Creating Overlays
How to create custom clothing overlay PNGs for ClothesPlus using the Skin Editor or external tools.
Overview
Clothing overlays in ClothesPlus are standard 64×64 pixel PNG files in the Minecraft skin format. Only the pixels that represent your clothing item should be filled — everything else must be fully transparent.
Using the Skin Editor
The easiest way to create overlays is with our built-in Skin Editor:
Go to anonventions.org/skin-editor/ in your browser.
Draw your clothing item on the appropriate body parts. The 3D preview shows exactly how it will look in-game.
Save your overlay as a 64×64 PNG file.
Place the PNG in the appropriate category folder under plugins/ClothesPlus/overlays/.
Run /clothes reload to make the new overlay available in the wardrobe.
Overlay Format Rules
All overlays must be 64×64 pixels in the standard Minecraft skin format. Other dimensions will not work.
Key Points
- Transparent pixels show the player's base skin underneath
- Only paint the pixels for your clothing item — leave everything else transparent
- File names become display names (underscores → spaces:
Red_Hoodie.png→ "Red Hoodie") - Overlays are layered on top of each other based on category priority
Category Folders
Organize overlays into category folders:
- overlays
- shirts
- tshirt.png
- formal_shirt.png
- pants
- jeans.png
- shorts.png
- hats
- baseball_cap.png
- wizard_hat.png
- shoes
- accessories
- full-outfits
Grayscale Overlays (Color Tinting)
Create overlays in grayscale to enable in-game color tinting:
- Use shades of gray only (no color)
- Mid-gray (128) = the base tint color
- Lighter values = highlights
- Darker values = shadows
This lets one overlay file produce unlimited color variants. See Shading & Color Tinting for details.
External Tools
You can also use any pixel art editor that supports 64×64 PNGs with transparency:
- Blockbench — 3D modeling tool with skin editor
- PMCSkin3D — Online Minecraft skin editor
- GIMP / Photoshop — For advanced editing
- Aseprite — Professional pixel art tool
Always preview your overlay in the Skin Editor before deploying to make sure it aligns correctly with the Minecraft skin template.