TL;DR:

For liveries as textures:

1. Download OpenIV – Get it here.
2. Find & Open the .ytd file in OpenIV – Usually in the stream folder.
3. Edit Liveries – Create new ones using templates or edit existing ones.
4. Add More Liveries – Rename files (_sign_1, _sign_2, etc.) and import them.
5. Preview in OpenIV – Load the .yft file to check your work.
6. Replace the .ytd – Drag the .ytd file back into the stream folder.
7. Enable Liveries – Add FLAG_HAS_LIVERY to vehicles.meta flags section.

For liveries as tuning:

1. Download OpenIV – Get it here.
2. Download TextureToolkit – Get it here.
   
3. Find & Open any .ytd file in OpenIV – Usually in the stream folder.
4. Import your livery in to the .ytd, export it as a .dds file.
5. Extract an existing livery .yft file to the desktop - recommended to use the _livery1.yft.
6. Open TextureToolkit, click on "File" and "Load" the livery.
7. Import the new livery (with the same texture Name as the existing livery)
8. Click on "File" and "Save".
   
9. Rename the original existing livery in the stream folder to the new highest number - for example if it was sentinel6_livery1.yft, and it already had liveries up to sentinel_livery9.yft, you would rename it to sentinel_livery10.yft.
10. Drag and drop the new livery in to the stream folder with the other liveries
11. Open carcols.meta
12. Copy and paste an existing livery upgrade, change the livery number
13. Change the modkit id in carcols.meta and carvariations.meta for the new livery tuning upgrades to appear in-game (or delete your server cache)

Liveries as textures:

1. Download OpenIV

The first step is downloading OpenIV:

https://openiv.com/

OpenIV will be needed for editing the embedded vehicle textures.

2. Find the YTD

Once you have downloaded and installed OpenIV, find the car's .ytd file. It will usually be in the stream folder

3. Place the YTD in OpenIV

It is recommended to make a new folder within your GTA 5 folder to prevent issues with your game files. Place the .ytd file inside OpenIV in the new folder you made

To edit the file, enable Edit mode

4. Creating new liveries

You can create new liveries with Templates, which are included in most of our Emergency Service packs. The templates allow you to make precise liveries for the specific car's form. Place the template in any photo editing software and create your livery:

The existing liveries can also be extracted and edited by following Step 5.

If you wish to add a blank livery, simply make a transparrent 4x4 pixel image.

5. Adding more liveries

Open the .ytd file by double clicking on it and search for "sign", which is usually included in livery name. 

Once you know the full livery name, you create new liveries by editing the numer it ends with, for example ccdrafter_sign_1, ccdrafter_sign_2, ccdrafter_sign_3, etc.

To insert your new livery, drag and drop the livery file inside and click on Save.

You can also extract an existing livery it by right clicking on it and pressing "Extract", then change the Save as type to PNG. This way you will be able to open and edit it with any photo editing software.

6. Preview liveries

The liveries can be previewed in OpenIV. Import the car's .yft file the same folder in which you have the .ytd file and double click on the .yft.

It will show the car with the livery that ends in _sign_1.

7. Replace YTD

When you're happy with the results, replace the .ytd file inside your stream folder by drag and dropping it from OpenIV.

8. Edit vehicles.meta

If your vehicle now has more than 1 livery, find the vehicles.meta. 

This file is ususally located in the "data" folder of the resource.

Keep in mind that the vehicles.meta can contain multiple vehicles inside it, so look at the <modelName> before making changes.

Add FLAG_HAS_LIVERY to the <flags> section to be able to change the liveries in-game.

Liveries as tuning:

1. Download Required Tools The first step is downloading the necessary software. You will need both:

• OpenIV: https://openiv.com/ (needed for viewing files and converting your livery format).

• TextureToolkit: (Insert your download link here) (needed to inject the new texture into the 3D .yft file).

2. Convert Your Livery to .dds Format TextureToolkit requires your image to be in .dds format. To convert your standard image (PNG/JPG):

• Find and open any .ytd file in OpenIV (usually located in your vehicle's stream folder). Enable Edit Mode.

• Drag and drop your custom livery image into the .ytd dictionary.

• Right-click your newly imported livery and select Export to .dds. Save this file to your desktop.

3. Extract an Existing Livery .YFT Tuning liveries are actually 3D model files (.yft). You will need a base file to modify.

• In OpenIV, navigate to your vehicle's stream folder and find the existing livery model files.

• Right-click on an existing livery .yft file (we recommend using the first one, e.g., modelname_livery1.yft) and extract it to your desktop.

4. Use TextureToolkit to Swap the Livery Now it's time to replace the texture inside the 3D model file:

• Open TextureToolkit.

• Click on File > Load and select the .yft file you just extracted to your desktop.

• Locate the texture name inside the toolkit. Import your new .dds livery file over the old one.

• Crucial Step: Ensure you keep the same exact texture name as the existing livery you are replacing.

• Click on File > Save.

5. Rename and Add to the Stream Folder Before putting the file back into your game, you need to assign it the next sequential livery number.

• Check your stream folder to see how many tuning liveries already exist.

• For example, if the highest numbered file is sentinel_livery9.yft, rename your newly saved file on your desktop to sentinel_livery10.yft.

• Drag and drop the renamed .yft file back into the stream folder via OpenIV.

6. Edit carcols.meta To make the game recognize the new tuning part in Los Santos Customs or your server's mechanic menu, you must update the vehicle's metadata:

• Open carcols.meta (usually found in the data folder of your resource).

• Locate the vehicle's tuning items block. Copy an existing livery upgrade code block and paste it right below.

• Change the livery number and tuning part identifiers in your pasted block to match your new file (e.g., update the ID strings from 1 to 10).

7. Update Modkit IDs (Important!) For the game to realize new tuning upgrades have been added, the modkit needs to be refreshed.

• Change the modkit ID value in both your carcols.meta and carvariations.meta files to a new, identical unique number.

• (You can also achieve the same by simply clearing your server cache before restarting).