Full Colour Sign in TF2 - Latest Guide (Decal Tool & Conscientious Objector)

Image Editing Site: pixlr.com/
***FAQ***
- QUIT OUT OF TF2 DURING THIS PROCESS!
- Folder: tf\custom\userstuff\scripts\items\custom_texture_blend_layers\
- Make sure your folders are written in EXACTLY that way. Use lower case, etc.
- Size must be 128 x 128, ratio 1:1 (square)
- Must be .png
- In Windows, you can enable 'File Name Extensions' (Google it) - double check that your file is called 'paper_overlay.png', and not 'paper_overlay.png.png', or similar. Only use 'paper_overlay.png'.
- In TF2, when choosing your image, always choose the file you've dropped into custom_texture_blend_layers, do NOT pick the image file in your downloads folder
- Call your image 'flair_template_guide' to recolour a Flair! (otherwise same process)
- Try this guide for other items: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
- My video is adapted from this guide: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
- My older 60 second video (same process, less detail): • Full Colour Decals in ...
- No you can't be VAC banned for this, VAC checks for code injection on the TF2 executable, which has nothing to do with adding a png file to your custom folder
Song: Cave Story 3D OST - Safety
Link: • Cave Story 3D OST - Sa...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Links
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
► Patreon
/ woolen
► Twitch
/ awoolensleevelet
► Second KZbin Channel
goo.gl/NeGWCH
► Group
steamcommunity.com/groups/Woolen
► Twitter
/ woolensleevelet
► Discord
/ discord
► Merch!
www.redbubble.com/people/wool...
Credits:
• Intro/Outro music is by: jukiokallio.com (with permission)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

[@awoolensleevelet]

*2024 Edit:* Pixlr has changed the layout on their site, so the scale tool is somewhere else. Currently it's under 'Image' -> 'Resize Image'. This website works too -> imageresizer.com/ You can use any image editor - Gimp is free, and works great too. Just make sure the png is 128 x 128. -------------------------- Hello! While the old 60 second video from 2016 still holds up fine, I've spent the last 6 years getting the same comments over and over about some people not getting it to work. This video is hopefully more in depth (while still not dragging on), and shows an example image editor you can use to get this working 100% of the time If this ever gets patched out, this video will be unlisted. If you see this video, this method still works - just check the description for help, if you need it. Thanks! - woolen

[@willtheoct]

your 2016 video doesnt do 256x256 color and it doesnt look like you learned from that mistake

[@Mai.Calico]

Thank you

[@ItsDemolink]

Having a problem, when applying it everything works out fine until I attempt to apply it. then the game will freeze and crash everytime without applying it.

[@HujinTF]

im having trouble with it, does it matter if there are other files inside the "custom" folder because im doing everything perfectly but its still not working

[@Kobold350]

PLEASE HELP ME I DID EVERYTHING AND IT DID NOT WORK

[@CircuitFoxx]

i sure can't wait to put wholesome and family friendly images on my objector!

[@apotatoman4862]

seems legit

[@theotv5522]

The iron cross

[@emmettbarley5721]

🌚

[@Shemiryy]

🌚

[@VsAngeel]

🌚

[@jortand]

Step 1: Quit TF2 What you are asking for is impossible Woolen.

[@Jedi-ge6lr]

It is only impossible because you claim it to be.

[@l3g0b0y6]

First step: lose the game.

[@Incognito4]

​@@Jedi-ge6lrThat joke flew over your head like a Jet didn't it?

[@Jedi-ge6lr]

@@Incognito4 I was making a reference to a Star Wars meme.

[@T1mm0s]

If only every tutorial was this good. Short, concise, to the point, no intro or outro, clear instructions, it just has everything a tutorial needs and nothing more.

[@SoundCosine70]

Guys, please please please make sure that you spelled the files correctly. Just spent 30 minutes trying to find what I did wrong in the steps and just thought my computer was being dumb, when in reality, I just misspelled "custom_texture_blend_layers" by putting TEXTURES instead. So, if it isn't working, make sure the files aren't misspelled at all.

[@mistzito]

was having the same inssue xD

[@moneywalrus2069]

for everyone who did everything right and just can't figure it out, make sure to check the image size, i was struggling for a good twenty minutes because i spelled everything right and had it in the right order but then i saw that it was two pixels off on the resolution and when i fixed it it worked

[@Merkary]

BTW the “right size” is 128x128, not 256x256

[@GoobGoblinGoob]

Thankyou!!! This was my problem

[@PapaBarnacle]

thank you king

[@panda__king365]

oooohohhhhhh ty soo much dude

[@torres5957]

i love you

[@specterknight0542]

Thank you for this video, i was struggling to get it right with the color but now i can finally put my "Fine astronaut art" in my conscientious objector, thank you so much

[@awoolensleevelet]

Glad to hear

[@muscleman5133]

@@awoolensleevelet if we already have a paper_overlay can we do a second one for another conscienstious objector

[@Maker_7]

@@muscleman5133 a bit late to the reply but yeah

[@Paragon._.]

6 years later and he is still helping out, legend.

[@EggZu_]

This isn't exactly 60 seconds long wtf. But for real your tutorials are always so damn good and I don't get why so many people fail to make tutorials like this But also -this should just be fixed in game

[@cloudshifter]

It's easy to make a tutorial. There was a really funny video parody about it Step 1) don't ell your name, nobody gives a rats ass about it, all they want is to get the thing done. Step 2) show the result first before anything to show them what it will look like so they can immidietly click off if that's not what they want. Step 3) Do it like me, one thing at a time, first this, then this, then the other thing Step 4) explain why you choose the options you choose and why you place something there to make people understand what they are even looking at. Step 5) Congratulations, you made a tutorial that will save lives.

[@Haddad-i_made_u_read_this]

@@cloudshifter this should be put in the law

[@Artician]

It got removed from the game by valve, so it's safe to say it won't ever come back

[@ender_arrows682]

This has got to be the best tutorial I've ever seen, I had a little bump along the way, but somehow going back to your old 60 second video managed to fix things

[@CHevelleOfficial]

where is the layout and template i cant find it

[@Gilgamesh54]

Neither can I find lay and template

[@Neceptus]

For people doing this in recent times, try using smart resize right where the crop option is. It basically does everything for you.

[@Nylect]

You are a God-send, now I can put totally safe and family friendly images onto my sign!

[@roschekarobloxandtf2945]

i did all the steps and it still makes me apply the team fortress 2 filter

[@nyanezt9636]

i immediately recognized the cave story tune :D lovely game, and thanks for the more in depth tutorial

[@justaginger5838]

Thank you so much for the tutorial! I was able to apply my image in full color for the first time in years!

[@christopher-yt5bq]

I've been waiting for this sequel for years

[@ChiwyKun]

this has been the easiest tutorial i have ever followed, done in a few minutes, thank you very much good samaritan

[@burgundy8897]

for anyone complaining about layout and template being gone, just use smart resize. its on the same crop tab. after that ur done. for the record i just did it and the image on the objector has full color.

[@boar_attack]

what i decide to do in smart resize, can you tell

[@HuffytheMagicDragon]

Thanks this worked out for me, another tutorial had me confused about naming it “paper_overlay.png” instead of “paper_overlay” with it just being a PNG

[@A_random_tf2_fan]

trying to do this in 2024 is pain

[@Mr.Isflcis]

frfr

[@FredChuck64]

Thank you so much for this tutorial! Clear and concise! Just the way I like it! I just had one question: What do you do if you want to save multiple images? I have one file named paper_overlay just like you said, but when I try and do this again it says: “paper_overlay.png already exists.” “Do you want to replace it?” I’m not sure what to do, I don’t want to erase my existing picture, so what do I do if I want to save more images???

[@awoolensleevelet]

Yeah just overwrite the overlay png, it won't affect your old sign

[@lambdrey]

@@awoolensleevelet That's a great help, thanks.

[@Png_gaming]

It appears in full colour when It opens the image, but when I click next, it is not in full colour.

[@_JustynkaPL]

same

[@Svatik-ft2sd]

same

[@yougnomed630]

same

[@Png_gaming]

@@yougnomed630 I actually ended up fixing this, but I can’t remember how, try looking at another tutorial.

[@Mridkmyname]

Perfect tutorial straight to the point only says the important stuff and even provides the necessary tools 10/10

[@artenal36]

Thank uou so much!!! you have no idea for how long I was trting to do this man I love you dude

[@fizzlebottom7000]

I seem to do everything right, however it will show the full color on the first preview, but it will look like the gradient on the second preview. Is there a way to fix this or?

[@Bagplants]

hi woolen thanks for your help! so many years in the future and its still doing good :)

[@awoolensleevelet]

; )

[@funkymonkey2167]

Worked after a couple of tries, thanks!

[@yairstvgames3859]

thank you very much man you are the best!!!👑

[@cat-nl4sv]

This was very helpful as i got my objector from the steam marketplace, and it came with a very questionable image lets just say it was "furry art"

[@Kyunin9]

Hot

[@Tiddy_Sylveon_GF]

Ah yes furry art indeed Just like what i put on mine

[@Mr.nesser]

I have the issue where when I put the image on the conscientious I see it in full color but when I press next, I no longer see it in its original colors but instead it looks horrendous. Any help?

[@Mr.nesser]

I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT. It has to be a png. I was always using a jpeg. That's what caused the problem

[@vikinglad9985]

Thanks for adding in a program that properly adjusts the image size, that’s what my problem was

[@TreeGaming-tt3de]

Thanks you for the help! Now i have my favorite melee in this game :D

[@dimasddfoxy1492]

Holy shit thank you so much for this video so many years i could never get these to work because every other vid was just useless

[@gameparty-yt7290]

nice sign thank woln!

[@raumerherr1057]

tysm, cropping before scaling saved me

[@endruler8625]

So I followed this exactly as you said, but it still doesn't show up in full color. Any idea what went wrong? EDIT: I figured it out, I had saved it as a jpg, not a png. So quick tip for anyone having trouble, make sure it's saved as a png, jpg doesn't work

[@crististroia3594]

thanks I did the same

[@Ditto366]

TIP: if its not working, use an online converter to switch the sign_overlay image from jpg to png (renaming corrupts it) hope this helps!

[@KudosK42]

Thank you so much man

[@swbfuf]

Thank you kind internet person

[@sgt.miningdrill2680]

dosent matter because it still dosent work

[@swbfuf]

@@sgt.miningdrill2680 nah fam, you doing something wrong, i just did it this way and it works

[@chaoswhaletv6306]

@@swbfuf doesnt matter because it still not working

[@slav9887]

Very useful video, thanks :D

[@dimitrimoisiades7292]

So I just did one and I’m trying to do a second one. Do I still name the file the same thing or can I do something different? Also when I’m about to use the decal tool for the second image I see the image of the one before. Is that a bug?

[@arthurwolff]

i followed this tutorial, made a 1:1 128x128px image, put it in custom/userstuff/scripts/items/custom_texture_blend_layers/ saved as paper_overlay.png and still got the gradient. i did reload Tf2 several times, tried saving the image into the folder while Tf2 was off too, but nothing seems to work i always get the gradient

[@ThatMS]

Im having the same problem...

[@awoolensleevelet]

What operating system? Do you have hidden file extensions enabled? (It's possible to call the file .png.png) Is there anything in the description that could help

[@blitzgaming3634]

Yeah I'm getting that same problem

[@Perinone]

Is the file a PNG? It must be png, not jpg.

[@Yonaka86]

@@Perinone THANK YOU SO MUCh

[@TheOneAndOnlyCatfish.]

Too anyone else out there that did everything right and it still didn't work, make sure that the image is 128 x 128, It has to be 128 x 128, NOT JUST 1:1 for example if it was say, 480 x 480, while yes it IS 1:1, it still wouldn't work because it isn't 128 x 128.

[@yoozoo2]

idc if this is nine months old this helped me so much by just following the steps I was so confused before but now it works ty so much

[@Dan_too]

amazing guide

[@tnd9086]

thank you, i can now share wholesome and family friendly content with the team fortress community

[@TournavisTheBlind]

Blind guy here, thanks for the improved guide! used the first guide and got a gradiant image... Lucily i was able to use my second decal tool for this one! :D

[@awoolensleevelet]

glad to hear :D

[@TournavisTheBlind]

@@awoolensleevelet also, what do I do if i want multiple objectors?

[@awoolensleevelet]

redo the steps but change the picture

[@kuswerdz]

@@awoolensleevelet how does that work, you can't name two pictures the same thing

[@Pyro_fortress]

@@awoolensleevelet yeah please. What do we do we can’t name it the same thing

[@WOJ1X]

Thanks men you are the best!

[@DoctorMedicrizz]

THX Mate you helped me a lot

[@TomBowser]

good video mister sleevelet

[@DarkFEPKMN]

Mr. Woolen my toes fell off when I tried to follow this high-quality video game sign tutorial. Please help. This wasn't included in the guide and the method no longer works clearly. You've been fooled. This wasn't a real complaint comment at all and was just to help boost your engagement numbers.

[@awoolensleevelet]

thank you for the engagement :^)

[@MrMozzie]

if anyone else was having the same issue I was, having it be 128x128 is a necessity, I was trying to push it farther but you gotta just make it 128x128

[@Decidue]

Although this took me much longer and I had to figure out some different stuff, I finally made my decal normal thanks to this guide

[@tiddieparadise]

what if we want to make several signs ? do we just delete the already existing image from before in custom_texture_blend_layers ?

[@awoolensleevelet]

yeah exactly

[@calebrands4912]

@@awoolensleevelet Thank you. That was exactly what I needed to know.

[@Mundwasser]

tried that... didn't work :/

[@P0t4t0m4n]

ok so my problem is that whenever i choose the image it appears in full color, after that when i clicked "next" it just went back to the limited color palette, just wondering if that is normal or not

[@awoolensleevelet]

I've heard a few people get that, I've never been able to reproduce it though If you're willing to burn the decal tool to test it might be worth trying anyway and accepting the loss if it doesn't work

[@slime_jelly201]

i had this issue too, but then realised i messed up the filename for the custom_texture_blend_layers folder. try double checking your file spelling.

[@P0t4t0m4n]

@@awoolensleevelet the problem is that the video is outdated, i looked it up and there's an updated tutorial and it worked great

[@P0t4t0m4n]

@@slime_jelly201 ^

[@kndust2028]

@@P0t4t0m4n what was the video if i can ask? i have your similiar problem

[@IllegalCheeseCake.]

will the picture always be pixelated? my picture has really low resolution because of how small I had to make it

[@TheAnt-qd1ey]

Hey if I wanna add more images, do I keep putting the file names as paper_overlay??

[@wrwinter]

you forgot the most important step, which is to absolutely not use this guide if your image is some kind of hideous pornographic monstrosity

[@awoolensleevelet]

correct lol

[@papasmurf5750]

If you convert the image to vtf instead of png, you can get it to be much higher quality.

[@awoolensleevelet]

I think some users have enough trouble getting the png's filename right before worrying about configuring vtfedit, but that's a good point to know

[@willtheoct]

@@awoolensleevelet good thing you dont need filenames and paths when working with vtfs!

[@awoolensleevelet]

that's definitely a bonus then, I've found that people don't trust downloading external programs though, and I'm not sure if there's an easy built in method to save a vtf that would be simpler to most people than a couple of folders and a png (although it's definitely cleaner)

[@willtheoct]

@@awoolensleevelet well, its quite unfortunate that this video is labeled as a tutorial then, as making 256x256 full color signs requires VTFEdit. Without your videos appearing in google, people might find the steam guide and vtfedit instead

[@awoolensleevelet]

thats fine, as long as people find the info they want

[@wethillbilly]

thank you so much bro

[@Dragonslayer-fs8dh]

I found a Problem. When I had 2 picture both named the way they should ( the second was forced to have a (2) befor .png) and in the first image everything was fine but in the second it took the first overlay picture and switched it for the second one

[@croma2068]

Very good video, now remake your "the reasons behind all weapon bans" video as well ;)

[@awoolensleevelet]

lmao

[@Sypitz]

No idea why they didn’t make the filters optional, at the least

[@awoolensleevelet]

it was originally to try and maintain the integrity of the game's design lmao

[@croma2068]

@@awoolensleevelet Before Valve said "fuck it, banana hat" and made the game look like a cosplay convention :(

[@leightonjoseph3794]

Thanks for a very clear informative video. I've been trying to do this on a photo badge and I did everything right in the video, but it still wont appear in colour. Is it the same as photo badge or is there something else I have to do?

[@awoolensleevelet]

Photo badge is a different system, you'll want to check Google

[@TerribleVA]

Yep! it sure does Work! to bad when i try to create an image it just bitcrushes everything

[@badscout6781]

finally I can make my googly eyes nekopara sign thanks woolman

[@awoolensleevelet]

good taste

[@1xfxmanlol]

this isnt working

[@FilliamPL]

If you have a custom HUD, then do everything he says, but instead of making a /userstuff/ folder, just use the custom HUD's folder.

[@burgerrei2398]

​@@FilliamPL I tried that but it's still fucked up I hate n1tehud man :(

[@mire4794]

The image doesn't appear in the file when I go to TF2 and try to use a decal. The folder is just empty. How do I fix this?

[@TheScout27]

THANKS MAN!

[@demoknight864]

hi, i was following this tutorial and for some reason it just does not work. It's a great tutorial, but i must have made a very slight and small mistake somewhere but i just can't find it. The only thing differing from this tutorial in specific is that in the "customs" folder, there is more than just the "userstuff" folder. There is a folder named "workshop" and a "readme". This is probably not what's causing the issue, but idk what else it could be. If i solve this myself i will have already replied to this comment. Thanks :)

[@demoknight864]

turns out i spelled the last filename wrong. Thanks for the great guide!

[@egg.559]

When I got to the last step and selected the image it says “error, image file is corrupt”

[@traditur_]

Ayy! Thanks Mate!

[@Friendly_Forest_Goblin]

Hey thanks so much you deserve so much love for this is this so easy!

[@y4OGHAI]

Thank you!

[@Debonsia]

I'm putting a noble nickel amassment of hats on my objector

[@elijahfriedline9381]

Holey hell it worked. It didn't right away but It worked after I made sure everything was spelt correctly. thanks man!

[@CasparFloof]

It's wanting me to put in color pallette on the second step even though I see my image in full color on step 1, anything to fix ?

[@Robert_SK10R]

When I select my image it looks fine but when I get to the gradient part it just becomes a mess, I didn't touch any options that you didn't modify.

[@definetlynotamainacc8773]

Much obliged pardner.

[@sleepyshinx174]

It keeps switching to my steam pfp when i select my image. I followed the directions exactly so idk what im doing wrong.

[@logiano7552]

Love the Dan G image at the start

[@macaronitony93]

worked perfectly!! thank you so much!!

[@DiamondDovesArt]

Worked like a charm! thank you!

[@A_DerangedApe]

Thank you for the tutorial, it was very clean and clear on what todo.

[@Me74310]

What a Nice and efficient tutorial, let me say thank you. "I didn't need your help you know" ... "Thanks mate!" That's better.

[@vitaliyradchuk3864]

Once medic saved me and I wanted to thank him, but upon clicking "Thanks" my demoman replied with that line. Demo my man, you DID need his help that time.... xD

[@isopod_gaming-real-]

simple yet informative, straight to the point.

[@godofweed5745]

I’m using pixlr x and I don’t have a resize page(scale) mine says smart resize and below it a background button. Those are the only two for layout and template

[@Thenoob64727]

THANKS SO MUCH IM ADDICTED TO PANS AND I PUT A GOLDEN PAN AS MY PIC

[@BreadLoafer1]

i've seen it full color in the select image but i seem to still not have it full color on the preview and color

[@TheKingPickle.]

thank you so much, although earlier I missed the biggest detail of all, putting it in the custom folder lol

[@ProEFB]

yipee now i can have the skeleton head playing the saxaphone , the cosmetic named "the death stare" and "the bonedolier" at the same time :D

[@SmallNerds]

every time I select the image it shows up in color but when i hit next its the gradient

[@_SEAL-]

is there a way to keep the high quality of the image? when i look the sign of other players their images are soo clear. Also when i choose the image in the first step is fullcolor but then when click next is not full color anymore what i have to do? :(

[@bignose1752]

the "Layout and Template" option simply doesn't exist?

[@c1oudylive]

does this work for the flair! item? it doesnt seem to but if there is another way please let me know.

[@c1oudylive]

nvm i just saw the text at the end sorry to bother you

[@Sonolo2000]

hey! everthing works fine but when i go to the last step for the color shadders, my image is all weird and won't apply colors. Any idea why? (for context, i only get the color of the proposed palettes, my image has some blue, but i only get browns and reds)

[@martinyoon5252]

Same here

[@officerpapajohns9061]

for some reason i tried all ya steps but they dont work at all for some reason you got another site or another way of doing it ?

[@MadamVilgilanteBunny]

So when I go to use the decal tool I chose my image and it bugs out and switches to my steam pfp, I don't know why?

[@CanoTheVolcano]

I did all the steps and the preview looks correct but when I get to the "fortressize" page, it looks really gross and the only colors are in the gradient

[@hamsi_bey4850]

from my experience you need to save it after you edit it. it didn't work when i named it something else and changed it to paper_overlay later

[@Tenma_Gold]

Never mind! i though it did not work but FINNALY after like 8 years of trying and very stupid videos that overexplain it and it just did not work, but finally it did!!! thank you so much!!!

[@RoboKeen.]

What if I already have another Objector image saved under the paper_overlay name? I can't save it under the same name.