MSFS Livery Studio — Automatic Paintkits + One‑Click Packaging

Official Microsoft Flight Simulator Wishlist
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Livery creation is one of the most requested features in the MSFS community, so I’ve put together a detailed proposal for a built‑in MSFS Livery Studio. This would make livery creation accessible, consistent, and frustration‑free for everyone.

TL;DR

Livery creation in MSFS is far too complicated.
We need an official tool that:

  • Auto‑detects aircraft

  • Auto‑generates full 2D paintkits

  • Lets us paint with layers

  • Auto‑creates JSON files

  • Auto‑builds the package

  • Deploys the livery instantly

Paint → Save → Fly.
Just like FSX, but modern.

Why this matters

Liveries are one of the most popular forms of user‑generated content, but the current workflow is too technical for most players. An official tool would:

  • Lower the barrier for new creators

  • Increase community engagement

  • Reduce support load for developers

  • Standardise livery creation

  • Boost Marketplace submissions

How it works — User Workflow

Code

 ┌────────────────────┐
 │ 1. Detect Aircraft │
 └─────────┬──────────┘
           │
           ▼
 ┌────────────────────┐
 │ 2. Auto‑Generate   │
 │    2D Paintkit     │
 └─────────┬──────────┘
           │
           ▼
 ┌────────────────────┐
 │ 3. User Paints     │
 │    (Layers, decals)│
 └─────────┬──────────┘
           │
           ▼
 ┌────────────────────┐
 │ 4. SAVE AS pressed │
 └─────────┬──────────┘
           │
           ▼
 ┌──────────────────────────────┐
 │ 5. Metadata Wizard (Name,    │
 │    Tail Number, Author etc.) │
 └─────────┬────────────────────┘
           │
           ▼
 ┌──────────────────────────────┐
 │ 6. Auto‑Generate JSON +      │
 │    Folder Structure          │
 └─────────┬────────────────────┘
           │
           ▼
 ┌────────────────────┐
 │ 7. Deploy Livery   │
 │    to Community    │
 └─────────┬──────────┘
           │
           ▼
 ┌────────────────────┐
 │ 8. Livery Appears  │
 │    In‑Sim          │
 └────────────────────┘

Technical Overview

Code

                   ┌──────────────────────────┐
                   │ MSFS Livery Studio       │
                   └─────────────┬────────────┘
                                 │
     ┌───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┐
     │                           │                           │
     ▼                           ▼                           ▼
┌──────────────┐        ┌────────────────┐         ┌────────────────────┐
│ Aircraft     │        │ Paintkit       │         │ Packaging Engine   │
│ Detection    │        │ Generator      │         │ (JSON + Folders)   │
└──────┬───────┘        └───────┬────────┘         └─────────┬──────────┘
       │                         │                              │
       ▼                         ▼                              ▼
┌──────────────┐        ┌────────────────┐         ┌────────────────────┐
│ Reads MSFS   │        │ Creates PSD‑   │         │ Builds manifest.json│
│ aircraft.cfg │        │ style layers   │         │ Builds layout.json  │
└──────────────┘        └────────────────┘         │ Creates thumbnails  │
                                                   │ Deploys to Community│
                                                   └──────────────────────┘

UI Mock‑Up

Code

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                MSFS Livery Studio             │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Aircraft: [A320neo ▼]                         │
│ Paintkit: [Auto‑Generated]                    │
│                                               │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │   [Layer Panel]        [Canvas Area]      │ │
│ │   - Base Colour        ┌────────────────┐ │ │
│ │   - Dirt/Weathering    │   Paint Here   │ │ │
│ │   - Metallic Mask      └────────────────┘ │ │
│ │   - Decals             (Supports layers)  │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                               │
│ [SAVE AS]   [Export Options ▼]                │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Conclusion

This is a realistic, achievable feature that would:

  • Empower thousands of new creators

  • Strengthen the MSFS community

  • Reduce developer support load

  • Increase Marketplace content

  • Restore the simplicity of FSX paintkits

MSFS Livery Studio would be a game‑changer.

If you support this idea, please click VOTE at the top of the page — it really helps push the feature forward.

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