Customizing War Thunder: Painting Your Plane Like A Pro

Customizing planes in War Thunder is a feature that many players are curious about. While it is not possible to paint the plane, players can apply decals and custom skins. Skins can be downloaded from the official website or created by the player using a free program like The Gimp. Players can also select alternate skins that they have unlocked in the game. Custom skins are only visible to the player who created them, while other players will see the default skin selected in the Customization menu.

Explore related products

CITADEL Games Workshop Layer Paint: Thunderhawk Blue (12ml)

$4.26

The Army Painter Warpaint Air Thunder Storm - Acrylic Non-Toxic Heavily Pigmented Water Based Paint for Tabletop Roleplaying, Boardgames, and Wargames Miniature Model Painting

$6

The Army Painter Boils Warpaint - Acrylic Heavily Pigmented Water Based Paint for Tabletop Roleplaying, Boardgames, and Wargames Miniature Model Painting

$2.7 $5.4

The Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Set, 50 Paints: 36 acrylic colours, 4 Skin Tones, 3 Metallics, 3 Effects, 4 Washes, 1 Free Paint Station & Brush, For Miniature Painting

$174 $199.99

Vallejo - WWII German Armour Model Color Paint Set | Historic Military Shades | Brush & Airbrush Compatible Acrylic Colors | Pro Modeler Collection | 6 Bottles x 18 ml. (0.6 fl.oz)

$19.41 $24.99

Warpaints Fanatic Effects: True Blood

$6

Applying custom skins

To apply custom skins to your planes in War Thunder, you can follow these steps:

• Select the aircraft you want to customise by clicking on it.
• Open the "Customization" menu. Here, you can choose to create an example of camouflage to work from.
• If you want to install a pre-made camouflage, you can download it from live.warthunder.com. You will need to locate the War Thunder client folder and follow this path: War Thunder → UserSkins → *previously received folder name* (e.g. template_ussr_t_34_85_d_5t). Delete the contents of this folder and then download and copy the new camo files into it.
• If you want to create your own camouflage, you can edit the .tga files in the folder.
• To ensure your custom skin appears correctly in the game, you may need to paint the area in "alpha" white. You can also use different greyscales to create semi-transparent or uneven overlays.
• Press "Update custom camouflage list" to update all textures without closing the game.
• Select your new camouflage from the drop-down list and adjust its scale, rotation, and state to your liking.

It is important to note that custom skins are only visible to the player who created them. Other players will see the default camouflage selected in the "Customization" menu as the basis for custom camouflage. Additionally, custom skins can also be applied to tanks in War Thunder using a similar process.

Explore related products

A dose of Stalinium for Fans of War Thunder and The T-34 Tank Sticker Bumper Sticker Vinyl Decal 5"

$4.95

Warpaints Fanatic: Gargoyle Grey

$5.25

The Army Painter, Warpaints Air Starter Set, 12 x 18ml Pre-thinned Acrylic Airbrush Paints, incl. 1 Metallic & 1 Grey 100ml Primer - Air brush Paint Kit for models and miniature painting

$35.99 $43.19

Warpaints Fanatic Effects: Warpaints Retarder

$5.25 $9.79

Model Color WWIII American Armour & Infantry

$22.44 $23.96

The Army Painter Speedpaint Mega Set 1.0, 24 x 18ml Acrylic Paints incl. mixing balls & 1 brush - Contrast Miniature Paint for D&D & Warhammer Miniatures

$68.99

Using decals

Decals are images that can be applied to any unlocked vehicles in War Thunder. You can rotate them 360 degrees and mirror them on the left or right, top or bottom side of the vehicle. Decals are generally categorized by country or event, and most can be unlocked by just playing the game. For example, by unlocking vehicles in tech trees, knocking out player enemies or AI targets in battles, or participating in events.

Note that decals under the 'Common' — 'Roundels and insignias' tab cannot be applied to historically opposing side’s vehicles (Allies, Axis, Nato, etc.). These decals are historical emblems and insignias of real-world countries, former and current. For example, you couldn’t apply a USAAF White Star on the Italian P-47D-30, even though the aircraft is originally from a US fighter family.

Only two decals can be placed on a vehicle at a time, with each being able to have a mirrored image as well. If you have a Premium Account, you can place up to four decals at a time. If the vehicle is a Premium vehicle and has Mark of Distinction unlocked, the four decal slots are available, regardless of the player’s Premium Account status.

During major holidays and national celebration days, War Thunder sometimes offers a certain decal or decoration that can be unlocked. Usually, this involves playing three battles with at least one Rank III vehicle, against other players, while having at least 70% activity in each battle.

To apply a decal, select the plane you want to customize, open the “Customization” menu, and click on the button to create an example of the decal. Then, head to the folder with the installed War Thunder client and follow this path: War Thunder → UserSkins → *previously received folder name* (e.g., template_ussr_t_34_85_d_5t).

If you want to install a decal from War Thunder LIVE, simply delete all the contents of the folder, then download the unique decal you like from live.warthunder.com and copy it into the folder. The files will be in .dds or .tga format, along with a configuration file named *vehicle_name.blk.

If you want to create your own decal, you can edit the .tga files in the folder using an image editing program like Paint.NET, GIMP, or Photoshop. The .tga files are the undamaged and damaged color files, as well as the undamaged and damaged normal files. The color files deal with the actual color of the skin, while the normal files are the "shininess" of the skin (they often appear transparent green, blue, or orange).

Once you're happy with your decal, go back to the game and press "Update custom camouflage list" to update all textures. Then, select your decal from the drop-down list and immediately see the result. You can scale, rotate, and change the state of the decal, just like with the other available camouflages in the game.

Note that for the decal to work properly, the texture must be seamless. If this is not taken into account, inconsistencies may occur. There are many guides available online that can help you create seamless textures. Additionally, the texture may have a different name or resolution than the original file. In this case, you will need to put the new texture in the folder with the other textures and replace the name of the old texture in the .blk file with the new one.

Explore related products

Vallejo - WWII German Waffen SS Model Color Paint Set | Historic Military Shades | Brush & Airbrush Compatible Acrylic Colors | Pro Modeler Collection | 6 bottles x 18 ml. (0.6 fl.oz)

$17.89 $24.99

The Army Painter, Warpaints Fanatic Metallics Paint Set, 10 x 18 ml Acrylic Metallic Paints, Incl. Gold, Copper, Metal, Bronze and Silver - Miniature paint set for D&D & Warhammer Miniatures

$41.5

The Army Painter Corpse Pale Warpaint - Acrylic Non-Toxic Heavily Pigmented Water Based Paint for Tabletop Roleplaying, Boardgames, and Wargames Miniature Model Painting,WP1411

$9.45

Warpaints: Acrylics: Air Iron Wolf – 1x 18ml Acrylic Paint by The Army Painter Hobby Paint – Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures, Warhammer 40K Miniatures, Models – TTRPG D&D DND

$4.85

War Thunder Art Military Poster Canvas Poster Bedroom Decor Sports Landscape Office Room Decor Gift,Canvas Poster Wall Art Decor Print Picture Paintings for Living Room Bedroom Decoration 20x30inch(50

$27

The Army Painter Warpaint Air Metallics Evil Chrome - Acrylic Non-Toxic Heavily Pigmented Water Based Paint for Tabletop Roleplaying, Boardgames, and Wargames Miniature Model Painting

$4 $5.4

Scaling and rotating camouflage

To begin creating custom camouflage for your aircraft or tank in War Thunder, you must first select the vehicle you wish to customise. Next, open the "Customization" menu and click on the button to create an example of camouflage.

Once you have the basic template, you can proceed to edit the graphic files in the folder. This is where scaling and rotating your camouflage comes in.

Firstly, it is important to note that for your camouflage to work properly, the texture must be seamless. This means that if you want to rotate or scale your camouflage, you must ensure that the texture is consistent and has no visible edges or breaks. There are guides available online that can help you create seamless textures if you are unfamiliar with the process.

After creating your seamless texture, you can proceed to scale and rotate your camouflage to your liking. Using the ALT mouse wheel, you can rotate the camouflage, and with the Shift mouse wheel, you can enlarge or shrink it.

Additionally, you can make use of the alpha channel to create semi-transparent or uneven overlays. By painting your inscription or decals in different shades of grey in the "alpha", you can control how much your scalable camouflage shines through from underneath.

Remember, custom camouflage is set locally, so only you will be able to see your creations in-game. If you wish to share your custom camouflage with others, you can publish it on WT Live as part of the author support program.

Explore related products

The Army Painter Venom Wyrm Warpaint - Acrylic Heavily Pigmented Water Based Paint for Tabletop Roleplaying, Boardgames, and Wargames Miniature Model Painting

$5.4

Scale 75 War Front 17ml Paint - Ocean Blue SW-60

$4.49

Warpaints Fanatic: Woodland Camo

$5.25

Print Painting War Thunder Spitfire Squadron - 1944 World War II Historical Photo Memorabilia Poster Aesthetic Canvas Wall Art Prints – Modern Abstract Painting for Bedroom, Living Room & Office Decor

$13.99

Army Painter Warpaints Corpse Pale 18ml

$6

Warpaints: Acrylics: Air Incursion Orange – 1x 18ml Acrylic Paint by The Army Painter Hobby Paint – Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures, Warhammer 40K Miniatures, Models – TTRPG D&D DND

$5.69

Installing user-made skins

To install user-made skins, you'll need to follow these steps:

• Select the aircraft or tank you wish to customise by opening the "Customization" menu and clicking on the button to create a camouflage example.
• Locate the War Thunder client folder on your device. The specific path is: War Thunder → UserSkins → *previously received folder name* (e.g., template_ussr_t_34_85_d_5t).
• If you want to install a pre-made camouflage from War Thunder LIVE, delete the contents of the folder. Then, visit live.warthunder.com to download your desired camo. Copy the contents of the downloaded archive, which will include .dds or .tga files, as well as a .blk configuration file, into the folder.
• If you prefer to create your own camouflage, edit the .tga graphic files within the folder.
• Return to the War Thunder client and update the list of available camouflages.
• If you've followed the steps correctly, your custom camouflage should now appear in the list. Install it, and you're done!

It's important to remember that for camouflage to work properly, the texture must be seamless. Additionally, you can scale, rotate, and change the state of the camouflage to your liking.

Explore related products

The Army Painter, Warpaints Fanatic Mega Set Combo, 50 x 18 ml Acrylic Paints incl. Skin Tones, Metallics, Effects, Washes, 1 Free Paint Station & 2 Brushes - Model Paint for Warhammer & Dnd

$188.4 $204.99

Vallejo - Wizkids | Dungeon Depths | Modeling Wargames Premium Paints Set | Ideal for Anything that may Be Found in the Deepest and Darkest Dungeons | Contains 8 Bottles x 8 ml. (0.27 fl.oz.)

$17.77

Colours of War: Flames of War and Team Yankee Paint Guide (FW918)

$20 $25

5 Panels Canvas Wall Art Battleship Art Prints War Thunder Air Combat Poster Stretched Canvas Art and Framed Wall Paintings Modern Artwork Home Decorations for Bedroom Ready to Hang 60" Wx32 H

$8.99

Print Painting War Thunder Spitfire Squadron - 1944 World War II Historical Photo Memorabilia Poster Aesthetic Canvas Wall Art Prints – Modern Abstract Painting for Bedroom, Living Room & Office Decor

$38.99

Military Firing Range Signs Vintage Metal Tin Sign Military Decor World War 2 Memorabilia Posters War Thunder Man Cave Garage Pub Wall Decor 8x12 Inch

$11.99

Using the Customization menu

To paint planes in War Thunder, you need to use custom skins. You can select any alternate skins that you've unlocked or download custom skins from live.warthunder.com. However, other players cannot see downloaded skins.

To use the customisation menu to paint your plane, first select the aircraft you want to update. Then, open the "Customization" menu and click on the button to create an example of camouflage. You can then follow the file path: War Thunder → UserSkins → *previously received folder name* (for example, template_ussr_t_34_85_d_5t).

If you want to install camouflage from War Thunder LIVE, you need to delete the contents of the folder, download the unique camo you want from live.warthunder.com, and copy the contents of the archive into the folder. This will include several .dds or .tga files, as well as the camouflage configuration file *vehicle_name*.blk.

You can also create your own camouflage by editing the .tga files in the folder. By default, a texture will be created for tanks, so you will need to edit the file names to ensure the texture is applied to your aircraft.

Once you have created your custom camouflage, press ""Update custom camouflage list" to update all textures. You can then select your camouflage from the drop-down list and see the result. You can scale, rotate, and change the state of the camouflage. However, for the camouflage to work properly, the texture must be seamless.

Frequently asked questions