Gran Turismo Sport is the first game in Gran Turismo history to have a full livery editor. Not only that, but you can actually upload your own graphics to use on your GT Sport cars. It is extremely cool, but there are some technical bits you must know before attempting this.
Decal Upload Requirements
The first step to understand the requirements is to learn what is and isn’t allowed. Right off the bat, you must upload a SVG file. The majority of you will not have even heard of an SVG file, but by the end of this guide you will be fully knowledgeable and able to upload whatever you please.
Picture vs Vector
There are basically two types of images in the world. Bitmap and Vector images. Bitmap images are basically standard photos from a camera. These have to worry about megapixels and the size of the image. Vector, on the other hand, is more like a company logo. It is made in a computer program and can be scaled to however large or small you want it without losing quality. You can take a vector image and make it a bitmap, but you can’t take a bitmap and make it into a vector (without a lot of work). This is why a vector image is preferable in many cases.
I am sure you have all printed, or zoomed in too far to a photo and seen it go all pixelated and become blurry. That is because it is a Bitmap image. A Vector image never looses its sharpness. You can print a Vector image on a billboard or a business card and the image will look the same. Always stays sharp This is the exact reason why GT Sport allows only SVG images as they can scale large or small without breaking down the quality. You wouldn’t want to put a decal on the trunk and have it look fine, but when you stretch it to fit the entire door it becomes blurry.
The problem for most of you is how do you get an SVG image? You can’t just take a photo off the internet and upload it to GT Sport. All images must be converted to SVG format. This means that not all images can be used, and a little bit of work may be required. However, once you do have an SVG file there is nothing cooler than seeing it on a GT Sport car.
How to Make an SVG File
You basically have two options. You can either find and download a SVG file off the internet, or you can make your own. If there is a company logo, or certain shape you want I suggest just downloading it. However, if you want something very specific you will need to make your own. Also, there are times when you can download a file off the internet and can convert it to a SVG file, which I will explain later.
We will start with the easiest way, which is downloading off of the internet. It is pretty simple, you go to Google and type in a company logo, image, whatever you want on your car and add “SVG” after it. Example, search for “Nike SVG” on Google and click on one of the first few links. It is probably gonna take you to a website that has what you want in the correct format already. Just make sure that whatever file you plan on using ends with “.svg”, so that Nike logo should say “Nike.svg” (without the brackets) when you download it. All you have to do is upload it and you’re done.
Where to Download Pre-made SVG Files
There are many sites that have already made Vector files of large company logos that give them away for free. The best sites that I recommend is brandsoftheworld.com, which has basically everything, and seekvectorlogo.com, which doesn’t have as much, but is still good. Seekvectorlogo.com already has all their stuff in an SVG format, which makes things a lot easier, so I would suggest checking there first, however, brandsoftheworld.com has much more.
Just a warning, technically you can use these logos for GT Sport, or on a fun project, but you do not own the rights to use the logo anywhere else. They are still copyright material and you will definitely get sued if you start adding Nike logos to all of your business promotional material, for example. Do not do that. Just use the logos for fun in GT Sport.
The second option is to make one yourself. This takes a lot more work, and you need special software, but is still fairly easy once you get the hang of it. Plus, it will add a new skill to your life that could benefit you later in your career.
The best software to use to create Vector files is Adobe Illustrator. This is what all the professionals use because it works great. However, it also costs money. For something as simple as a Decal for GT Sport I do not suggest you purchase professional software. Luckily, there is lots of free software that can accomplish the same thing. Like all free software vs paid software it will not be as good, but will be good enough.
SVG File Specifications
SVG files to be used as User Decals must adhere to the following specifications:
- the file must not be larger than 15kb in size;
- the text must be outlined;
- special drawing (blend) modes such as ‘multiply’ and ‘adding’ are not allowed;
- the file must comply to the SVG 1.0 or 1.1 specifications;
- for gradations, only simple shapes are supported;
- don’t make offensive graphics as you could be banned
How to Create a Vector Image
The free software that I recommend is Vectr. It can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, Linux, or run in a Chrome Browser. The best part is if you don’t want to download it you can even use it online. Needless to say, it covers everything. You can also create an account so you can save files in the software, or just use it without one if you don’t plan on using it much. You can still export the files either way without issues.
It is also very easy to use (see video above for quick overview). Of course, if you know what you’re doing, and/or what to use professional software than Adobe Illustrator is for you. It will allow you to do much more, but the basics is really the same. Select a few shapes and turn it into a picture. There are a million tutorials on how to create vector shapes for Illustrator already, so I am quickly gonna show an example of how to use Vectr as it is free.
Creating a design is simple, you just click a shape on the left side and move it to where you want on the page. Just make sure all your work happens inside the square on the page. That is the actual area that will be seen on your GT Sport car. Example, you click the “square” icon on the left, click on the page, and drag the mouse until you have a square, or rectangle shape. Hold down “shift” on your keyboard to make sure it is a perfect square if that is what you want. Holding “shift” always keeps the object perfect. On the right side is where you can change the colour. You can also click on the square and drag it around to reposition it.
On the right hand side is where you can change the colour as well as a few other options. You can create a boarder around your object, have no colour on the inside and just have an outline, create shadows, and much more. If you have never used any design software before this all may seem confusing, but just play around with it and it will become easy. Once you understand the interface is when you can start to get creative with your designs.
There is also a drawing tool called the “Pen Tool”, which can be used to draw any shape you want. For example, you could import an image you like and trace it with the pen tool to make it a vector image. I suggest starting with just using regular objects to create shapes, but once you get better at that is when you should try out the pen tool. It is tricky to understand at first, but isn’t that difficult to use and will allow you to have very unique designs. You will not understand reading about it, so make sure to watch the tutorial below. Just make sure to practice to get better. There are also millions of tutorials on the pen tool for Illustrator, which mostly also apply to Vectr.
Once your drawing is done you click “Export” in the top right and upload it to GT Sport. It is super easy.
Editing an .ai file to be .svg
Some vector images you may download from the internet will end in “.ai” instead of “.svg”. This is not a problem and will be easy to solve. Basically, an “.ai” file is an Adobe Illustrator specific file and a “.svg” file is kind of a general vector file. It can be opened and used by a lot more programs. The easiest way to convert the file is to use cloudconvert and just drag and drop the file in.
- Download “.ai” file from a website
- Go to cloudconvert.com
- Select file or files you want converted
- Press the large convert button at the bottom right
- Press download next to the file
That is literally it. It is insanely easy. Just head to the GT Sport site to upload and you will have it on your car in no time.
How to Upload
Once you have the file you want on your car all you have to do is upload it. Head to the GT Sport website and sign in to your PlayStation account (the same one you use for GT Sport). Once that is done select the “Community” tab at the top, and then “Decal Uploader”. Just drag and drop your .svg file or select it from you files, add the title etc, and you should be able to use it in game.
Just make sure you select “Start Upload” button and follow the steps. Once everything is done you should see your new picture in your Decals List. If it doesn’t look right or you want to change something in the future you can always delete it and try again.
GT Sport App
You can also download the Gran Turismo® Sport Companion app to easily view yours and other people’s designs. It is a great way to view what designs are already made, so you don’t have to design it yourself. Also, you can browse these designs anywhere and add them to your collection to use whenever you want. There is a an Apple and Android version.
How to Apply Your Design to a GT Sport Car
All you have to do is go to GT Sport, head to “My Library”, click “Decals” and “User Decals”. This is where all your designs will be when applying them in the Livery Editor. Just move them however you like just like you would with a regular decal.
Editing a Design
Editing a design is heading back to your editing software like Vectr and changing what you like. Obviously, you will need to upload this new file to be able to see it in game. However, the easiest way to streamline this process is to access GT Sport on your computer so you can edit the files on your computer and apply them in GT Sport at the same time. I have a full tutorial that show you how to do that as well. It is quite easy and virtually anyone can do it.
If you need any help just leave a comment below!
