How do I make custom liveries in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

To make a custom livery in Microsoft Flight Simulator on PC, start with a paint kit for the exact aircraft, edit its colour and material textures, export them in the required DDS format, then package the repaint as a separate aircraft variation in the Community folder. Test it without overwriting the original aircraft.

This workflow applies broadly to MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 on Windows. The artwork process is similar, but texture names, configuration files and package structure depend on the simulator edition and the precise aircraft, developer and variant.

Can every MSFS aircraft be repainted?

No. An aircraft is a practical repaint candidate only when you have a compatible paint kit, accessible source textures or a developer-supported livery template.

A livery must match the exact base aircraft rather than merely its visible name. Our explanation of how liveries depend on a specific developer, model and variant covers this compatibility rule in more detail.

Do not extract protected packages or redistribute original textures without permission. If an aircraft is encrypted and its developer supplies no template, choose a different aircraft rather than trying to defeat the protection.

What tools and files do you need?

A basic MSFS repaint needs a layered paint template, an image editor capable of preserving the required channels, and a valid add-on package for testing.

• A paint kit for the exact aircraft: preferably with UV guides, masks, panel lines, rivets and material layers.
• A layered image editor: it must handle the source resolution, alpha channels and the required DDS export method.
• A livery package template or SDK project: use the aircraft developer's example when one is provided.
• Access to the base aircraft's references: you need the correct texture names, variation settings and base-aircraft path without altering the original package.
• A separate working folder: keep the layered master artwork and untouched source files outside the simulator.

A finished package can also clarify the intended result. For example, this Community-ready Kitfox colour livery package demonstrates the relationship between a repaint, its folder structure and its required base aircraft. Use examples to understand structure, not as universal templates.

How do you create a custom aircraft livery?

The reliable process is to identify the correct texture maps, paint non-destructively, preserve their technical properties, build a separate variation and test every change in the simulator.

1. Choose the exact aircraft and variant

   Start with a simple general-aviation aircraft or another model with only a few exterior texture sheets. Airliners often divide the fuselage, wings, engines, tail, cabin and decals across many maps, making them poor first projects.

   Confirm that the paint kit belongs to the same simulator edition, developer and model variant. Two aircraft with the same real-world name can use unrelated models, UV maps and package references.

2. Create a layered master file

   Never paint directly over your only copy of a DDS texture. Import the paint kit or source image into a layered working file, then keep colours, cheatlines, logos, registrations, weathering and masks separate.

   Leave panel lines, rivets, shading and ambient-occlusion detail above or below the paint according to the kit's instructions. Flatten only an export copy.

3. Identify the colour and material maps

   The exterior colour is normally controlled by an albedo map, often labelled with a name such as ALBD. Surface detail may come from a normal map, while a composite or COMP map controls material properties.

   Under the standard MSFS PBR convention, the composite map usually stores ambient occlusion, roughness and metallic information in separate colour channels. Follow the aircraft's paint kit rather than assuming every developer uses identical conventions. A normal map normally needs no change for an ordinary colour scheme.

4. Test the UV mapping before adding detail

   Apply temporary blocks, stripes or numbered guide marks and inspect them on the 3D model. A straight line in the editor can bend around a nose, wing root, door or nacelle once the texture wraps around the aircraft.

   Watch for mirrored UV sections. If both sides share the same texture area, lettering may appear backwards on one side and an asymmetric design may be impossible without model or decal changes.

5. Paint registrations and logos carefully

   Keep fine artwork away from texture seams until the large shapes align in the simulator. Distortion near curved surfaces often requires deliberately stretched or curved artwork in the flat texture.

   Decide whether the registration will be painted or generated dynamically by the simulator. Using both produces one tail number on top of another. Some aircraft expose a configuration method for suppressing dynamic registration; others expect the painted area to remain blank.

6. Export the textures with matching properties

   Use the dimensions, DDS compression and naming expected by the template. Preserve mipmaps and existing alpha channels unless the aircraft documentation explicitly instructs otherwise.

   Do not export every map with one generic DDS preset. Colour, normal and composite textures can require different handling. Also check vertical orientation, because image tools do not all interpret DDS orientation in the same way.

7. Build a separate livery package

   Never replace files in the base aircraft or an Official package. Simulator and aircraft updates can overwrite those changes, while one bad file can break every variation of the aircraft.

   A conventional MSFS livery package commonly contains:

   • manifest.json at the package root
   • layout.json listing the package files
   • A unique folder beneath the appropriate SimObjects structure
   • An aircraft.cfg variation entry in packages using the legacy aircraft configuration system
   • A uniquely named texture.xxxxx folder containing the changed DDS files
   • A texture.cfg fallback where the template uses base-aircraft textures for unchanged parts
   • A thumbnail in the location and format expected by that aircraft

   The variation may reference the original aircraft through base_container or another target-specific method. Folder names, texture references and internal variation titles must match exactly. Use the developer's blank package instead of borrowing configuration from an unrelated aircraft.

8. Rebuild the package indexes

   Regenerate layout.json whenever a file is added, removed, renamed or replaced with a different-sized version. A stale layout is one of the most common reasons that finished artwork never appears in the simulator.

   Check that manifest.json identifies your package uniquely and declares any required dependency in the manner expected by the template.

9. Install and test the repaint

   Place the package itself in the active Community folder, not an extra wrapper folder containing it. Installation paths vary, so use our instructions to find the Community folder used by your MSFS installation.

   Restart Microsoft Flight Simulator after changing the package. Select the exact aircraft and variation, then inspect the repaint in direct sun, overcast conditions, low light and night apron lighting. Material and alpha problems are often invisible under only one lighting condition.

Why is my custom livery not showing in MSFS?

A livery that is absent from the aircraft selector usually has a package, configuration or compatibility fault rather than a painting fault.

The livery does not appear in the aircraft menu

Check the package root and every reference before re-exporting the artwork.

• Extra folder nesting: the folder inside Community must contain the actual package files, not another identically named wrapper folder.
• Outdated layout.json: rebuild it after every file change.
• Duplicate internal title: two variations using the same internal identifier can conflict.
• Mismatched texture reference: the texture value in the configuration must correspond to the texture.xxxxx folder.
• Wrong base-aircraft reference: a package for another developer, variant or simulator edition will not attach to the aircraft you selected.
• Missing dependency: a livery-only package cannot provide the aircraft itself.
• Aircraft update: renamed textures, models or package paths can make an older repaint incompatible.

Remove any older copy of the same livery while testing and restart the simulator. Hot reloading is not dependable for every aircraft or package change.

The livery loads but has missing, black or incorrect textures

Visible texture faults usually come from the export settings, file references or missing fallback textures.

• Missing aircraft parts: check that unchanged textures fall back to the correct base-aircraft folder.
• Black, transparent or corrupted areas: compare DDS format, dimensions, alpha and mipmaps with the source map.
• Blurry markings: verify the source resolution, mipmaps and whether the artwork crosses a low-resolution section of the UV map.
• Backwards lettering: the model probably mirrors that UV section.
• Old artwork still visible: remove duplicate package versions and perform a full simulator restart.

Why are two registration numbers appearing?

Two registrations appear when the simulator's dynamic tail number is drawn over a number painted into the livery texture.

Disable the generated registration through the aircraft's supported configuration method, or remove the painted number and let the simulator generate it. Some models do not allow the dynamic decal to be repositioned or suppressed by a livery alone.

Why does the metallic or matt finish look wrong?

An incorrect surface finish normally comes from the composite material map rather than the albedo colour map.

Check the roughness and metallic channels for the affected area. Reusing another livery's composite map can make painted panels look like chrome, turn polished metal into flat paint or give de-ice boots an unrealistic gloss.

Is the livery workflow different in MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024?

The core painting process is similar, but an MSFS 2020 livery package should not be assumed to work unchanged in MSFS 2024.

Some older packages may work through compatibility support, but that is not a sound basis for publishing a repaint. If you intend to support both simulators, build and test against each target and state the required edition clearly.

What should you check before sharing a livery?

A distributable repaint should work from a clean installation, identify its dependency precisely and contain no base-aircraft files that you lack permission to redistribute.

• Test a clean copy: remove your development folders, install only the release archive and restart MSFS.
• State the exact dependency: name the simulator edition, aircraft developer, model and supported variant.
• Use unique identifiers: give the package folder and internal variation a name unlikely to clash with another repaint.
• Check every visible surface: inspect the wings, underside, tail, spinner, nacelles, doors, wing roots and cockpit views.
• Include only authorised files: use texture fallbacks where supported and follow the paint kit's redistribution licence.
• Provide a README and useful screenshots: document installation, dependencies, known mirrored areas and any dynamic-registration setting.
• Package the archive correctly: extracting it should reveal the Community-ready package without confusing duplicate folder levels.

Our requirements for packaging and submitting a finished repaint explain the screenshots, documentation, permissions and dependency information expected when sharing an MSFS livery.