Decided to edit your default Minecraft skin of Steve (male) and Alex (female)? No surprise there, although it’s invisible from a first-person perspective, so many single-player gamers don’t even recognize it. However, those who play around with the camera or join multiplayer surely do. The best part is that you can come up with something unique or use an existing character, person, or piece of art. Although we can’t guarantee that copyright cannot be enforced, players are rarely targeted for resembling Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and so forth. Skins are usually classified as “derivative work”. Now, let’s get into how to edit a skin in Minecraft.
Does Minecraft have a skin editor tool?
No, Minecraft does not offer a skin editor feature at the time of publication. They permit you to use the default 2D grid in a PNG format to change the files belonging to Steve and Alex. Default skins are slightly different between Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. The latter looks high-quality since the resolution can be double the JE skin one, meaning you have 4x more pixels to edit. Additionally, Java Edition only permits transparency on the second/outer layer (explained in step 4). With that in mind, you must use an image editing tool to edit the 2D grid, which is difficult. Therefore, we suggest the option below.
1. Choose the skin editor software or website
Your hands are tied if you want to stick to official methods. However, instead of manually tweaking pixel by pixel, we propose using a website or software created for that purpose. We have no affiliation with any products or services, but the procedure is similar. Only the user interface, navigation, and minor features differ. Since you can follow or use it too, we will demonstrate the process with a popular option, The Skindex. Again, we have no ties to the website—pick the one you like.
2. Start anew or upload an existing skin to the website
You must first know the two options:
- Start from scratch, essentially an empty character grid, and color and texture it the way you want.
- Start from the Steve or Alex skins in PNG format, import any other skin you see on the website or download it from other sources.
After opening The Skindex Minecraft Skin Editor, do nothing to start from zero. If you want the second option, click the Upload from Computer button in the bottom right corner. Upload the default one or use the best Minecraft skins or similar-looking ones as a template.
3. Choose the Minecraft character size
First, note the character icon in the bottom right corner, and the choice between Classic (4px) and Slim (3px). Although that doesn’t change your character’s body size, it makes its hands slimmer by 1px. Both options are supported by Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, so pick what you prefer.
4. Edit or create a Minecraft skin you want
With the body in shape, you can begin making changes. For starters, we suggest clicking “Outer layer” to disable it (it goes from orange to gray). That lets you configure the body without painting the outer layer, which can be a cloak, armor, clothing, chest design, headwear, or anything you want to add on top. Now that you have a body visible, proceed.
Options on the left-hand side of The Skindex
Note that you can click and hold anywhere outside the 3D grid to rotate. Now, the following options to edit a Minecraft skin are on the left:
- Pencil Tool (shortcut P) — Lets you paint the square on the grid, 1×1 square by default that cannot be changed. Use the crosshair on the grid.
- Eraser (E) — Permits you to erase the one square on the grid.
- Auto Tone (A) — Uses the color you selected, then paints each square with a slightly different color to imitate an effect such as curvature or shadows.
- Color Picker (C) — If you painted a square with the desired color, then changed it and can’t recall it, you can use the color dropper to ”extract” the color’s hex code.
- Bucket Tool (B) — Permits you to paint a part of the body (each leg, chest, arm, head, and so forth) in one click. It will save you a lot of time, and you can edit colors with Auto Tone or Pencil Tool afterward.
- Undo (U) and Redo (R) — Lets you go one step back if you mess up, and one step back to revert the undo process.
- Darken Color (Z) and Lighten Color (X) — Makes the color you picked slightly darker or lighter.
- Zoom in (Q) and Zoom Out (W) — Lets you magnify the 3D model and zoom out the view.
- Mirror Tool On/Off (M) — This option mirrors whatever you do, i.e., cuts the model in half since it’s symmetric. It automatically fills the square or multiple squares at the same distance on the other side.
You can now enable the Outer layer and do the same on that grid if you want.
Right-hand side options for The Skindex
The first and biggest option on the right side is The Skindex color palette section. It lets you enter a hex code for the color you want to use in the circle at the bottom. You can also click a spot in the palette circle to pick a color. Once you select one, the square inside lets you choose darker and lighter versions of the color. We already explained “Body” and “Outer layer” and the “Slim/Classic” drop-down menu. The only one that remains is the 2D representation of body parts. Clicking them lets you show or hide that body part from the 3D preview for easier editing.
5. Save the Minecraft skins you created
We know we skipped the remaining section on the right side. However, that is only so we can cover it separately, as it contains three notable options:
- Upload to Skindex — Share the skin you created publicly for future use so others can download it. Requires an account.
- Download — Save the 3D model as a 2D image you can import into Minecraft. The go-to option.
- Upload from Computer — Already explained in step 2.
6. Change your Minecraft skin in-game
Now that you have your skin as a PNG file downloaded from The Skindex, it’s time to make it appear in the game. Luckily, you only have to follow our guide to change the Minecraft skin. Follow method 3, step 2 to apply the skin depending on your version of the game. Preview it after logging in, and it will remain tied to your account.