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How to Make Texture for a Minecraft Character

In the indie title "Minecraft," you are not just restricted to making changes within the game -- for example, there are many free modifications available that can change the texture of objects within the game. Use an image-editing program or the dedicated "Minecraft" editor to create new textures for your character and alter its appearance in the game.

"Minecraft" Texture Editors
- Online "Minecraft" texture editors such as MCSkinner, Nova Skin and Skincraft (links in Resources) enable you to create a new look for your character without the use of an image-editing program. Textures are "painted" directly onto your character, which streamlines the process. These programs also show you the changes to your character as you make them, which is a more accurate method than creating the textures on a flat template using an image editor. When you are finished with the texture, you can download the results to your computer or, if you use MCSkinner, upload it directly to your "Minecraft" profile.
Image Editors
- You can also use image-editing software such as GIMP, Paint.NET and Pixlr (links in Resources) to create your own textures for your "Minecraft" character. Log in to your account and download the reference skin from the "Minecraft" website (link in Resources). Open the reference skin, which is in the PNG format, with the image editor of your choice, replace the default textures with your own, and then save the resulting PNG file. To avoid the use of invisible characters, which can be used to "grief" other players, "Minecraft" does not allow the use of transparencies when texturing a character.
Uploading Your Character
- For other players to see your custom character during online games, you must first upload the PNG file. Character textures are stored on a Minecraft Skins server hosted by Mojang. To upload your custom textures, sign in to your "Minecraft" account (link in Resources) to view your profile, click the "Upload" button, and then select the PNG file containing the character textures you have created. If your custom character is not visible after uploading and launching the game, check the Mojang Support Center (link in Resources) to see if the Minecraft Skins server is online and available.
Local Character Textures
- If you are unable to connect to the Internet and want to use your custom character texture during a single player match, you have to manually add your PNG file to the "Minecraft" JAR file. Open the "Minecraft" JAR file -- named "1.6.2.jar" in the latest version of the game as of publication -- using an archive extraction program such as WinZIP or WinRAR. Rename your "char.PNG" file to, for example, "Steve.PNG" and overwrite the original file located in the "assets/minecraft/textures/entity" folder of the JAR file. Launch the game, and then press "F5" to switch to the third-person camera view in order to see your custom character.

Computer Games