How i make my own custom Background

I take no responsibility for your switch if you follow this guide!


What you need:

- CFW on 5.1 (idont know if it runs with 6.0) with newest Layeredfs
- common.szs File (from a exist custom background mod, you will find one on my discord)
- sarctool - https://github.com/aboood40091/SARC-Tool/releases
- BNTXEditor - https://github.com/aboood40091/BNTX-Editor/releases/tag/v0.3
- Photoshop with Intel DDS - http://gametechdev.github.io/Intel-Texture-Works-Plugin/
- 1280x720 or 1920x1080 Background

First,

Install the Intel DDS Plugin and open Photoshop.
Open your wish background in Photoshop and go to "Save as"

Select File Format "Intel Textur Works DDS"

Save it will open an attribute window, choose the following attributes:

- Texture Typ: Color
- Compression: BC1 4bpp (Linear)
- Mip Maps: Auto generate

click ok.

Extract sarctool and put the common.szs file into the same folder.
Open CMD by typing in the path of Explorer "CMD" and press "Enter".

Enter the following in the CMD window: sarc_tool main common.szs

A folder is created called common.

Extract BNTXEditor and open it.
Select "Open File" and select the file "__Combined.bntx" (common\timg) from the folder that was previously created.

Select the "White1x1_180^r" DDS.
Replace it with your before created DDS from Photoshop and uncheck in the poping out window "Use SRGB when possible".
And safe it.

Go back to cmd Window and typing: sarc_tool main -o common-new.szs -little -commpress 9 common

A file is created called common-new.szs.

Delete the original "common.szs" file and rename the file "common-new.szs" to "common.szs"

Create on your Switch-SD-Card the following folder path: atmosphere\titles\0100000000001000\romfs\lyt
And copy the "common.szs" file into \lyt

And last but not least, start your Switch with newest Layeredfs.

Done!

NOTE: When starting it can come to an error. Then just restart again until the switch boots.



"thanks to everyone who has been working on themes"
https://gbatemp.net/threads/custom-themes-arrive-on-switch-via-homebrew.518779/

 

[BlastedGuy9905]

How i make my own custom Background

I take no responsibility for your switch if you follow this guide!


What you need:

- CFW on 5.1 (idont know if it runs with 6.0) with newest Layeredfs
- common.szs File from your Qlaunch (\romfs\lyt)
- sarctool - https://github.com/aboood40091/SARC-Tool/releases
- BNTXEditor - https://github.com/aboood40091/BNTX-Editor/releases/tag/v0.3
- UWizard - https://wiidatabase.de/wii-u-downloads/pc-tools/uwizard/
- Photoshop with Intel DDS - http://gametechdev.github.io/Intel-Texture-Works-Plugin/
- 1280x720 Background

First,

Install the Intel DDS Plugin and open Photoshop.
Open your wish background in Photoshop and go to "Save as"
Select as File Format "Intel Textur Works DDS"
Save it will open an attribute window, choose the following attributes:

- Texture Typ: Color
- Compression: BC1 4bpp (Linear)
- Mip Maps: Auto generate

click ok.

Extract sarctool and put the common.szs file into the same folder.
Open CMD by typing in the path of Explorer "CMD".

Enter the following in the CMD window: sarc_tool main common.szs
A folder is created called common.

Extract BNTXEditor and open it.
Select "Open File" and select the file "__Combined.bntx" (common\timg) from the folder that was previously created.
Select the "White1x1_180^r" DDS.
Replace it with your before created DDS from Photoshop and uncheck in the poping out window "Use SRGB when possible".
And safe it.

Go back to cmd Window and typing: sarc_tool main -o common-new.szs -little -commpress 9 common

Copy the common-new.szs File from sarctool folder to a another Folder and renamed it to "common.szs"

Next, extract Uwizard and select "Archive-Manager" and then "ZSZ-Compress" select your new created "common.zsz" file.
Select another folder to save the file with the same name otherwise, an error will occur.

Create on your Switch-SD-Card the following folder path: atmosphere\titles0100000000001000\romfs\lyt
And copy the compressed "common.zsz" file into \lyt

And last but not least, start your Switch with newest Layeredfs.

Done!

NOTE: When starting it can come to an error. Then just restart again until the switch boots.



credits to: einso, creatable, cellenseres, vorphixx and erin coles

Cool tutorial, but next time please ask someone else to proofread it so typos can be eliminated!

 

[GRAnimated]

Next, extract Uwizard and select "Archive-Manager" and then "ZSZ-Compress" select your new created "common.zsz" file.

It's szs, not zsz.
Your tutorial has many things wrong with it, btw. Your SARC Tool command is wrong for recompressing, UWizard is incredibly outdated, and you're spelling can be eh. Also, you should credit everyone, and properly.

 

[exelix11]

Before people actually try this let me tell you that it won't work with an original custom.szs, you need one that has been patched to load images from white1x1_180.
The op didn't dump it from his own console.
You can find on the internet already patched themes you can use for this tutorial (you can tell cause they have custom backgrounds) , I'm not saying where cause they're copyrighted files and shouldn't be shared here.

We are working on a tool that can be used to patch any common.szs

 

[BlastedGuy9905]

Before people actually try this let me tell you that it won't work with an original custom.szs, you need one that has been patched to load images from white1x1_180.
The op didn't dump it from his own console.
You can find on the internet already patched themes you can use for this tutorial (you can tell cause they have custom backgrounds) , I'm not saying where cause they're copyrighted files and shouldn't be shared here.

We are working on a tool that can be used to patch any common.szs

THATS WHY MY THEMES DIDNT WORK. OH MY GOD.

 

[bodyXY]

It's szs, not zsz.
Your tutorial has many things wrong with it, btw. Your SARC Tool command is wrong for recompressing, UWizard is incredibly outdated, and you're spelling can be eh. Also, you should credit everyone, and properly.

Tested by my own works! If anything is wrong, tell me what's wrong, see no mistake. If it does, I'll correct it.

 

[Chocola]

A lot of thanks for the guide ^^

I guess that the best size for the background are 1920px × 1080px (the resolution reached on docked mode), I think you should specify it on the guide.

 

[bodyXY]

A lot of thanks for the guide ^^

I guess that the best size for the background are 1920px × 1080px (the resolution reached on docked mode), I think you should specify it on the guide.

1280x720 Docked mode

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Before people actually try this let me tell you that it won't work with an original custom.szs, you need one that has been patched to load images from white1x1_180.
The op didn't dump it from his own console.
You can find on the internet already patched themes you can use for this tutorial (you can tell cause they have custom backgrounds) , I'm not saying where cause they're copyrighted files and shouldn't be shared here.

We are working on a tool that can be used to patch any common.szs

OK, I did not know that. Change it in the TuT

 

[Traiver]

About the credits: We mean everyone. You have nothing found out on your own. And next time, please don’t use heavily outdated tools and try to make no mistakes while writing up a tutorial.

 

[exelix11]

About the credits: We mean everyone. You have nothing found out on your own. And next time, please don’t use heavily outdated tools and try to make no mistakes while writing up a tutorial.

Oh and yeah credits would be great, cause you know, these guys found out custom themes on the switch and I'm the one who made the patch

 

[Chocola]

1280x720 Docked mode

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



OK, I did not know that. Change it in the TuT

On the Switch specifications, Ninty say that dock mode reach the 1080p, can't check it myself because the TV where I connect the Switch it's only HD Ready (max 720p) :/

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

common.szs File from a exist custom background mod

Can you provide a base file for this or it's copyrighted material?

 

[bodyXY]

About the credits: We mean everyone. You have nothing found out on your own. And next time, please don’t use heavily outdated tools and try to make no mistakes while writing up a tutorial.

THIS NOT THE TRUTH!


Only the information, which file it is, is yours alone. Everything else I knew myself. This is not magic. The tools have been around for a long time. Do you believe, why I wrote, you can use your own common file. And also to compress use another program to do that. Because I did not read your stuff or did not have it from you.
Already on the first day as OG did the Qlaunch 6.0.0-dev fun, I already searched files without end.

 

[Chocola]

Keep calm guys, I always respect the credits, all of us should work together instead fight.

He make and share the guide (this is enought for me to put hiself on credits as the guide author) and put the credits of researchers on it too, didn't see where it's the problem :/

 

[Zer0w]

But how to make all of this work with ReinX, where should the folders go?

EDIT:
Got it figured out.

 

[Tsunn7]

I just noticed that if I have the custom background active, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (with all the dlcs) doesnt boot and crash. If I remove the background, XC boots again just fine.
I'm using ReiNX.

 

[Chocola]

I just noticed that if I have the custom background active, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (with all the dlcs) doesnt boot and crash. If I remove the background, XC boots again just fine.
I'm using ReiNX.

Can you explain me where I can get some custom background file to make my own and on what folder I should put it on ReiNX?

I never use layeredFS before, so I don't know where I should place it :/

 

[Tsunn7]

Can you explain me where I can get some custom background file to make my own and on what folder I should put it on ReiNX?

I never use layeredFS before, so I don't know where I should place it :/

You have to place fs_mitm.kip on root -> ReiNX -> sysmodules

As for custom backgrounds, there are tons here https://discord.gg/uxbMcc

 

[Naked_Snake]

Has anyone got this working on 6.0.0 yet

 

[PanTheFaun]

I can't get any of these to work. :c
I have tried multiple times and placed them in the correct folder but still nothing.

 

[TamarindoJuice]

I can't get any of these to work. :c
I have tried multiple times and placed them in the correct folder but still nothing.

Are you on ReiNX?
Use the fs_mitm.kip from the 1.2 release, i got the same problem, it was just the fs_mitm.kip from latest SDFiles release not working/loading my titlkes folder under SD card.
Here: https://github.com/Reisyukaku/ReiNX/releases/tag/v1.2