Find flight simulator aircraft paint kits for MSFS, FSX, Prepar3D and X-Plane; verify compatibility and avoid common repaint errors.
For MSFS, FSX, Prepar3D, X-Plane and other flight simulators, find aircraft paint kits first in the developer’s official downloads, product documentation, customer account or the aircraft archive itself. If none is supplied, search an established freeware library using the exact developer, aircraft, simulator and variant; the texture mapping must match.
The simulator scope is General, with specific guidance below for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and MSFS 2024. Paint kits may also be labelled repaint kits, livery templates, blank textures or PSD templates.
Best places to find aircraft paint kits
The aircraft developer is the safest source because it can identify the exact model and texture-mapping revision for which the kit was made.
- Identify the add-on precisely. Record the developer, full product name, simulator, aircraft variant and add-on release. Searching only for an aircraft type such as
A320 paint kitis not precise enough because different developers use unrelated 3D models and UV layouts. - Search the developer’s downloads and documentation. Combine the full product name with
paint kit,repaint kit,livery kit,blank liveryorPSD. For commercial aircraft, the files may sit in a registered customer account or support area rather than the main installer. - Inspect the downloaded and installed files. Look for archives or folders named
Paint Kit,Repaint Kit,Templates,SourceorExtras. Read the included notes before editing a large PSD, PNG, BMP or DDS file; it may be a finished texture rather than an editable template. - Check the original package description. Search our freeware aircraft and add-on library for packages whose descriptions explicitly mention an included paint kit. Older aircraft uploads sometimes carry their repaint sources inside the main archive rather than as a separate download.
- Verify kits found separately. A useful description should name the developer, aircraft product, simulator and supported variants. File age alone does not prove compatibility; the model’s mapping revision is what matters.
Publishers organise commercial extras differently. Our worked example of finding and using a commercial Aerosoft kit shows why the template may be separate from the installed aircraft.
Where can I find an MSFS paint kit?
An MSFS paint kit must come from, or be made specifically for, the developer’s exact aircraft package; there is no universal Microsoft Flight Simulator template for a given aircraft type.
Include either MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 in the search along with the developer, product and variant. Do not assume that a kit crosses between the two simulators simply because the real aircraft is the same. Use it across both only when the aircraft developer confirms that the packages share the same visual model, UV mapping and material setup.
Some MSFS installations contain only finished or protected aircraft assets, not the layered source files used by the artist. Marketplace encryption or package protection is not a missing-folder problem and should not be bypassed; obtain a public kit from the developer instead.
Creating and packaging an MSFS repaint is primarily a desktop task. MSFS 2024 is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, while MSFS 2020 is PC and Xbox only. Consoles do not expose a PC-style Community folder for sideloading an ordinary repaint, so possessing a paint kit does not by itself provide a way to install the result on Xbox or PlayStation.
How do I know whether a paint kit is compatible?
A paint kit is compatible only when its product identity, visual variant, UV layout, texture names and material channels match the installed aircraft.
| Simulator | What must match | Common warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 | Developer, base aircraft package, simulator generation, model variant and mapping revision | The kit names only the real aircraft type and not the add-on developer |
| FSX or Prepar3D | Aircraft and model folders, selected model variant, texture names, UV layout and alpha-channel use | The repaint was designed for a different engine, winglet or virtual-cockpit model |
| X-Plane | Aircraft release, object files, their UV maps and expected livery texture names | The kit belongs to an earlier object set or another developer’s rendition |
| FS2004 | Exact model, legacy bitmap layout, texture folder structure and aircraft.cfg entry | The template is described only as an FSX kit |
The mistake we see most often is choosing by real-aircraft name rather than add-on developer. Two renditions of the same Boeing or Airbus can place the fuselage, tail and engines on entirely different parts of the texture sheet.
Variant differences matter too. Engine types, winglets, cargo doors, antenna fits and fuselage lengths may use separate sheets or models. Use a kit from a similar variant only when its documentation confirms shared mapping.
Contents of a useful livery paint kit
A useful kit provides editable colour artwork, mapping references and enough export information to reproduce the textures without damaging special channels.
- A layered PSD or equivalent editable source file, or at least an uncompressed blank texture accompanied by a clear UV guide.
- Separate panel-line, rivet, shading, dirt, window, door and marking layers where the aircraft requires them.
- Guides for fuselage joins, mirrored areas, engines, wing surfaces and parts that continue across texture seams.
- The required pixel dimensions, orientation, texture names and output format.
- Instructions for alpha, emissive, normal and packed material textures such as MSFS COMP maps where applicable.
- A readme identifying the supported aircraft product and variants.
- Licence terms explaining whether finished liveries, modified templates or neither may be redistributed.
Do not paint a normal map or material mask as though it were the ordinary colour texture. These files control surface direction, reflectivity, roughness, metallic appearance or other material properties. Replacing their channels can make an otherwise correct repaint appear black, transparent, mirror-like or unnaturally dull.
Is a blank livery the same as a paint kit?
A blank livery is usable as a starting point, but it is not necessarily a full paint kit because it may lack layers, UV guides, shading separation and export instructions.
A white PNG, BMP or DDS copied from an installed texture folder may already contain compression artefacts, baked shadows and material data. Repeated editing and recompression can soften lettering and panel detail. Prefer the developer’s layered source when one exists, and keep the blank livery only as a placement or naming reference.
A finished airline repaint is different again: it is packaged for flying rather than editing, and its licence may prohibit reuse as source artwork. If the aim is simply to fly an existing colour scheme, use our guidance on finding compatible finished airline livery downloads instead of looking for a paint kit.
What if no paint kit exists?
If no public kit exists, ask the aircraft developer and check for a separately distributed template before attempting to construct your own.
- Repeat the search using
repaint kit,livery template,blank texturesand the exact product name. - Check documentation, extras archives and registered-customer downloads rather than searching only the installed aircraft folder.
- Read the aircraft licence before modifying accessible textures or sharing anything derived from them.
- Do not unpack encrypted packages, bypass protection or take another painter’s work apart without permission.
When modification is permitted, a flattened texture can become a personal working template, but rebuilding panel lines, shadows and masks takes considerable work. Extracting a UV guide from a model is appropriate only when the model files, development tools and licence permit it. A reconstructed template should not be distributed if it contains copyrighted source textures for which redistribution was not granted.
Common paint-kit failures and their fixes
Most failed repaints result from the wrong kit, misunderstood UV mapping or damaged texture channels rather than the painted design itself.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Logos split, reverse or jump across the fuselage | Texture seam, mirrored mapping or the wrong model kit | Enable the UV guide, test both sides and confirm the exact variant before continuing |
| Artwork appears on the wrong engine, door or wing | A different variant uses another sheet or part assignment | Compare the kit notes with the selected engine, winglet and model configuration |
| Aircraft appears black, transparent, chrome-like or excessively matt | Alpha or material channels were flattened, deleted or exported incorrectly | Restore the untouched special textures and follow the kit’s channel and format instructions |
| Markings look blurred | The source was scaled, repeatedly compressed or exported below its native dimensions | Work at the kit’s original size and compress only the final export where required |
| The livery does not appear in the simulator | Incorrect package structure, texture names or aircraft configuration | Confirm that the repaint references the intended base aircraft and is installed as a separate livery |
Checks before starting the repaint
A short compatibility test prevents hours of work being committed to the wrong template.
- Record the exact identity. Note the developer, product, simulator, aircraft variant and mapping or kit revision.
- Read the licence and notes. Check permitted use, required filenames, dimensions, orientation and supported variants.
- Archive a clean master. Keep an untouched copy of the original kit and work from a duplicate.
- Identify special maps. Separate the ordinary colour textures from alpha, normal, emissive and material files before editing.
- Make a small test mark. Place different temporary colours near a seam, engine and tail, export them and inspect the aircraft in the simulator. This quickly exposes mirrored surfaces or a mismatched kit.
- Keep the repaint separate. Never overwrite the aircraft’s original textures; updates, repairs and file verification can replace them.
From paint kit to finished repaint
Once the kit is confirmed, use an image editor that preserves layers, transparency and required channels, then export and package the textures according to that aircraft’s documentation.
Our paint-kit-to-installed-livery workflow covers the editing, export, configuration and testing stages without assuming that one simulator’s folder structure applies to another.