FiveM Tattoos Not Showing? 8 Fixes, in the Order to Check Them
When a custom FiveM tattoo does not show, the cause is almost always one of three things: the tattoo pack is not running, the game was not reconnected after it was added, or something removes the tattoo after it is put on, usually a clothing or appearance script. Below are eight fixes in the order to check them, then what to do when a tattoo shows as NULL in the shop, as a square on the skin, or in the wrong place.
- Check first:
ensureline inserver.cfgwith the exact resource name, a server restart, then reconnect. - Use a freemode ped: tattoos only work on
mp_m_freemode_01andmp_f_freemode_01, and each gender has its own preset. - Take the top off: tattoos are drawn on the skin, under clothes.
- Gone after a clothing change: your clothing or appearance script cleared it. Apply and save tattoos through that same script.
- Not in the shop: the shop only lists tattoos in its own config. Add the new ones to it.
8 fixes, in the order to check them
1. The tattoo pack is not running
Check that server.cfg has ensure followed by the exact folder name of the pack, and that the folder is inside resources. Watch the server console when it starts: “Couldn’t find resource” means the name or the folder is wrong, and an error for that resource means a broken manifest or file. The fxmanifest.lua must load the collection with data_file 'PED_OVERLAY_FILE'; without that line the textures stream but the game knows no tattoo to draw.
2. You did not reconnect
Tattoo collections are read when the game connects to the server. After adding or updating a pack, restart the server and reconnect your game; restarting only the resource is often not enough. If you replaced files that keep the same names, clearing your FiveM cache forces a fresh download.
3. Wrong ped or wrong gender
Tattoos exist only for the freemode peds, and every tattoo has a separate preset for the male and the female body. A custom ped model gets no tattoos, and a tattoo made only for men is missing on women (and the other way round). Switch to mp_m_freemode_01 or mp_f_freemode_01 and check the gender the tattoo was made for.
4. Clothes are covering it
Tattoos are painted on the skin and clothes are drawn over them. A chest tattoo under a t-shirt, a back piece under a jacket or a thigh tattoo under jeans is there, just hidden. Test with the top or the trousers off before you change anything else.
5. The tattoo shop does not list it
Streaming a pack does not add it to your tattoo shop. Shops and appearance scripts only show the collections and preset names in their own config: shared/tattoos.lua in illenium-appearance, AllTattoos.json in qb-tattooshop, client/tattooList.lua in esx_tattooshop. Add the new entries there and restart the script. Packs from the FiveMRides Tattoo Studio include these lists ready to paste.
6. A clothing or appearance script wipes it
The tattoo appears, then vanishes when the player changes clothes, loads an outfit, revives or reloads their skin. Many clothing and appearance scripts call ClearPedDecorations when they load an appearance, which removes every tattoo, then put back only the tattoos they saved themselves. Anything applied by another menu or script is gone. Apply and save tattoos through the script that manages the character’s appearance, or use a tattoo script that applies them again after a clothing change.
7. It shows as a square or a coloured patch
The design had a solid background (white, black or any colour), or its texture was saved without an alpha channel, so the whole square is painted on the skin. Use a PNG with a transparent background and a texture format that keeps alpha, such as DXT5. The Tattoo Studio flags solid backgrounds and its Remove the background button cuts them away before export. A single texture over 16 MiB does not load in FiveM at all.
8. It is in the wrong place, the wrong size or stretched
Tattoo positions are numbers in the decoration space of each zone, not centimetres, and the same numbers land in different places on the male and female body or on another zone. A tattoo tuned for one body looks off on the other, and a scale that differs in width and height stretches it. Very large designs can wrap around a limb. Tune each gender separately, or place it in the Tattoo Studio, where you type the size in centimetres and the padlock keeps the proportions.
Tattoo name shows as NULL in the shop
The shop shows the tattoo’s text label, and nothing registered it. Add-on packs need a small client script that registers each name with AddTextEntry; Tattoo Studio packs do this in client/labels.lua. Keep the pack started, restart the server and reconnect. If names still show as NULL, start the tattoo pack before the tattoo shop in server.cfg.
Tattoo looks faded, blurry or the wrong colour
- Blurry: the texture is too small for the size on the body. Use 1024 px for most tattoos and 2048 px for large back or chest pieces.
- Thin lines vanish at a distance: make lines thicker than you would on paper; the game shows smaller versions of the texture from further away.
- Odd colour: game lighting and skin tone change how ink looks, and a tattoo set to take the hair colour follows the character’s hair. Check it in game on the skin tones your players use.
Quick answers
Why are my custom FiveM tattoos not showing?
Most often the tattoo pack is not started, the game was not reconnected after it was added, or the character is not a freemode ped of the right gender. Then check that clothes are not covering it and that no clothing script cleared it. Check those first, in that order.
Why do tattoos disappear when I change clothes in FiveM?
Many clothing and appearance scripts call ClearPedDecorations when they load an outfit or a saved skin, which removes every tattoo, and then put back only the tattoos they saved themselves. A tattoo applied by another script or menu is lost. Apply and save tattoos through the script that manages the character's appearance, or use a tattoo script that applies them again after a clothing change.
Why does my tattoo show as NULL in the tattoo shop?
The shop shows the tattoo's text label, and nothing registered that label. Tattoo packs from the FiveMRides Tattoo Studio register every name in client/labels.lua, so keep the pack started, restart the server and reconnect. If names still show as NULL, start the tattoo pack before the tattoo shop in server.cfg.
Why is my FiveM tattoo a square or a coloured patch?
The image has a solid background instead of transparency, or its texture was saved without an alpha channel. Use a PNG with a transparent background and a texture format that keeps alpha, such as DXT5. The Tattoo Studio warns you about solid backgrounds and can cut them away before export.
Why is my tattoo in the wrong place or stretched?
Its placement numbers were made for the other gender or another zone, or its width and height were scaled differently. Tattoo positions are numbers in the decoration space of each body zone, not centimetres, so tuning them by hand takes trial and error. In the Tattoo Studio you place the design on the 3D body, type its size in centimetres and lock the proportions.