can also do it via a usb stick which can backup/restore configs.

I would be happy enough with a simple way to backup the scraps. Then when I do a fresh RetroPie install I could put all the scraps with no need to overload thegamesdb server.

@BuZz Thank you kind sir. You have my deepest gratitude.

if you want to work on custom themes you should put them in ~/.emulationstation/themes - the /etc/emulationstation folder is not considered "user editable". the above folder symlinks to /opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation on latest RetroPie so you can easily access it over the network.