Shaders are filters that can modify the image you get when you use your emulators. It is often used to get a more "retro" image, close to the image we played on back then.
The different types of files you have in Recalbox are :
The shader configuration file (.CFG) references a shader preset (.GLSLP) for each Recalbox system. Each .GLSLP file references one or more shaders (.GLSL).
With predefined shaders, you can set up shaders for all your systems in one option.
Predefined shaders are created by the community, and are optimized with each new version of Recalbox.
Here is the list of predefined shaders:
NONE: no active shader.SCANLINES: enable scan lines on all emulators.RETRO: selects the "best" shaders for each system, chosen by the community, which will give you the closest gaming experience to the original.You can set the shader pack you want to activate in the GAME SETTINGS menu in EmulationStation.
There are 2 ways to set shaders in Recalbox.
You can choose to use one shader for all systems you play. To do this, follow these steps:
START.GAME SETTINGS > SHADERS.This is for more experienced users.
You can combine the power of shader packs with the extensive customization of recalbox.conf. The global.shaderset can define a basic shader for each emulator. You can then change the shader preset for a system with the systemname.shader option. The default shader presets are defined in /recalbox/share_init/shaders/
For example, if I want:
RETRO shaders on all emulators,# Set the retro shader set for all emulators, now i know that i have the best selection
global.shaderset=retro
# But my gameboy seem better for me with no shaders
gb.shaders=
# We use the already existing 4xbr_retro.glslp shader for megadrive
megadrive.shaders=/recalbox/share_init/shaders/4xbr_retro.glslp
# And i want to apply my own shader preset on snes
snes.shaders=/recalbox/share/shaders/custom/snes.glslp
You can also change shaders in game using your controller.
Use the special commands Hotkey + R2 or Hotkey + L2 to go to the next or previous shader.
Note that shaders apply calculations and filters on all images generated by the emulator, which can strongly impact the performance of the emulator.