Texture pack

A texture pack is a collection of files that is used to change the in-game textures of blocks, items, mobs and the GUI. They are zip files that have various PNG images in them and a pack.txt. The default resolution for packs is 16×16 (measured pixels in block height and width). 32×32, 64×64, 128×128, 256×256 and 512×512 are refered to as ‘HD’ and requires a 3rd party patcher to run. Official support for 16×16 texture packs was added in Alpha 1.2.2. Official support for high resolution texture packs is planned for the future.

All versions of Minecraft support custom textures, albeit old versions requiring you to modify the minecraft.jar file. High resolution texture packs are supported on all versions without a patch, however certain textures have errors or may not be changed.



Installation
To install a texture pack, the file must first be obtained in a ZIP format. Without decompressing the file, place the ZIP file in:
 * Windows XP/Vista/7:
 * Linux:
 * Mac OS X:

This path can be easily found by using the Open Texture Pack Folder button found in the Mods and Texture Packs screen accessible from the main menu.

Once a texture pack is installed, it can be selected in the Mods and Texture Packs screen, but not while a world is currently open. The texture pack list can be scrolled by dragging the scrollbars up or down.

Texture Pack Creation
To create a custom texture pack, the files you wish to modify must be extracted from minecraft.jar with an archiving or decompression program such as WinRAR or 7-Zip. They can then be edited with any image editing program that can read/write the PNG file format and handle transparency (Adobe Fireworks is excellent for this). A program such as Paint.NET will suffice, however, and is provided free of charge. Edit each PNG file as desired, and save the PNGs as 32 bits, to preserve transparency. Then, create a zip file of the files modified, preserving all folder hierarchy. The root folder of the zip must have the files and folders listed below, or else they will not be changed. If you find that nothing changes when you select your texture pack, make sure that the files are in the root of the zip and not one folder in.



Native Resolution (16px)
These texture packs do not require the use of a 3rd party HD patcher, although one is recommended if it adds new water and lava.

Trivia

 * Prior to the Alpha 1.2.2 update, users would need to manually change the texture packs by overwriting their minecraft.jar files or a patcher.
 * The selected texture pack is saved to the options.txt file in the .minecraft folder, so you can also manually change the "skin:" value to the name of the .zip

Resources

 * Vote for your favourite Texture Pack here.
 * The official, unofficial list of texture packs on the Minecraft Forum (over 150 textures)
 * a complete list of files used in the texture pack

Videos

 * Making 16×16 texture packs
 * Installing HD Packs