Custom C-Gear Skins with PokeGen [Tutorial + Resource]

[piggman]

Hello All! As I have started to make my own skins, and see myself continuing to create more in the future I've decided to create this step by step tutorial to help out! This way I can have a nice and easy place to point people towards for install instructions and as a file dump for my own created skins .

What this will allow you to do: You can use any official c-gear skins that you either missed or are unobtainable due to region or release. You will also be able to use completely custom skins, I will provide my skins I have created in this thread. Ultimately you will get to turn your bland c-gear into stuff like this:

PokeGen C-Gear Tutorial

First and foremost you will need access to your save file. If you are simply running on an emulator or a flash cart this is easy and you should already have the knowledge of how to get this! If you are wanting to use this on your retail cartridge you will need a save dongle to retrieve your save file and then put it back on your cart. That being said, lets get started!

Open up PokeGen and load your save (File>Open). Your save will load, and you will see all your Pokemon in your party and boxes show up. We are not going to change or mess with them at all, so if you are trying to keep a clean and cheat free game don't worry, the save will be fine! Your next step is to open up the C-Gear tool (Tools>C-Gear Background)

You will see a new window pop up that has your current C-Gear in the left hand box. The right hand box should be empty. In my example below you can see the pikachu c-gear skin which is a standard skin available on the global link to anyone.

Click the "Open" button and navigate to the C gear file that you would like to change it to. This has to be a C gear file type. Select your file in the browser and hit open. You should now see your desired skin on the right hand box.

If everything looks correct on the right hand side, click the arrow in between the boxes to overwrite the c-gear skin that is currently on the game. You should now see both boxes have the skin that you want to use.

That's all you need to do, pretty simple right? Close out the C-Gear Window, and save your changes!

Now just put this save file back on your cartridge and you've got yourself a spiffy new c-gear to make everyone else jealous!

C-Gear Skins

For official skins Please head to the C-Gear Skin Gallery on Project Pokemon!

Previews of my own current custom made skins can be seen by clicking the spoiler below. Download the Piggman's Skins attachment for these.

For more user made custom skins, and official skins after the date of this posting, see this ProjectPokemon thread.

If you have any requests for a custom skin, you may make a request, but there is no guarantee that I will do it. (I have to usually find a request interesting/fun myself before doing one)

157 July 12th 2012

Piggman's Skins..zip

Edited July 14, 2012 by piggman

[chhapo1]

ty

btw how did you changed you POKEGEN skin?

[piggman]

your welcome, and I didn't change it, That is just my custom Windows 7 theme.

[sky*dragon]

thx for the cool tut

btw when you make your own c-gear skin in what format you shoud save it and with any porogram youre making skins?

thx in advance

[Hozu]

Click the "Open" button and navigate to the C gear file that you would like to change it to. This has to be a C gear file type.

If I may ask how does one get their own custom image as that file type?

Edit: Nevermind I got it but... there seems to be some other restrictions on the image... hmm..

Edit 2: The image must be a 256x192 .bmp image with a mere 16 colours. That's how the games work according to those who looked into it. I think there was another restriction but I forget what it is.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Hozu

[piggman]

Yes, making your own C-gear skins that are compatible requires much more work and working under limitations. Not really going to make a tutorial for that, as its not really a pokegen thing. Basic constraints are 256x192 pixels, and 16 bit depth. In addition there is a limit of how many 16x16 pixel blocks that the game can load; basically meaning you can't have a busy image and need open space, I am still figuring out exactly how this one works. Click the thread I link in the OP at the bottom to look more into it. I'm a hobbyist pixel artist, so these kind of things are fun for me, though I'm used to creating non-Pokemon game tile-sets.

[piggman]

Completed Request for B2W2 Elesa.

Single download available in this post, original post file piggman's skins updated to include as well.

Elesa 2 C-Gear..zip

[Hozu]

Thanks. I've got an image that fits the tile limitations but I'm busy recolouring it now.

[Guested]

Well, this is ready:

C-Gear Skin Gallery

You can browse the skins here as well as download them individually.

All of them are in cgb format (rather than psk) as that is the format officially supported by Pokegen (it can load either, but only exports in cgb).

(a navigation link should be added to the website soon, but in the meantime just use the above link)

[theSLAYER]

Hello Everyone!

I think the inclusion of Cgear skins to Pokegen is awesome!

Anyway, Custom Kyurem Skin (Kyurem is from the intro to B2W2, background is PorygonZ skin)

kyurem..zip

[piggman]

Hey all, now that there is a section on Project Pokemon itself for the official skins I've redirected the Original Post to point there!

Also, pretty nice skin there theSLAYER =)

[theSLAYER]

Hey all, now that there is a section on Project Pokemon itself for the official skins I've redirected the Original Post to point there!

Also, pretty nice skin there theSLAYER =)

Anyway I've made another one using Mei's Mugshot and Minccino's background!

Mei..zip

[someonewhodied]

Could you please include instructions on how to convert bitmaps to .cgb files?

Nevermind, I figured out a roundabout way.

Hex editing is a bitch though.

I used this for reference: Clickey

[jm-plata]

Could you please include instructions on how to convert bitmaps to .cgb files?

Nevermind, I figured out a roundabout way.

Hex editing is a bitch though.

I used this for reference: Clickey

Just use PokeSkinED.exe included into PokeStock2

Edited July 23, 2012 by jm-plata

[Mothra67]

since some one was offended by the other pic I wanted, I have less offenseive ones I would love as CGear skins if possible: remember I have tried several times and failed miserably on this

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx257/Butterfree1967/Butterfree_by_gillpanda.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx257/Butterfree1967/PokeMoths.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx257/Butterfree1967/Volcaronapretty-1.png

anyone who can do this it would be most appreciated!

[jm-plata]

since some one was offended by the other pic I wanted, I have less offenseive ones I would love as CGear skins if possible: remember I have tried several times and failed miserably on this

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx257/Butterfree1967/Butterfree_by_gillpanda.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx257/Butterfree1967/PokeMoths.jpg

http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx257/Butterfree1967/Volcaronapretty-1.png

anyone who can do this it would be most appreciated!

Here Butterfree

http://www.mediafire.com/?3jru2qj5qs2dj61

[Hozu]

Wow impressive. Taking such a complicated image and getting it down to 16 colours...

[Mothra67]

Hozu, that is the issue I have, every time I convert it to 16 colors it gets all messed up! JM thank you once again I appreciate your help. if you ever need a pokemon RNG'd PM me or find me on Pokecheck

[jm-plata]

My version of Pikachu PWC2012:

http://www.mediafire.com/?58ythvc06ceseot

Edited August 4, 2012 by jm-plata

[popeel2]

can u make a tutorial i don't understand

:grog:

[Kaphotics]

can u make a tutorial i don't understand

:grog:

are you serious?

[popeel2]

Ya I don't understand on how u use pokestock cuz it is not in English

[popeel2]

ok i figured it out but my images suck compared to everyone else

[Hima]

I nearly ripped myself a new one through the butthurt this has caused me. The Pokestock downloads aren't working and there is no other mirror on the internet. (photoshop cs4 and pokecgear, the french version) I took it upon myself to just fool around with what I have. So far, this is the product.

I gave up on having more than one color. This stuff is hard to work with and the PokeCGear program cuts off the image half-way like the one below on the left. Until this stuff can be reuploaded, this is all I can come up with in terms of custom cgear templates. (the right image)

--->

The skin works in both Pokemon BW and Pokemon BW2. (the template bars are obvious in BW2) There is a wee bit of clipping in the top-left corner. (the border of the UI) Unless you're extremely observant, it isn't noticeable.

Try this skin out for yourself:

http://www.mediafire.com/?l6iaa9pxhfsvw3l

Also, this has been killing me...Does anybody know how to fix this?

All of my images seem to break off besides the Persona 4 one and official pokemon cgear images. I don't know what I did right on the persona 4 skin. I was hoping someone could help me out. This is my only hurdle from making some pretty elegant skins.

Edited October 8, 2012 by Hima

[Kaphotics]

The C-Gear skins are only allowed a certain amount of tiles. Too complex of an image makes it run out of unique tiles, hence why it stops generating an image.

Remember, colors are limited to 16 unique.