Resources · iRacing

iRacing paint templates, without the Photoshop headache

A paint template is where every custom iRacing livery starts — and where most people get stuck. Here's what the template actually is, where to get the right one for your car, and how to turn it into a finished paint with AI that fits the car in-game instead of a picture smeared across it. No design skills, free to start.

Paint your first livery iRacing livery generator

What it is

What a paint template actually is

An iRacing paint template is a flat UV layout of your car: the hood, roof, doors, and quarter panels are unwrapped and laid out as separate regions on a single image. Paint inside a region and it lands in the right place once the game wraps the image back onto the 3D body; paint across a seam and your number ends up folded over an edge. That gap — between an image that looks fine flat and one that reads correctly on the car — is the whole reason custom paints feel harder than they should. It's also exactly what a good AI livery generator handles for you: it works on the real template and checks the result against it, so the design maps to the body instead of being stretched over it.

Where to get it

Get the right template for your car

1
Download it from iRacing
iRacing publishes a paint kit with the template for each car. Download the kit for the car you race and you'll get its paint template — usually a layered PSD plus a preview. That's the canonical layout the game expects, so it's the one to start from.
2
Know which file you actually need
The template is the base image you paint on — the one showing the unwrapped body panels. You don't need to understand every layer in the kit; you just need that template. A PSD, a flattened PNG, or the paint-template ZIP all work.
3
Upload it to Ailivery
Drop the template into Ailivery. It's flattened in your browser and becomes the canvas the AI designs on, so whatever you make is built on the actual car layout from the first render — no Photoshop, no fighting with layers.

Turn it into a livery

From template to race-ready paint

1
Describe the design
Tell Ailivery what you want — a couple of colors, a rough direction, even just "clean and aggressive." It's a conversation: it asks about the details, suggests directions, and shapes the livery with you. Want a starting point? The livery prompt ideas are there to riff on.
2
Generate on the template
The AI paints an original design onto the car's UV template and checks it against the layout, so graphics land on the right panels instead of drifting across seams.
3
Refine until it's right
Change colors, move elements, mark up edits. Refinements re-apply on the clean template, so the paint stays sharp instead of degrading pass after pass.
4
Export the TGA
Export the files iRacing needs: car_<id>.tga, plus an optional car_spec_<id>.tga spec map for the right gloss and metallics. The full walk-through lives in how to make an iRacing livery.
5
Install it
The Ailivery Windows helper drops the paint straight into your iRacing folder, or you can place it in Documents\iRacing\paint yourself. The iRacing install guide covers both.

Good to know

A few things that trip people up

One template per car
Each car has its own layout — a GT3 template won't fit a formula car. Grab the kit for the exact car you're painting. Doing a GT3 livery? Use that car's kit.
You don't hand-paint the spec map
The spec map controls shine and metallics, not color. Ailivery generates one for you when you want gloss or metal to read right — no channel-painting required.
Use only art you own
Add team or sponsor logos only if you have the rights, and keep the design original and brand-safe. The paint you export is yours to keep.

FAQ

iRacing paint template questions

What is an iRacing paint template?

It's the flat UV layout of a specific car — the body panels unwrapped onto a single image. You paint on it, and iRacing wraps it back onto the 3D car. Ailivery designs on that template for you, so the graphics land in the right places.

Where do I get the template for my car?

From iRacing's paint kit for that car, which includes the template. Download the kit for the exact car you race, then upload the template to Ailivery — PSD, PNG, or the paint-template ZIP all work.

Do I need Photoshop to use it?

No. Ailivery flattens the template in your browser and designs on top of it, so you work in plain language and previews instead of layers and channels.

What file does iRacing need in the end?

A TGA named car_<id>.tga, with an optional car_spec_<id>.tga spec map for shine and metallics. Ailivery exports both.

Can I start from a design I made somewhere else?

Yes — bring a concept from ChatGPT or Midjourney and Ailivery recreates it on your car's template so it's race-ready.

Made with Ailivery