. Check the height stat before you start. The Overworld is 384 blocks tall in total, so very tall staircases cannot be built.
- Turn off groups you cannot get. Skip Nether blocks early in a world, or keep only wool colors for a quick build with few block types.
- Full blocks only. Every block in the list is a full solid block, so nothing needs support and nothing falls. Carpets also show their wool color, but they must sit on another block.
Java Edition only
The colors and shading rules here are for Java Edition. Bedrock Edition maps choose pixel colors differently and color some blocks by biome, so a Bedrock map of the same build can look different. Litematica and these schematic files are also Java only.