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Easy way to install art on your RetroPie.

rpie-art

Easy way to install art on your RetroPie.

The rpie-art.sh is a script that let you easily install overlays, launching images and scrape images (not yet implemented) in your RetroPie.

The art files come from other github repositories maintained by other users. You can see the art repository list in the repositories.txt file.

How to use the script?

Clone the repo and execute the script, as simple as that.

Note: you MUST perform the commands below as the user used to launch RetroPie (usually the user pi on a Raspberry Pi install). Do NOT do this as root, otherwise it won't work.

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/meleu/rpie-art
cd rpie-art
./rpie-art.sh

After launching rpie-art.sh script follow the instructions in the dialog boxes.

Although the script is perfectly able to install/uninstall overlays and launching images it's still a work in progress. If you find some bug or want to make a suggestion, use the issue tracker.

How can I make the script able to install my custom art?

First of all: github account/repository

The script downloads art from github repositories, then you need to have an account to create one.

info.txt file

You need to know how to use the info.txt file. It's pretty simple and straightforward, details here.

launching art

If you're good in making splashscreens, you're good in making launching images too! Just create your art and put the info.txt in the same directory. The info.txt for launching image only is as simple as this example

overlay art

You need to know the configurations needed to make the overlay work. There's a detailed doc in the RetroArch wiki but many users are succeeding by looking the @UDb23 files as templates. His repository can be found here: https://github.com/UDb23/rpie-ovl

adding your repository to the rpie-art tool

After creating your github repository, adding some art files and filling some info.txt files, you can add your repo to the rpie-art.sh script by adding the repo URL and a description in the repositories.txt file and submitting a Pull Request (if you don't know how to do it just contact me in the issue tracker).

Donate

If you would like to buy me a beer and say thanks, click the button below.

paypal

A brief history of this tool

  • We, RetroPie enthusiasts, started the MAME ROW where we choose a random arcade game to play every week.

  • The @UDb23 came with his Computer Graphics talent and created some awesome overlays for the MAME ROW games. And then was born the most prolific game specific overlay creator in history.

  • @UDb23 became a super star and his fans started a topic in RetroPie forum to request overlays for their favorite arcade games. And, guess what? He listened to fans' requests!

  • One of those fans, @meleu, was impressed by the overlays created by @UDb23 but didn't like downloading the files from websites with strange links, pages full of animations and, mainly, host services that don't let users download files directly from command line. Then @meleu suggested that the files should be hosted on github. And, guess what? the Overlay Master agreed!

  • To show his infinite gratitude @meleu started to work on a bash script to let the users easily install the Overlay Master's art.

  • The file naming conventions needed to make the script work began to be very confusing, then ( @backstander suggested the creation of an "information file" where the script gets the info it needs to work. And then the info.txt idea was born.

  • The Overlay Guru's charisma, coupled with the reasonable info.txt simplicity, inspired those who have skills with CG software and have begun a new era of custom RetroPie art creation.