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I usually just extract the image from the pdf and save it as a jpeg or png file in Paint, then use Adobe Photoshop to increase the image size/resolution, remove any background that I don't want, crop where needed, and save it again as a jpeg or png. Afterwards I upload it to Roll20 and put it on the map layer. Then I adjust the dimensions of the map image to whatever size I need it at.
Most of the times, you won't get any of the labels on the map itself when you extract (copy) the image in the pdf file but the gridlines will be there.
Only way to avoid the gridlines in the image is if the map in question is from one of the interactive maps or an adventure path with the options to toggle grids on and off.
The watermarks shouldn't show up on the extracted image.
If you are having problems, just contact me and I can help you with a step-by-step process.
Cheers!
CB
Okay, I've got a different suggestion. That part... don't.
I use full Acrobat (not Reader) to extract the map image. There are tonnes of other methods to extract images, including some nice open-source command-line tools ideal for the nerdy. But you need to extract the source, not just take screenshots while the PDF is open.
Then I use Topaz GigaPixel AI to up-scale the map. That can get you results at 2x to 4x the original image size that almost always looks good.
Then I use rudimentary imaging software from 25 years ago to crop the up-scaled image. Sometimes maps have multiple areas in one image, so I'll save each as its own. But the key is to crop such that you're aligned with the artist's "grid". I just usually crop off the outer ring of squares, so the edges of my image are exactly on grid lines.
No re-sizing in Photoshop, no anything... just crop.
Then import that into Roll20 and it's reasonably easy to place it as a map. Count the squares, set the page to that width and height plus one each way. Drag & resize, using the extra squares to let you see the Roll20 grid better, so you can see it aligns. I usually resize horizontally, then vertically. Don't try to go diagonally.
When it's as good as you can get, it's as good as you can get.
Protip, you can use GigaPixel on things other than maps too. I use it for various NPC/monster art. So much of this stuff is like... 400 pixels tall. We play in person, but I have a 1080p TV behind the DM's chair and I use a Chromebook to cast to a Chromecast, so I can show things. Better than waving a book around at people, with my hand covering whatever. Also, I can show maps, using two tabs... one as a DM and one as a player, casting the player Chrome tab to the TV. Gives me fog-of-war and everything.
I also have and use full Acrobat to extract map images from PDFs. If you're prepping a PFS and SFS scenario that uses a Flip-Mat reprinted to fill a single page, and don't own the full-sized map in PDF, the resolution of an image extracted from the scenario will usually be plenty good enough for Roll20.
If needed, I'll crop the image, which can done in many different programs.
I usually don't bother cropping any partial squares along the edges of a map, but that's a personal preference. (I will sometimes set the size of the map so those parts extend past of the edge of the viewable map in Roll20.)
If you use the "is a drawing" option in Roll20, it won't automatically try to fit the image to the grid, and the image will keep its proportions as you move and resize it.
For maps that come with a grid, the "align to grid" feature is useful for getting the resizing right, but IME, it does takes some practice to master.
Another personal preference: I like keeping the original gridlines on the map, rather than trying to erase them. They're useful for getting the image lined up with the Roll20 grid. I often change the grid color to bright red while working on sizing and aligning maps, to make it easier to tell it apart ftom the image's grid, until they overlap exactly (or as close as I can get). When I'm done, I'll change the grid color back to the light gray default, which will either blend into the image's gridlines or highlight them where they are hard to see on the map.