3DS:Custom themes/creation: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 03:10, 17 March 2026

Creating custom themes can be done in a number of ways using different tools of which we recommend Kame Editor. To use these utilities, you need to have CFW, a custom theme manager (e.g Anemone3DS) and a device that can manipulate files on a SD card.

Theme Editors

Kame-Editor - For Windows, Mac and Linux users (recommended)
Usagi3DS - For Windows users
YATA online - An online theme editor

Which editor should I use?

You're free to choose which editor you'll work with, but Kame-Editor is the best to date, having more features and support compared to Usagi3DS or YATA online. Moreover, only Kame-Editor continues to receive regular updates. However, Usagi is still widely used among theme creators and is often recommended for beginners for its ease of use and simple UI.

Instructions

What You Need to Know

Take note of the gap size. Each 3DS has a gap size between each screen, and that gap size is a different size for every 3DS model. Commonly used gap sizes are 50, 56, and 68 pixels. If you want to use a full image for both screens, the gap size is very important.
Background music for the theme, the bgm.bcstm, must not surpass 3371008 bytes in size, or the theme may not appear in your custom theme manager or may not play music. Always check the size in bytes, not in MB, because it's possible to have a bgm.bcstm be under the size of 3.3MB like several theme guides recommend, but be more than the limit of 3371008 bytes.
SFX (sound effects) for the theme must not surpass 182KB in size. Be sure to use SFX that are small so that you can include all the SFX you want to in your theme.
Do not make the background music mono. Even though this saves space, it can break the background music for the theme.

Kame Editor

For more information on how to use Kame-Editor, refer to the official documentation.

Usagi3DS

For more information on how to use Usagi3DS, refer to this guide.

YATA online

For more information on how to use YATA online, refer to this guide.

In case of problem

If after installing your custom theme you cannot access your HOME Menu anymore, you should reset your theme data.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-= Creating custom themes for the 3DS =
+Creating custom themes can be done in a number of ways using different tools of which we recommend Kame Editor. To use these utilities, you need to have [[Custom firmware|CFW]], a custom theme manager (e.g Anemone3DS) and a device that can manipulate files on a SD card.
-Creating custom themes can be done in a number of ways using different tools such as Kame Editor. To use these utilities, you need to have [[Custom firmware|CFW]], a custom theme manager (e.g Anemone3DS) and a device that can manipulate files on a SD card.
 == Theme Editors ==
 * [https://beelzy.gitlab.io/kame-editor/ Kame-Editor] - For Windows, Mac and Linux users (recommended)
 * [https://github.com/usagirei/3DS-Theme-Editor/releases Usagi3DS] - For Windows users
-* [https://github.com/exelix11/YATA-PLUS/releases YATA+] - For Windows users
+* [https://exelix11.github.io/Yata-online/ YATA online] - An online theme editor
-* [https://exelix11.github.io/Yata-online/ YATA+ online] - A browser version of YATA+
-'''Should I not use the other editors?'''
+'''Which editor should I use?'''
-You're free to choose which editor you'll work with, but Kame-Editor is the most user-friendly, which means it has an easy to understand interface that'll allow you to make themes with more ease compared to Usagi3DS or YATA+.
+You're free to choose which editor you'll work with, but Kame-Editor is the best to date, having more features and support compared to Usagi3DS or YATA online. Moreover, only Kame-Editor continues to receive regular updates. However, Usagi is still widely used among theme creators and is often recommended for beginners for its ease of use and simple UI.
-Another thing to keep in mind too is that Usagi3DS and YATA+ are incredibly outdated. Kame-Editor receives updates fairly regularly, and hence why you should use it instead of the other theme editors.
 == Instructions ==
 === What You Need to Know ===
-# Keep mind of the '''gap size'''. Each 3DS has a gap size between each screen, and that gap is approximately '''56 pixels'''. If you want to use a full image for both screens, the gap size is very important.
+# Take note of the '''gap size'''. Each 3DS has a gap size between each screen, and that gap size is a different size for every 3DS model. Commonly used gap sizes are 50, 56, and 68 pixels. If you want to use a full image for both screens, the gap size is very important.
-# Music for the theme must not surpass the file size of '''3.3mb'''. Otherwise the theme will either not appear in your custom theme manager or it will simply not play music.
+# Background music for the theme, the <code>bgm.bcstm</code>, '''must not''' surpass '''3371008 bytes''' in size, or the theme may not appear in your custom theme manager or may not play music. Always check the size in bytes, not in MB, because it's possible to have a <code>bgm.bcstm</code> be under the size of 3.3MB like several theme guides recommend, but be more than the limit of 3371008 bytes.
-# SFX (sound effects) have to be under the '''182kb''' limit of file size. Be sure to use small SFX so you can include all the SFX you want to in your theme.
+# SFX (sound effects) for the theme '''must not''' surpass '''182KB''' in size. Be sure to use SFX that are small so that  you can include all the SFX you want to in your theme.
+# '''Do not make the background music mono.''' Even though this saves space, it can break the background music for the theme.
+=== Kame Editor ===
+For more information on how to use [https://beelzy.gitlab.io/kame-editor/ Kame-Editor], refer to the [https://gitlab.com/beelzy/kame-editor/-/wikis/home official documentation].
-=== Using Kame Editor ===
+=== Usagi3DS ===
-For more information on how to use Kame Editor, refer to the official [https://gitlab.com/beelzy/kame-editor/-/wikis/home Documentation].
+For more information on how to use [https://github.com/usagirei/3DS-Theme-Editor/releases Usagi3DS], refer to [https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-make-3ds-custom-themes-2020-updated.568539/ this guide].
-=== Using Usagi3DS ===
+=== YATA online ===
-For more information on how to use Usagi3DS, refer to this [https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-make-3ds-custom-themes-2020-updated.568539/ guide].
+For more information on how to use [https://exelix11.github.io/Yata-online/ YATA online], refer to [https://gbatemp.net/threads/tutorial-creating-a-3ds-custom-theme-from-scratch-with-yata-v1-1.393602/ this guide].
-=== Using YATA+ ===
+=== In case of problem ===
-For more information on how to use YATA+, refer to this [https://gbatemp.net/threads/tutorial-creating-a-3ds-custom-theme-from-scratch-with-yata-v1-1.393602/ guide]. This guide is valid for both app and browser version.
+If after installing your custom theme you cannot access your HOME Menu anymore, you should [[3DS:Troubleshooting#Clear_HOME_Menu_theme_data|reset your theme data]].
+[[Category:Nintendo 3DS guides]]