How to Create Your Own Main Menu & Loading Screen for The Sims 4 - Tutorial
This tutorial will walk you through creating your own main menus and loading screens for The Sims 4 using my mods and the Background Pack Generator.
What you'll need:
• Refreshed Main Menu 3 or New Refreshed Loading Screen (depending on what you want to make)
• A raster graphics editor (Photoshop, GIMP, Photopea, etc.)
• Access to my Background Pack Generator – right now it’s available to members of supporting tiers due to server costs, but I’m working on a free lite version with some limits.
Step 1: Prepare Your Images
Your files must meet these requirements:
Resolution: 1920x1080 or 2560x1080
JPG or PNG format
File size under 4MB
Step 2: Start Work with Background Pack Generator
Click HERE to access the tool.
If you aren’t signed in, you’ll see a message explaining what’s needed to verify membership.
Click Unlock with Patreon and sign in. As mentioned, the tool is currently limited to supporting tiers, but a lite version will be available later.
Once you’re logged in, you’ll see the welcome screen. Choose Generate New Backgrounds.
In the next step, you’ll be asked to type in your basic info, which is used in the file name and to make your files unique. Enter your Creator's name and the name for your Background Pack – it can be something generic or theme-based, whatever you like.
Click “Continue.”
Then you’ll be able to select or drag and drop your custom images.
You can upload up to 10 images in one batch.
Step 3: Set How Each Image Is Used
After your images are added, you’ll see settings where you can decide if each one will be used as a main menu background, a loading screen background, or both.
You can also rename the background if the current file name isn’t something you want in the final output.
To preview how the image will look in-game as a main menu background, click the thumbnail of your image on the left.
Once everything is set the way you like it, click “Generate Background Packages.”
Any images that meet the requirements will upload to my tool, which will then generate your files.
Upload time depends on how many images you selected and your internet speed, but the actual generation process always takes about a minute, no matter how many images are being processed. The progress bar will show you how close you are to the end.
Once the images are ready, they’ll appear at the bottom as a list. You can download each file individually or click “Download all” to get everything in a single ZIP file.
While it’s good practice to follow the assigned template for file naming, you can rename the final files however you want.
The only important thing is to keep the ##, #, or $# symbols and the numbers at the end, since that’s how my main mods know how to use the backgrounds.
That's it! Enjoy!
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Main menu overrides can become outdated with some game updates and break the game.
With the custom method my mods use now, you WON’T have to recreate your custom backgrounds after updates.
You DO have to make sure you’re using the latest version of Refreshed Main Menu 3 or New Refreshed Loading Screen, if something breaks after a patch.
The background files themselves should be completely immune to game updates and can stay as they are. You can also share them with other people to enjoy (as long as they have Refreshed Main Menu 3 or New Refreshed Loading Screen installed).