Canvas and template
Start at exactly 1024×1024 px for Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X, and 1024×768 px for Cybertruck. Import the official template for your model as the bottom layer, set it to about 40% opacity, then lock it. Everything you draw goes above it.
- Photoshop: File → New → 1024×1024, RGB, 72 ppi. Template on a locked layer, artwork in groups per panel.
- GIMP: same canvas, then Image → Guides → New Guide for the panel edges so straight lines stay straight.
- Canva: create a custom 1024×1024 design, upload the template, and keep the export as PNG (not JPG).
Draw for the car, not the canvas
The template is an unfolded car: panels are rotated and mirrored. A stripe that is perfectly horizontal on the canvas can run diagonally on the door. Draw one panel at a time and check the result in 3D before adding detail.
Export settings that survive the 1 MB limit
Export PNG at the template size, with no color profile embedding and no metadata. If the file lands over 1 MB, flatten gradients, reduce the number of colors in photographic areas, and re-export. Never downscale the canvas to lose bytes — the template dimensions are part of the rules.
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Format | PNG-24 | Paint Shop rejects JPEG and WebP |
| Size | Template size, unchanged | Scaling breaks the UV layout |
| Metadata | Off | Color profiles and EXIF add bytes for nothing |
| Name | 30 chars max, no symbols | Long or punctuated names are rejected |