Obsidian - Image Window

Obsidian can be turned into a “player view” system for tabletop games by installing a community plugin called Image Window, which lets a DM right-click an image link and open it in a separate window for players to see on a dedicated monitor. The practical payoff is straightforward: monsters, NPCs, magic items, and locations can be displayed instantly during play—mirroring the “show to players” workflow many Realmworks users already rely on.

The workflow starts with a quick demonstration. In an Obsidian vault, a DM can right-click an image link and choose “open in a new window,” which then displays the selected image in a player-facing view. The presenter describes a typical multi-screen setup: one screen for running Obsidian, a second screen facing the players for images, and a third for the digital tabletop maps. While real dice and character sheets remain physical, the visual storytelling—especially combat and exploration visuals—moves to the screens, reducing the friction of switching between notes and what the table needs to see.

Image Window is not included out of the box, so it requires enabling beta plugin support via another tool named BRAT (Beta reviewers auto update tester). After installing BRAT from Obsidian’s community plugins, the user enables it and then adds a beta repository. The repository points to Jeremy Valentine’s GitHub project for “Obsidian Image Window,” which is then installed like any other plugin. Once installed, Image Window appears in Obsidian settings and can be toggled on or off.

After enabling the plugin, the DM uses Obsidian’s edit mode to insert images in a way that works with the player view. The transcript highlights a key formatting trick: using an exclamation mark to render an image, then adding a second line that includes a label like “Display to players” in a way that prevents the content from rendering as an image inside the editor. That label becomes the clickable/right-clickable link that can be opened in a new window—ensuring the player view shows the image without exposing editor-side menus or controls.

The setup also depends on hardware. The presenter notes that three monitors can be challenging, but there are multiple paths: a docking station that supports extra displays, Microsoft display adapters, or a graphics card with multiple outputs. For those who want a more immersive setup, the presenter even floats the idea of using a large wall-mounted TV for background visuals when not actively showing handouts.

Finally, Image Window is positioned as intentionally simple. It focuses on images rather than videos or rich text, and the presenter says that limitation is manageable—handouts can be converted into images (for example, a “folded letter” graphic with embedded text) and then displayed the same way. For DMs who want a Realmworks-style “show this to players” experience inside Obsidian, the combination of BRAT plus Image Window provides a fast, practical path to a dedicated player-facing display.