The method used in this tutorial is outdated! Use this one instead until i make a new one( and probably even then )

Spoiler: Old Post if you still wanna use that

There is a ban risk doing that!
Nintendo showed us that they don't care if you pirate their whole server or just really wanna get that BotW Shrek-Mod
Ninty doesn't like Modifications of their console and will likely ban you for doing so!
Please don't say i didn't warn you

Also currently the modified files contain copyrighted code and so it's illegal to distribute them here.
What you can share:
- Tools you used for extracting/repacking/modifying the files( hactool, SARCCompress, bntxeditor, uwizard, KURIIMU ,etc.)
- the images in .dds format

Ok i was about to say that sx had an update but i wont recommend you using an cfw that reformats/sizes your eMMC-partitions and has a high brick/ban- risk. Just use tomGERs Files

Also nearly all the themes that are distributed on the discord are for 5.1.0!
If you updated to 6.0.0(for whatever reason you had) your mostly out of luck
But don't worry some peoply are working on themes for 6.0.0 (example Cellenseres)

Also want to give a big shoutout to the whole qcean discord!
These guys made stuff possible which some devs thought was impossible/hardcoded
Big <3 to all of you

I want to make my own backgroundsI just wanna know how to install other peoples backgrounds

1. 
   
   
   
   This thread uses a method which is/will soon be outdated and has heavy stability issues(crashes random at boot). So unless you really want your theme now i would recommend you to wait until qcean(the team behing the costum themes) released their tool for easy qlaunch editing!
   
   
   Alright!
   
   
   First you need a bunch of stuff/tools:
   - SARCCompress for compressing/decompressing your common.szs
   - bntxeditor for swapping out the image
   -> you can get both of them already setup in this .rar (Credit to Evan#0001 on GCN[ sry for forgetting this ])
   
   - a dumped qlaunch OR the common.szs from the lyt folder inside the qlaunch-NCA
   -> this is the difficult part to get because i can't share it here
   You either have to use hacdiskmount in combination with a rawnand.bin(or only the Systempartition), your biskeys for decrypting the Systempartition, them mount it on your PC and search for a folder called "8684b0ddab1581d300a15ebc96c6bf2c" (for 5.1.0), copy the 00 file in that folder to your pc and extract it using hactool with the following command "hactool 00 --intype=nca --romfsdir=romfs"
   OR
   ask nicely on the discord for the "qlaunch_backgrounds.7zip" which not only has the qlaunch files but also the above two programms
   OR (best option)
   go to the discord and grab one of the releases. Then drop the common.szs in that release onto the sarc_tool.exe and now you have your common folder that you can use for the turorial!
   
   I you used one of the latter two you can skip the part where i tell you how to get to the common.szs!
   
   - MS Visual Studio to convert your image into a .dds file (i tried an online converter but sadly it didn't work)
   A lot of people pointet out that it is way easier to use paint.net to convert the images to .dds so i recommend using that one
   - an image thats 720p in the first place (einso said it will also work with 1080 so maybe you can also use that)
   
   
   Ok i got that but how do i do things now?
   
   First take your image and open it up with Visual Studio
   
   
   
   
   Just go File-> Save as and choose .dds:
   
   
   
   
   That was it! Now we have our image
   
   Moving over to the other programms you should have a folder called "romfs" (either from your own dump or an other source) which should contain that:
   
   
   
   
   Navigate to lyt and you should see something like that:
   
   
   
   Don't worry if the common.szs has a different size than yours i already changed the image
   
   If you got the common.szs drag&drop it on the sarc_tool.exe in the programs folder to extract it
   That folder should contain this:
   
   
   
   
   Now open bntxeditor and navigate to common/timg and open the "_Combined.bntx" file
   It should look loke this:
   
   
   
   
   Go down where you see "AppIconMoon^_A" and select "White1x1_180^r"
   
   
   
   
   Now click Replace and select the .dds image you made earlier
   The Preview image should now change to the image you just selected
   
   
   
   
   If everything went well Save the file and then drag the whole common folder you just edited onto the makeszs.bat(the common folder needs to be in the same location as the .bat)
   You should now have a common.szs file
   
   
   
   
   On your SD-card in the CFW-Folder of your choice should be a folder calles "titles" (reinx/titles, atmosphere/titles)
   Create a folder called "0100000000001000" in that titles folder
   In that titles folder create a 0KB File called "fsmitm.flag" (important!)
   Now create a romfs folder in the "0100000000001000" folder so it looks like that:
   
   
   
   
   In that romfs folder create yet another folder named "lyt"
   This is where we put our modified common.szs in!
   
   
   
   
   If you have that in the right titles folder on your SD-Card you can insert it into your switch and boot up the CFW
   After the lockscreen you should see the magic:
   
   
   
   (made by me)
   
   
   
   
   (made by einso#0926)
   
   
   
   (made by Mat#5105)
   
   If you get a blackscreen after the Nintendo Switch Logo you either have an old/unsupported version of fs_mitm.kip or the theme you downloaded doesn't work.
   Test with an theme that's confirmed to work and i recommend using tomGERs SDFiles
   
   
2. It's easy!
   
   Although you can't currently get them here on temp you can go to the qcean-Discord and go to the #community-themes (or #downloads) channel and grab the background that peaked you interest.
   In the .zip/.rar/.7zip should be a folder called "0100000000001000" and in that should be 2 things:
   Another folder called "romfs" and a 0KB file calles "fsmitm.flag"
   
   When you verified that the above 2 things are present you can copy the "0100000000001000" folder to /reinx/titles/ or atmosphere/titles/ (whatever CFW you use) on your SD-Card!
   After that you put the SD-Card in your Switch, boot up hekate/reinx and when your on the homescreen you should see the modified image:
   
   
   
   
   (made by me)
   
   
   
   (made by einso#0926)
   
   
   
   (made by Mat#5105)
   
   If you want an other image just repeat the process and replace the files!
   
   If you get a blackscreen after the Nintendo Switch Logo you either have an old/unsupported version of fs_mitm.kip or the theme you downloaded doesn't work.
   Test with an theme that's confirmed to work and i recommend using tomGERs SDFiles
   
   

 

[Deleted User]

nice job on the tutorial!

 

[Dennieh]

thank you very much

 

[nWo]

Great work man. Looks kind of fuzzy for a guy like me, but it`s a great option. I love Nintendo, but certainly I hated how much they limited the Switch, that is really a low blow.

 

[tomGER]

Very detailed tutorial, good job

 

[Kubas_inko]

Maybe add gimp tutorial as well? It is pretty easy too.

 

[Dennieh]

Maybe add gimp tutorial as well? It is pretty easy too.

can gimp convert an image to .dds?
never used GIMP tbh

 

[Kubas_inko]

can gimp convert an image to .dds?
never used GIMP tbh

yes, with a plugin. You just download the plugin put it to the plugins folder and you can then export and edit images as .dds.

 

[Dennieh]

yes, with a plugin. You just download the plugin put it to the plugins folder and you can then export and edit images as .dds.

will look tomorrow into it but as i already had Visual Studio i just used that

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

Also if mod could fix my typo in the title (costum to custom) that would be very nice

 

[Deleted User]

its easier to use paint.net for dds.

 

[Deleted User]

I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm trying to use a community made theme (To be specific it's the blue-purple from Tomoko Kuroki on the QCEAN Discord server) but it just won't work. I've placed the 0100000000001000 folder (which contains fsmitm.flag and a folder named lyt with common.szs inside it) in my titles folder which is in my ReiNX folder but when I boot my Switch up it's just the default background.

 

[Dennieh]

I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm trying to use a community made theme (To be specific it's the blue-purple from Tomoko Kuroki on the QCEAN Discord server) but it just won't work. I've placed the 0100000000001000 folder (which contains fsmitm.flag and a folder named lyt with common.szs inside it) in my titles folder which is in my ReiNX folder but when I boot my Switch up it's just the default background.

did you double-check that you have fs_mitm.kip in reinx/sysmodules ?

 

[meohsix]

Thank you for the makeszs.bat. i was tired of having to use cmd.

 

[Dennieh]

Thank you for the makeszs.bat. i was tired of having to use cmd.

didnt made that , that was Evan#0001 i believe

 

[Mat37]

The makeszs.bat i downloaded with a "qlaunch_background" pack wasn't correct, it didn't has the "-little" option, so it generated a big endian file, if you have that pack i recommend you check.

 

[Dennieh]

The makeszs.bat i downloaded with a "qlaunch_background" pack wasn't correct, it didn't has the "-little" option, so it generated a big endian file, if you have that pack i recommend you check.

yeah some people pointed that out, but for me it always worked with the one i uploaded on gdrive and that should be the same as in the qlaunch_background.7zip

 

[teamlocust]

i have tried qocean themes with atmosphere and reinx. It is just booting to default theme. I am using TOMGER sd files.. dont know what else to do...

 

[Dennieh]

i have tried qocean themes with atmosphere and reinx. It is just booting to default theme. I am using TOMGER sd files.. dont know what else to do...

double-check if you have fs_mitm.kip in the sysmodules folder of the according cfw, that you have fsmitm.flag in the 010000000001000 folder and that if youre using reinx fs_mitm.kip is activated in the reinx-toolkit

 

[teamlocust]

let me check

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

@Dennieh i checked it out and the mitm modules is present and rei toolkit is showing tickmark in front of it....

 

[CobraX83]

I tried using a community made theme and am also just seeing the basic white applied. I followed directions and placed the files where they need to be but no luck.