Best tools for creating and managing MSFS liveries?

For creating Microsoft Flight Simulator liveries on PC, the best toolkit is an official paint kit, Photoshop or GIMP, a DDS-capable exporter and a JSON-aware text editor. Add Blender only for difficult alignment. For management, use MSFS Addons Linker, separate source and release folders, and backups outside the simulator.

Best image editors for MSFS liveries

Photoshop is the strongest paid all-rounder, while GIMP is the best free choice for conventional layered paint kits. The aircraft developer's paint kit matters more than the editor: it supplies the correct UV layout, texture names, masks and material guidance for that specific model.

Keep the editable master in the editor's layered format and export DDS files only for testing or release. Repeatedly editing and resaving compressed DDS textures degrades them. Our comparison of repaint editors, DDS tools and paint-kit workflows covers the wider software choices in more detail.

Supporting tools every livery creator needs

A dependable MSFS repaint setup also needs texture conversion, package editing and validation tools.

• DDS exporter or converter: an editor plug-in or a dedicated DirectXTex-based tool such as texconv. Match the paint kit's required compression, alpha and mip-map settings rather than choosing a format by file size.
• JSON-aware text editor: Visual Studio Code, Notepad++ or another editor that exposes missing commas and malformed JSON in layout.json and manifest.json.
• MSFS SDK and Package Builder: the safest option when developing a structured package rather than modifying an existing example. Use the SDK intended for the target simulator.
• Layout generator: useful after textures are changed, renamed or added. A stale layout.json is one of the most common reasons a valid texture is ignored.
• MSFS Addons Linker: useful for enabling selected livery packages from an external library without leaving everything permanently inside the Community folder. Choose a release that explicitly supports your simulator installation.

Normal maps and channel-packed PBR material textures are not ordinary colour images. Do not recolour a normal or COMP texture as though it were the main albedo sheet; preserve its channels unless the paint kit explains what each one controls.

Do you need Blender to create an MSFS livery?

Blender is optional for most liveries but valuable when stripes, lettering or artwork must align across several UV islands. It can provide a 3D preview and reveal mirrored mapping before repeated simulator launches.

It is only practical when the developer provides a compatible model or preview resource. Marketplace encryption and unavailable source models cannot be solved by a paint editor, and a Blender preview may not reproduce every MSFS material effect. Substance 3D Painter is another advanced option, but its exported channels still have to match the aircraft's MSFS texture setup.

MSFS livery packaging workflow

The safest workflow keeps the repaint separate from the base aircraft and rebuilds the package metadata after every export.

1. Match the aircraft: obtain the paint kit and sample configuration for the exact model, engine variant and simulator release.
2. Create a master project: retain the UV guides, masks and shading layers. Paint on new layers instead of altering the original template.
3. Export the textures: use the exact filenames, dimensions, alpha handling and DDS format required by the kit.
4. Build a separate package: register the variation through the aircraft configuration and texture fallback files supplied by the developer. Never overwrite files inside the default or Marketplace aircraft package.
5. Update the package indexes: regenerate layout.json and check manifest.json whenever files are added, removed, renamed or changed.
6. Test cleanly: place only the new livery and its required aircraft dependency in the active Community setup, restart the simulator and inspect both the aircraft selector and the loaded exterior model.
7. Archive the release: keep the deployable package separate from large PSD, XCF, KRA and reference files.

FlyByWire aircraft have their own structure and naming expectations; use our aircraft-specific A32NX and A380X repaint procedure rather than adapting a generic airliner package blindly.

Do MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 use the same livery package?

The same painting applications work for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, but a finished package is not automatically interchangeable. Aircraft identifiers, package structures and model variants can differ, while aircraft updates may change texture names or registration requirements.

Maintain separate Community libraries and test against the exact simulator and aircraft version being targeted. Rebuild from the relevant paint kit when a transferred livery does not appear; copying a working 2020 folder into 2024 is not a reliable conversion method.

Why is my custom MSFS livery not showing?

A missing livery usually comes from package structure, registration or stale metadata rather than the artwork itself.

• Extra folder level: the folder containing manifest.json and layout.json must be the package root, not buried inside a second identically named folder.
• Wrong aircraft registration: the livery references a different aircraft variant or an identifier changed by an aircraft update. Compare it with the latest developer sample.
• Stale layout file: regenerate layout.json after changing a texture's contents, name or location.
• Incorrect DDS output: black, transparent, metallic-looking or corrupted surfaces often indicate the wrong compression, alpha treatment or material channels.
• Broken fallback path: missing common textures can produce blank or chequered surfaces when texture.cfg points to the wrong base texture set.
• Duplicate package identity: two revisions with the same internal identifiers can conflict. Disable the old version before testing the replacement.
• Mirrored lettering: some models mirror part of the same texture across both sides. Follow the paint kit's decal or alternate-texture method where one is provided.

Start troubleshooting with a clean Community setup and one livery package. Deleting simulator indexes or reinstalling the aircraft before checking the folder structure usually creates more work without addressing the fault.

Managing a large livery library

The cleanest management system stores source projects, release packages and active add-ons in separate locations. Give each package a stable, unique name such as creator-aircraft-livery, then use Addons Linker profiles to activate only the aircraft and liveries needed for a session.

• Keep distinct libraries for MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.
• Store one deployable livery per package folder so faults can be isolated quickly.
• Keep editable masters and reference images outside the deployable package.
• Archive the previous working release before replacing textures or configuration files.
• Remove or disable obsolete revisions rather than renaming them inside the active Community folder.

For collections that have grown beyond manual folder management, our folder and profile method for organising a large livery library explains how to avoid duplicates and overloaded Community folders.

Can you create and install custom liveries on console?

File-based livery creation and Community-folder management are PC workflows. Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro do not expose a user-accessible Community folder, so locally created repaint packages cannot be installed with Addons Linker or copied from a PC.

Console users are limited to liveries delivered through the simulator's supported in-sim content channels. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 remains a PC and Xbox title; Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 platforms.