Detailed instructions on mods for the appearance of vehicles. In our article, you will learn how to create custom camouflage in War Thunder in 2025 and install skins using any technique.
Don't forget to redeem War Thunder codes to get bonuses in the game. If you still don't have an account, use the instructions about registration with bonuses in War Thunder.
But if you’re in the mood for something different, we also have World of Tanks codes.
Custom Camouflage
The game sells sets of standard seasonal camouflage. Additional colors are available on the exchange for Gaijin coins. However, there is an option for streamers, mod creators, and fans of unusual colors—custom camouflage.
You can use someone else’s unique equipment coloring and paint your own, but custom skins will not be displayed to other players. The decision is logical – Gaijin Entertainment would have to maintain a large staff of moderators to check the work of fans. Otherwise, battles with custom coloring would turn into a circus with obscene pictures.
How to Install Custom Camouflage in War Thunder
For the test, take the skin from the official community page. There, you can also find custom hangars and aiming reticles. Brief installation instructions:
- Go to the official site with mods, go to the tab “camouflages”;
- Select the post with the appropriate coloring, open it, and click “download.” Save the archive in a convenient place;
- Launch the game, select the desired technique, go to the “customization” tab, and click on the button with the brush. A folder for custom textures will be created in//War Thunder/UserSkins;
- Clean the created folder from files.
- Open the archive with the downloaded camouflage and unzip the files into the cleaned folder;
- Open the game, refresh the list of camouflages, and select a new one from the list.
Skins from other sources are installed in the same way.
How to Create Custom Camouflage in War Thunder in 2025
To create equipment coloring, you will need basic skills in Photoshop or similar graphic editors. Otherwise, you will have to practice.
A Simple Option – Scalable Camouflage
Let’s start with the basics:
- Click the “customization” tab for the desired technique and click the brush button. The presets for the textures are saved;
- Go to://War Thunder/UserSkins and find the folder with the name of your technique. Find the file with the word “camo” in its name. This is the file with the scalable camouflage. Make a copy of it in case something goes wrong;
- Open the copy with a graphics editor. You will see a square blank for coloring your equipment. Draw symbols on it or sketch masking spots with a brush in the editor;
- Save the final version in the folder with your technique’s name in UserSkins. Delete all other files except the edited one with the “.blk” extension. This will remove the “Sample” inscription on the technique. Update the list of camouflages and select a new one.
If you renamed the file when saving, write the new name in the file with the extension “.blk.” Then, open it with Notepad or another editor and change the specified line, as in the screenshot below.
How to Create Textures
Search Google for “seamless textures”. There are websites with text instructions and YouTube channels with video tutorials.
You can use ready-made textures and decals in your project. However, any texture may have a license type that prohibits free distribution. Therefore, sharing your camouflage or putting it on the exchange will be difficult.
For such purposes, use sources with an open license that allows all types of distribution (including commercial, if it is a stock exchange).
Advanced Level – Fixed Camouflage
Alpha Layer and Annoying “Sample”
This is where the rest of the textures will be needed. How to get rid of the “Sample” without removing them? Follow these steps:
- Open each texture in Photoshop. You will see a sweep of the parts of your technique.
- Go to each texture’s “Channels” tab and find the Alpha layer. It should be black. Paint over any lettering that’s in your way.
- Save the modified file in its original extension. The lettering will disappear.
You can apply your lettering and decals on the alpha layer. Unlike the camouflage texture, they will stay in one place and not stretch.
Alpha layer is responsible for transparency, you can paint on it black parts of textures that you do not want to use. This is done on parts of vehicles – hulls, turrets, guns. By default in new textures alpha layer is always with inscriptions or black.
The First Texture
Draw a cross on the frontal armor:
- Find and open the tank hull texture in Photoshop. The sample is located here -://War Thunder/UserSkins, the folder with the name of your equipment;
- Create a new layer and draw an inscription or picture on it;
- Select the drawing on the new layer with “Magic Wand” or another selection tool;
- Copy the selected area to the alpha channel using “Select→Save Selection” so that your drawing appears on the tank while the rest of the texture remains standard;
- Save the backup in “.psd,” merge the layers to save the texture in its original format;
- Save the texture in the original extension “.tga,” replace it with the old version, and check the result in the game.
The camouflage is scaled and unfolded, but the cross remains in place.
Paint the selected area in the alpha channel with a gray color – the image will be semi-transparent. This method is suitable for giving the decal a shabby look and smooth merging with the camouflage.
You can accurately color the tank with pixels and draw pictures on it. When working with the entire surface of the texture, paint the alpha channel completely white.
The painted tank hull turret is untouched; it has a separate file with textures.
Skins for stock are created using precise texture editing. To participate in the contest and receive a percentage of the sale of camouflage textures are drawn from scratch, and historical versions require the study of arihive sources.
