Hi Hannah! Yes, it's very important when you modify images (we call them "mods") that the new image be named exactly the same as the original since the game itself is programmed to only load those specific image files/names. The new image will replace the games original one which is why it's very important to have a full duplicate set of the games original images in a separate file stored somewhere on your computer.

As you experiment with modding you'll also learn that if you change a part of an image that a "peep" interacts with (patio sets, sofas, beds, pools, hammocks, etc) the new portion of the image must fit in the same place as the original. Also, the final image may not exceed the dimensions of the original images (512 px by 512 px). That's because the game has code which directs the "peeps" to go to specific "numerical" coordinates within the game. Since those of us players who enjoy making mods cannot change the games programming we have to make sure our images line up exactly with the originals. This is true for everything in the game that the peeps interact with.

No, I do not make any of the art and I am no artist. I just LOVE Virtual Families and loved seeing what other players like me were doing with the images in their games and wanted to learn how to do it too.

Yes, I enjoy making adjustments in the image files to personalize my peeps house. I have even created a couple of childrens' bedrooms. Unfortunately I just don't have the time to do it anymore. You can see my kids bedrooms and everyone else's wonderful mods neatly organized by category here in the VF Mod Directory.

Enjoy your little families!