First major update is now live! Changes: Update to settings Settings-->Video-->Scaling For SNES and most other cores: Integer Scale - Off Aspect Ratio - 4:3 Crop Overscan (Restart Required) - On For NES Cores (or in case of uneven scanlines): Integer Scale - On Integer Scale Overscale - On Aspect Ratio - 4:3 Crop Overscan (Restart Required) - On Turbo Duo and Genesis now have their own preset files. Turbo Duo, SNES, PSX and Genesis Presets should now look good and useable even without the use of additional Blargg video filters which will now be focused solely on providing NTSC effects including blending.
@@mamaluigi429 Be sure you're on the latest RetroArch, update your Slang Shaders using the Online Updater and double check that you installed everything in the correct folder.
hi, thanks for the content. I'm unable to apply the shader. I have everything updated as you recommended. It seems I get the following error: [INFO] [slang]: Compiling shader: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang". [ERROR] [slang]: Failed to open shader file: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang". [ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to compile shader: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang". [ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to create preset: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\CyberLab CRT-Royale 4K Genesis - CyberLab Blargg NTSC Filter Recommended.slangp". [ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to create filter chain: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\CyberLab CRT-Royale 4K Genesis - CyberLab Blargg NTSC Filter Recommended.slangp". Falling back to stock. I went to the directory of the file that failed to open but the "grade" shader has a different extension. On my directory, I have "grade.slangp" instead of "grade.slang". Does this happen to anybody else??
May I ask why you keep integer scaling off? By doing so, scanlines will appear uneven and not consistent; integer upscaing should always be set to on, no matter the result of your monitor
Good question, it's just so I can fill up my entire screen's vertical resolution. But you could totally keep interger scaling on - it should be safe to use both ways.
Open Shader Parameters, look for the two Gamma Settings and adjust 1, the other or both slightly. You can also nudge the contrast if you wish. Also do note that video compression as well as downscaling of the video may result in slightly reduced brightness.
Looking good! I am very familiar with using shaders on retroarch, but how about on more recent games, like for example tmnt shredder's revenge? I installed Reshade and some other filters but they don't look as good as the ones on retroarch. Thank you for the good work!🎉
There are a few options. I have a ReShade Preset Pack which you can find on my Libretro Thread. There's also CRT-Royale for ReShade so maybe you can plug in the settings from this pack there. Finally, there's the WindowCast Core for RetroArch which allows you to apply any RetroArch Shader to Windows Apps and Games.
It doesn't really matter in which order you load the video filters but it is recommended to load the Shader Presets first just as in the video. It's also possible that the Shaders might be failing to load if you changed the location of your default Shaders folder.
Take a read of the readme. You can try the "Fine" presets for 1080p but they haven't been tested. I have a strong feeling they might work well. Other than that you can try setting the Max Desired Triad Size to 3 or just start with the Fine presets and adjust that setting down (or up) until it looks good to you. Alternatively you can try Hyllian's excellent 1080p CRT-Royale Preset pack.
Your content is excellent. I've spent the last several years teaching myself Retroarch and I spend a good chunk of time weekly working to keep up with the shader community. Yet I had still missed out on so much until I stumbled across your channel. You are performing an extremely valuable service here and doing it very well. Concise, easy to follow, polished and fun to watch. Please keep it up and thank you so much!
Oh wow this has to be one of the nicest comments I've ever recieved!! Thank you so much - as long as you're learning and enjoying my videos, that makes it all worth it for me
wow, that SF2 and Final Fight footage with the fillter applied gave me chills.. finally they're exactly as I remember it. thanks for posting this video
@@RetroCrisis Well after the last update I just spent several painstaking hours trying to complete which has now dropped, I think I can finally start playing some games.
One thing ive noticed is that these kind of shaders make the whole screen too dark, and its stressing to look at for a long period of time. Is there an easy way to bring the brightness up ?
Open Shader Parameters, look for the two Gamma Settings and adjust 1, the other or both slightly. You can also nudge the contrast if you wish. Also do note that video compression as well as downscaling of the video may result in slightly reduced brightness.
I’ve always found the filters on Retroarch of great quality but I find it a bit overwhelming going thru the massive list so end up not really using them. Really appreciate you going thru this subject in detail. Will definitely be coming back often for future reference 🧨
YES! This clearly show why the current fad of having "razor sharp pixel" is moronic. Developers back then were counting on the imperfections of the crts to show different effects and details. Even the famous shadows of Saturn games were actually transparent on real crt. But like I mentioned on my previous comment, it did made the image darker. Now I'm thinking if it's possible to add another shader (bloom ofc) on top of that CRT-Royal. Good stuff!
@@CyberLabStudioisn't it actually a limitation of the display and color depth? For instance, another CRT shader called Sony Megatron utilizes HDR and blasts heavy luminance values to help claw back that brightness and bloom real CRTs have which SDR LCDs are missing, especially when you start simulating scanlines and phosphor masks.
@@darkl3ad3r Sony Megatron Color Video Monitor doesn't include any "Fake" Bloom, Halation or Glow controls and relys on the display's brightness to brute force it's way through the uncompromising emulated CRT Phosphor Mask. Other Shaders include these tricks in order to accomplish similar tasks but in a manner which might compromise the CRT Mask or might appear unrealistic or uncharacteristic of a CRT if put under scrutiny.
@@CyberLabStudio Yep precisely. With more color depth, you could theoretically simulate bloom without compromising the native program's color output, but yeah on 8 bit displays trying to simulate 8 bit CRT, it's just too much of a sacrifice. That's why Megatron with a good HDR monitor works so well. It gives you the true color depth of the native image with the brightness and bloom being a physical property on your screen, rather than a simulated one. I hope to see the day we get some truly next gen monitors that open the doors of what can be done with these wonderful CRT shaders. It's already come so far and looks fantastic with such limited display hardware. Higher resolution and color depth, full array local dimming with more zones (or the dream, per pixel luminance without burn out) and higher refresh rates to take BFI to the next level. Yeah, there's a lot of room to grow, shame it's hamstrung by the display industry catering to basic TV needs.
Don't talk dumb bro. Developers back then used high end RGB monitors to develop games which showed razor sharp pixels. So your ignorant statement about how developers made their art around blurry consumer TVs is not completely true, the smooth and blurry look is just a side effect of those cheap consumer TVS.
thanks for your continuous updates about those amazing shaders i compared the results with a true crt monitor and with run ahead enabled my LG crt monitor can finally rest in peace in the basement
Update your slang shaders and also redownload and reinstall preset pack. RetroArch recently underwent a shader reorganization so that might be the source of some of the issues.
This is amazing! The only thing I'm noticing is that the 1080p shader looks a lot better than the 4k ones in my retroarch. And it looks best on my monitor, not quite as good on my tv. For psx and snes the shader looks way too heavy on 4k, for lack of a better word. The 1080p version is kind of what I've been dreaming of for so long!
Shaders darken the image looks bad Does any shader maintain the originality of the CRT and the game, doesn't darken, and eliminates serrations that appear on LED TV?
hi, thanks for the content. I'm unable to apply the shader. It seems I get the following error: [INFO] [slang]: Compiling shader: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang". [ERROR] [slang]: Failed to open shader file: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang". [ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to compile shader: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang". [ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to create preset: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\CyberLab CRT-Royale 4K Genesis - CyberLab Blargg NTSC Filter Recommended.slangp". [ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to create filter chain: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\CyberLab CRT-Royale 4K Genesis - CyberLab Blargg NTSC Filter Recommended.slangp". Falling back to stock. I went to the directory of the file that failed to open but the "grade" shader has a different extension. On my directory, I have "grade.slangp" instead of "grade.slang". Does this happen to anybody else??
@@RetroCrisis only things I don't like about HDR are 1. My own HDR(400) isn't amazing but gets the job done for RA 2. Can't take proper screenshots on steam.
Loving your content. Did a lot of binge watching!! How do I get the transparency effect in games like Mario when he gets hit to be more transparent and less of a lines look?
I am happy we are finally getting some good CRT-filters that make things transparent as they should. I have some good filters on Retroarch. It's not cyberlabs but still makes things look correct.
Open Shader Parameters, look for the two Gamma Settings and adjust 1, the other or both slightly. You can also nudge the contrast if you wish. Also do note that video compression as well as downscaling of the video may result in slightly reduced brightness.
Ultimately you want integer scaling turned on depending on the resolution of your screen and the resolution of the system/game you’re upscaling, especially if the fake scanlines give off banding when at regular viewing distance. Usually this results in a small border around the screen, but that’s the price for perfect scaling.
Hello, thank you very much for your great work ! Do you know how combine a mega bezel preset with your presets or the scalefx-aa preset. Could you help me ? Many thanks in advance.
You're welcome. You can use my CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack. Many of them use ScaleFX, while the ones in the Neo-GX folder use Super-XBR.
Them are all looking too dark. I need a filter which has the same brightness as nearest upscaled pixel art, and i have a 1440p IPS screen, not 4k. I think the filter stack should make use of local blooming (HDRI technique) to make up the brightness. Even real CRT had blooming. The beam would be super sharp and tight at lower values and wide and spilly for high values, and also bright spots stuck around for a few frames of fade while growing a little wide. So bright pixels on a CRT felt searing bright, while on CRT filters everything just feels dull and muted, as if your CRT is on its last leg having lost too much emission. It probably looks OK on 4k OLED but well that's not gonna happen.
Everyone is entitled to have different tastes so that's a good reason and excuse to go into the Shader Parameters and tweak things to one's liking. There are also many other shaders and shader preset packs which cater to different tastes. Additionally, displays and the way they're calibrated can vary considerably so what you're seeing is not necessarily what everyone else is experiencing. Lastly, CRTs also varied greatly in the way they looked. I'm almost certain the CRTs I grew up with would have been setup differently from the way your CRT was setup and there were probably thousands of different models produced which would have had different characteristics.
@@CyberLabStudio I had a 14" or 15" Trinitron and a number of Orion OEMs built for different brands, Toshiba, Universum. Unfortunately the electronics quality of newer ones was garbage and they all died quickly; pity i had not yet studied electrical engineering by then and there weren't extensive repair tutorials that i knew of at the time, and i still have massive respect for the voltages present in a CRT. Today i love repairing electronics, but there isn't much old stuff to repair left!
How do they compare to koko-aio, especially CPU-wise? Which would run on a raspberry Pi 4, if you had the chance to try on that on any other low end system? Many thanks.
I'm not exactly sure. In the old days people used to describe CRT-Royale as a heavy shader. I briefly checked and saw about 35% GPU usage on a GeForce GTX 1070. Mega Bezel Reflection Shader tends to get to over 80 to 90%. Koko-aio-shader runs full speed on an Intel Haswell IGP. Sony Megatron Color Video Monitor is very efficient though.
@RetroCrisis What Core and Filter combimation is this being used here? 6:05 I haven't had much luck with using Blargg Filter presets using Beetle PSX with the games I've tested.
@@RetroCrisis Okay, thanks, I'll try that and see. I use Beetle PSX (Software). I've been told that the Blargg Filters should work with some PSX games. Just haven't tested that many and have yet to come across one that has worked with that particular core.
Newbie question but why are there different shaders for different consoles? The thing the shader is trying to achieve- isn't it just the CRT look? What's the difference between, say, NES image distorted by CRT TV vs SNES vs PS1?
Consoles from back then had different video signal outputs which behaved differently on CRTs. Some only outputted RF or composite while some could do full RGB too.
@@RetroCrisis Thanks for the quick reply. And if two systems are e.g. composite, they can still look different? interesting if so. maybe i'll try a composite filter for my nes since thats what i used to have
Anyone that goes "BUT MAH CLEAN PIXELS!" doesn't understand that SEGA and Nintendo designed these games with bad signals in mind. So finally we get some stuff emulationg that as well :). It actually ADDS detail. Look at Super Mario Bros 3 or Metroid with the RF signal vs clean emulation and you'll actually see more details in both games with the "lesser" connection :P. Heck every pixel was 2 lines on a TV, so they used this to blend.
Once the NES core you're using allows it. I think it depends on the pixel format being output by the core or something like that. You can give it try it and see you might have to try several different NES cores to see which ones work and which ones don't.
The ones in this pack are pretty sharp and clean especially the ones with "Sharp" in the filenames. The "Fine" ones would look less sharp at 4K but might look good at 1080p but I haven't tested that resolution. Other than that, you can try my other shader preset pack.
@@Kig_Amait's not far fetched but these are still pretty new. The issue might be the maintenance commitment plus there are many great presets already available in RetroArch. In the end I'll let the community decide but I did create some filter presets which are included by default.
@@RetroCrisis I cant make it look the same as on my crt tv with composite cables. Something is always a little off/wrong with sonkun and the other shaders here, compared to the real thing. They are a good compromise for now thought. Im glad people put so much effort into these projects. The results are not bad per se, just not quite there yet. Im giving your shader a try now.
@@crazyjake536 I play with a 14 inch CRT TV on my desk so I can compare directly to RA. For me no matter what options I configure the color is always off and I mess with all the parameters. I can get it sorta close if I fiddle around for a while but it still isn't there.
Who told you that? Of course, you can combine my Mega Bezel presets with other Mega Bezel Overlay and Graphics Packs. The presets in the CyberLab Special Edition Folder can be used as templates. You just have to swap the line that says "Background..." with "#Reference..." and have that reference line point to one of Duimon's presets in the params format (I think they should be in the params folder). You can convert any preset to a *.params file simply by commenting out or removing the reference line. Be sure to make a backup copy first though. Feel free to make ask a question in my Libretro Thread if you need further assistance. This seems like a good topic for another @RetroCrisis video.
@@CyberLabStudio Really?? But it's incredible! As soon as my kids go to sleep I'm going to look into it. If I can't do it, I'll ask my questions on your thread.
@@CyberLabStudio No, I've been on this for hours and there is always a problem. Is your thread the one called "CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack"?
@@Sa2si28 Yes, that is the name of my thread. Note that I said you can combine my Mega Bezel presets and not my CRT-Royale presets. They will give you a similar effect though.
After following the instructions, I can use the video filters, but I can't see the .slang shaders in RetroArch browser. The files are there, but RetroArch doesn't seem to know that. Any help would be appreciated.
@@RetroCrisis I did, and I went to the CyberLabs links and attempted to use their other packs as well, just in case I was missing something. I updated all my shaders, restarted, and still, RetroArch (1.15.0) cannot see the .slangp shader files.
Update your slang shaders and also redownload and reinstsll preset pack. RetroArch recently underwent a shader reorganization so that might be the source of some of the issues.
@@CyberLabStudio I tried some other packs related to this, I'm not sure if it's the type of game n64 games are, but I like how the display looks on the 2D games(NES, SNES etc) I like the scanlines and old TV look. When playing on N64 games it still looks a bit HD
@CyberLabStudio ok, so funny thing. I realized the game IS in HD. When I lowered the resolution to the lowest, I could actually see the scanlines. I am testing them out with the Mega Bezel pack, and they actually look really good.
@@BlueStinger475 still think you should try swapping the video driver of your cpu can handle it. I remember the same odd scanlines you’re talking about on psx. They were super chunky, spaced far apart. I recently upgraded my device and now I can run n64 at 3x with the shader packs on, glcore only. Vulkan breaks the shader
Maybe just focus on the game and your eyes and brain might adapt and learn to ignore it. Doesn't seem to bother many folks, myself included. Others swear by BFI and some are strictly CRT folks.
And why is that? Why can't one create things based on their own vision, ideas and taste? Additionally, each included preset has a high and a low TVL version. You're free to customize the size of the phosphors to your hearts desire using the "Mask - Triad Size Desired" shader parameter.
@@user-se1wb4qp7v Do you feel like a Man-King now for trying to insult or belittle me and all the other "scorned women"? I bet the hair under your arm must have grown another half cm and the bass in your voice might have finally dropped a semitone or two. Whatever smokes your pipe. I am me, you don't have to like it or agree with the way I express myself or understand how passionate I feel about what I do. You don't know me well enough to judge me. Any more inappropriate or insulting comments you'd like to make to feel better about yourself? Feel free to look at your perfect self in the mirror and tell yourself, "Self, Oh what a good boy/girl/animal/alien am I", while ignoring all of your imperfections and transgressions against others and all the people who you might have treated good, badly and indifferently throughout the course of your life. Who named you defender of the TH-cam comments?
@@user-se1wb4qp7vYou can change the brightness within the shader parameters. The creator is only getting annoyed because it is a problem he has told 8000 other people in this comment section how to fix.
Too bad there’s also no way to completely eliminate input latency with software emulation. Once you try a MiSTer on a CRT there’s no forgetting that lightspeed response to the controls of practically every game.
This might interest you on the topic of latency elimination on emulation: th-cam.com/video/NDYqRoyOKI4/w-d-xo.html let me know your thoughts if you get a chance
@@RetroCrisis I might give preemptive frames a try one day. I wasn’t impressed at all with the old Run-ahead. It resulted in weird frames being displayed during abrupt transitions (like bouncing off of springs on Sonic). To be honest, I’m glad the days of endlessly tinkering with software emu are behind me. I spent almost ten years from 2009 trying to replicate my old setup without ever being satisfied. That said, I’ve been messing with the Miyoo Mini and Mini Plus which has a CFW named OnionOS - 90% of it is preconfigured to perfection. Those old LCD handhelds had enormous levels of display latency and ghosting, so moving to a modern IPS with decent enough LCD grid shaders is actually an improvement. Beyond perfect for GB/GBC/NGPC! I recommend, and I’m tough to please. xD
That's good to hear. I personally enjoy the customisation of things like RetroArch, because much like yourself, I have a particular preferences. I included a tutorial of how to configure preemptive frames properly in that video to avoid the frame issues. Some of the CRT shaders have come a long way too. I've not tried the miyoo, but I use emudeck on my Steam Deck and it does the job. I must admit I've not tried Mister yet but I've heard lots of good things about it
Update your slang shaders and also redownload and reinstsll preset pack. RetroArch recently underwent a shader reorganization so that might be the source of some of the issues.
First major update is now live!
Changes:
Update to settings
Settings-->Video-->Scaling
For SNES and most other cores:
Integer Scale - Off
Aspect Ratio - 4:3
Crop Overscan (Restart Required) - On
For NES Cores (or in case of uneven scanlines):
Integer Scale - On
Integer Scale Overscale - On Aspect Ratio - 4:3
Crop Overscan (Restart Required) - On
Turbo Duo and Genesis now have their own preset files.
Turbo Duo, SNES, PSX and Genesis Presets should now look good and useable even without the use of additional Blargg video filters which will now be focused solely on providing NTSC effects including blending.
hello, i can't load your shader presets on vulkan or glcore but i can load filters. can you help me solve the issue?
@@mamaluigi429 Be sure you're on the latest RetroArch, update your Slang Shaders using the Online Updater and double check that you installed everything in the correct folder.
hi, thanks for the content. I'm unable to apply the shader. I have everything updated as you recommended. It seems I get the following error:
[INFO] [slang]: Compiling shader: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang".
[ERROR] [slang]: Failed to open shader file: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang".
[ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to compile shader: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang".
[ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to create preset: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\CyberLab CRT-Royale 4K Genesis - CyberLab Blargg NTSC Filter Recommended.slangp".
[ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to create filter chain: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\CyberLab CRT-Royale 4K Genesis - CyberLab Blargg NTSC Filter Recommended.slangp". Falling back to stock.
I went to the directory of the file that failed to open but the "grade" shader has a different extension. On my directory, I have "grade.slangp" instead of "grade.slang".
Does this happen to anybody else??
@@elitegodz Download the latest update. Should be resolved now.
It worked now with the latest update, thank you!@@CyberLabStudio
Wow, really like that part of combined filter with shader, never did that before.
Neither had I prior to this video - there's no going back now
Whoever is creating those shaders should propose selling them to Capcom and SNK, i cant stand their ugly basic scaline shaders.
Man, you nailed it with this video. Thanks so much. New subscriber here. :)
Thank you so much! I appreciate your support
When I try to load it, I get an error which says failed to load. Any idea on why?
May I ask why you keep integer scaling off? By doing so, scanlines will appear uneven and not consistent; integer upscaing should always be set to on, no matter the result of your monitor
Good question, it's just so I can fill up my entire screen's vertical resolution. But you could totally keep interger scaling on - it should be safe to use both ways.
Looks great, but could use a gamma boost imo.
Open Shader Parameters, look for the two Gamma Settings and adjust 1, the other or both slightly. You can also nudge the contrast if you wish.
Also do note that video compression as well as downscaling of the video may result in slightly reduced brightness.
Looking good!
I am very familiar with using shaders on retroarch, but how about on more recent games, like for example tmnt shredder's revenge?
I installed Reshade and some other filters but they don't look as good as the ones on retroarch.
Thank you for the good work!🎉
There are a few options. I have a ReShade Preset Pack which you can find on my Libretro Thread.
There's also CRT-Royale for ReShade so maybe you can plug in the settings from this pack there.
Finally, there's the WindowCast Core for RetroArch which allows you to apply any RetroArch Shader to Windows Apps and Games.
CRT Royale is also on Reshade and it looks amazing - check this out th-cam.com/video/lt2VBPJOYu8/w-d-xo.html
This filters could be some day form part of the Mega SG and Super NT?
Or what if someone came up with an FPGA designed to do these things specifically and do them well?
This would be amazing to scream lol ❤
Lol what are you screaming?
CRT is vivid and bright, not dark. the Ares emulator got this right
I tried enabling one of these, and it says it "failed," should I be enabling the video filters first?
It doesn't really matter in which order you load the video filters but it is recommended to load the Shader Presets first just as in the video.
It's also possible that the Shaders might be failing to load if you changed the location of your default Shaders folder.
If Vulkan doesn't work, try glcore as your video driver.
Ah, ok
Thanks y'all!
@@SonicTheFantastic did you resolve this? I have the same problem. Switching settings, reinstall RetroArch, re-download shaders... No luck
Has shader like bvm?
y'a pas une version 1080p
Take a read of the readme. You can try the "Fine" presets for 1080p but they haven't been tested. I have a strong feeling they might work well.
Other than that you can try setting the Max Desired Triad Size to 3 or just start with the Fine presets and adjust that setting down (or up) until it looks good to you.
Alternatively you can try Hyllian's excellent 1080p CRT-Royale Preset pack.
Your content is excellent. I've spent the last several years teaching myself Retroarch and I spend a good chunk of time weekly working to keep up with the shader community. Yet I had still missed out on so much until I stumbled across your channel. You are performing an extremely valuable service here and doing it very well. Concise, easy to follow, polished and fun to watch. Please keep it up and thank you so much!
Oh wow this has to be one of the nicest comments I've ever recieved!! Thank you so much - as long as you're learning and enjoying my videos, that makes it all worth it for me
Only 4K? @@RetroCrisis
wow, that SF2 and Final Fight footage with the fillter applied gave me chills.. finally they're exactly as I remember it. thanks for posting this video
The nostalgia is real!!
Wow! Brilliant video! Thanks for helping to spread this joy to the masses!
Thank you so much for creating these presets. I've very much enjoyed using them!!
@@RetroCrisis You're most welcome man. Hopefully, I could actually get some time to take a break from tweaking and start playing.
Thanks for all your hard work guys, that's RC and Cyberlabs
@@CyberLabStudio haha good luck with - if your perfectionist ways allow you to
@@RetroCrisis Well after the last update I just spent several painstaking hours trying to complete which has now dropped, I think I can finally start playing some games.
One thing ive noticed is that these kind of shaders make the whole screen too dark, and its stressing to look at for a long period of time. Is there an easy way to bring the brightness up ?
Open Shader Parameters, look for the two Gamma Settings and adjust 1, the other or both slightly. You can also nudge the contrast if you wish.
Also do note that video compression as well as downscaling of the video may result in slightly reduced brightness.
I’ve always found the filters on Retroarch of great quality but I find it a bit overwhelming going thru the massive list so end up not really using them. Really appreciate you going thru this subject in detail. Will definitely be coming back often for future reference 🧨
Wow, that is an absolutely incredible and authentic looking transformation.
Still a big fan of the Sonkun shaders with slot mask. I’ll give these a shot and see how they compare
YES! This clearly show why the current fad of having "razor sharp pixel" is moronic. Developers back then were counting on the imperfections of the crts to show different effects and details. Even the famous shadows of Saturn games were actually transparent on real crt. But like I mentioned on my previous comment, it did made the image darker. Now I'm thinking if it's possible to add another shader (bloom ofc) on top of that CRT-Royal.
Good stuff!
The brightness/darkness level is purely due to my preference. It's pretty easy to have them brighter.
@@CyberLabStudioisn't it actually a limitation of the display and color depth? For instance, another CRT shader called Sony Megatron utilizes HDR and blasts heavy luminance values to help claw back that brightness and bloom real CRTs have which SDR LCDs are missing, especially when you start simulating scanlines and phosphor masks.
@@darkl3ad3r Sony Megatron Color Video Monitor doesn't include any "Fake" Bloom, Halation or Glow controls and relys on the display's brightness to brute force it's way through the uncompromising emulated CRT Phosphor Mask.
Other Shaders include these tricks in order to accomplish similar tasks but in a manner which might compromise the CRT Mask or might appear unrealistic or uncharacteristic of a CRT if put under scrutiny.
@@CyberLabStudio Yep precisely. With more color depth, you could theoretically simulate bloom without compromising the native program's color output, but yeah on 8 bit displays trying to simulate 8 bit CRT, it's just too much of a sacrifice. That's why Megatron with a good HDR monitor works so well. It gives you the true color depth of the native image with the brightness and bloom being a physical property on your screen, rather than a simulated one.
I hope to see the day we get some truly next gen monitors that open the doors of what can be done with these wonderful CRT shaders. It's already come so far and looks fantastic with such limited display hardware. Higher resolution and color depth, full array local dimming with more zones (or the dream, per pixel luminance without burn out) and higher refresh rates to take BFI to the next level. Yeah, there's a lot of room to grow, shame it's hamstrung by the display industry catering to basic TV needs.
Don't talk dumb bro. Developers back then used high end RGB monitors to develop games which showed razor sharp pixels. So your ignorant statement about how developers made their art around blurry consumer TVs is not completely true, the smooth and blurry look is just a side effect of those cheap consumer TVS.
thanks for your continuous updates about those amazing shaders
i compared the results with a true crt monitor and with run ahead enabled my LG crt monitor can finally rest in peace in the basement
Update your slang shaders and also redownload and reinstall preset pack.
RetroArch recently underwent a shader reorganization so that might be the source of some of the issues.
This is amazing! The only thing I'm noticing is that the 1080p shader looks a lot better than the 4k ones in my retroarch. And it looks best on my monitor, not quite as good on my tv. For psx and snes the shader looks way too heavy on 4k, for lack of a better word. The 1080p version is kind of what I've been dreaming of for so long!
Shaders darken the image looks bad
Does any shader maintain the originality of the CRT and the game, doesn't darken, and eliminates serrations that appear on LED TV?
There's more here - hopefully you'll see something you like: th-cam.com/play/PL3amG1g3KoFsVGTmOB7jD4T5sJ2UOeF3A.html
Does this work on android emulators, or will it require a PC like crt Royale?
As every phone is a bit different, best thing to do is try it for yourself and see how you get on
Love the music in the showcase section, anyone know the band/artist?
hi, thanks for the content. I'm unable to apply the shader. It seems I get the following error:
[INFO] [slang]: Compiling shader: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang".
[ERROR] [slang]: Failed to open shader file: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang".
[ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to compile shader: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\shaders_slang\misc\grade.slang".
[ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to create preset: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\CyberLab CRT-Royale 4K Genesis - CyberLab Blargg NTSC Filter Recommended.slangp".
[ERROR] [Vulkan]: Failed to create filter chain: "M:\EMULATORS\RetroArch-Win64\shaders\CyberLab CRT-Royale 4K Genesis - CyberLab Blargg NTSC Filter Recommended.slangp". Falling back to stock.
I went to the directory of the file that failed to open but the "grade" shader has a different extension. On my directory, I have "grade.slangp" instead of "grade.slang".
Does this happen to anybody else??
These filters look even better when you enable Windows 11 Auto-HDR (assuming you have an HDR display)
Or even just HDR from within RetroArch. HDR is awesome
@@RetroCrisis only things I don't like about HDR are
1. My own HDR(400) isn't amazing but gets the job done for RA
2. Can't take proper screenshots on steam.
I like how like every other month there's a new flavor of crt filter to enjoy
When we get 240 Hz BFI on OLED we won't have to worry so much about our CRTs dying thanks to the amazing work done by the developers of these shaders
Awesome! Thx for The vídeo!
Obrigado 🇧🇷
if you are going to use an LCD panel this is the way to do it.
Agreed. I need to try these on an OLED too.
this looks like childhood
That has to be the ultimate compliment for CyberLab
"which I've linked in the description below"
no you didn't
Thanks for spotting my mistake. It's now corrected.
thanks!@@RetroCrisis
Loving your content. Did a lot of binge watching!! How do I get the transparency effect in games like Mario when he gets hit to be more transparent and less of a lines look?
I am happy we are finally getting some good CRT-filters that make things transparent as they should. I have some good filters on Retroarch. It's not cyberlabs but still makes things look correct.
Now that I have a 4k screen I appreciate these shaders more. My CRT's caps are dying so I got no real choice but to go back to emulation.
Absolutely beautiful, however the image comes out a bit too dark. Is there any way to brighten it?
Open Shader Parameters, look for the two Gamma Settings and adjust 1, the other or both slightly. You can also nudge the contrast if you wish.
Also do note that video compression as well as downscaling of the video may result in slightly reduced brightness.
@@CyberLabStudio Ill check it out!
Ultimately you want integer scaling turned on depending on the resolution of your screen and the resolution of the system/game you’re upscaling, especially if the fake scanlines give off banding when at regular viewing distance. Usually this results in a small border around the screen, but that’s the price for perfect scaling.
Thank you. Those shaders look amazing.
pls need help are u using the same turbo duo shader in all the cores like sega genesis, neo geo, ps1?
OK I can probbaby pack away my CRTs now 🤩
Great info buddy!! Thanks 🙏
Get on it Boz!
Wow so all it needs it's brightness and boom full sega genesis
Hello, thank you very much for your great work ! Do you know how combine a mega bezel preset with your presets or the scalefx-aa preset. Could you help me ? Many thanks in advance.
You're welcome. You can use my CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack. Many of them use ScaleFX, while the ones in the Neo-GX folder use Super-XBR.
Them are all looking too dark. I need a filter which has the same brightness as nearest upscaled pixel art, and i have a 1440p IPS screen, not 4k. I think the filter stack should make use of local blooming (HDRI technique) to make up the brightness.
Even real CRT had blooming. The beam would be super sharp and tight at lower values and wide and spilly for high values, and also bright spots stuck around for a few frames of fade while growing a little wide. So bright pixels on a CRT felt searing bright, while on CRT filters everything just feels dull and muted, as if your CRT is on its last leg having lost too much emission. It probably looks OK on 4k OLED but well that's not gonna happen.
Everyone is entitled to have different tastes so that's a good reason and excuse to go into the Shader Parameters and tweak things to one's liking.
There are also many other shaders and shader preset packs which cater to different tastes.
Additionally, displays and the way they're calibrated can vary considerably so what you're seeing is not necessarily what everyone else is experiencing.
Lastly, CRTs also varied greatly in the way they looked. I'm almost certain the CRTs I grew up with would have been setup differently from the way your CRT was setup and there were probably thousands of different models produced which would have had different characteristics.
@@CyberLabStudio I had a 14" or 15" Trinitron and a number of Orion OEMs built for different brands, Toshiba, Universum. Unfortunately the electronics quality of newer ones was garbage and they all died quickly; pity i had not yet studied electrical engineering by then and there weren't extensive repair tutorials that i knew of at the time, and i still have massive respect for the voltages present in a CRT. Today i love repairing electronics, but there isn't much old stuff to repair left!
How do they compare to koko-aio, especially CPU-wise?
Which would run on a raspberry Pi 4, if you had the chance to try on that on any other low end system?
Many thanks.
I'm not exactly sure. In the old days people used to describe CRT-Royale as a heavy shader. I briefly checked and saw about 35% GPU usage on a GeForce GTX 1070.
Mega Bezel Reflection Shader tends to get to over 80 to 90%.
Koko-aio-shader runs full speed on an Intel Haswell IGP. Sony Megatron Color Video Monitor is very efficient though.
Does anyone know if you can do this without retroarch? I'd love to apply this shader and video filter to modern games when I'm not using a crt
Try this th-cam.com/video/lt2VBPJOYu8/w-d-xo.html
@RetroCrisis What Core and Filter combimation is this being used here? 6:05
I haven't had much luck with using Blargg Filter presets using Beetle PSX with the games I've tested.
Hey Cyber, from memory I used the Blargg NTSC SNES Composite and one of the PSX Presets
@@RetroCrisis Thanks, but what Core, if you don't mind me asking?
I use Beetle PSX HW for all PS games
@@RetroCrisis Okay, thanks, I'll try that and see. I use Beetle PSX (Software). I've been told that the Blargg Filters should work with some PSX games. Just haven't tested that many and have yet to come across one that has worked with that particular core.
Woooooow Final fight absolutely gorgeous
Wow this was awsome great job on this
you better get trying it bro
Newbie question but why are there different shaders for different consoles? The thing the shader is trying to achieve- isn't it just the CRT look? What's the difference between, say, NES image distorted by CRT TV vs SNES vs PS1?
Consoles from back then had different video signal outputs which behaved differently on CRTs. Some only outputted RF or composite while some could do full RGB too.
@@RetroCrisis Thanks for the quick reply. And if two systems are e.g. composite, they can still look different? interesting if so.
maybe i'll try a composite filter for my nes since thats what i used to have
obrigado pela ajuda irmão!
de nada irmão
That wild end montage had no right to groove that hard, took me by surprise! You got the funk man!
🤣🤣🤣 I'm glad you appreciate the funky beats 🕺🏼
Anyone that goes "BUT MAH CLEAN PIXELS!" doesn't understand that SEGA and Nintendo designed these games with bad signals in mind. So finally we get some stuff emulationg that as well :). It actually ADDS detail. Look at Super Mario Bros 3 or Metroid with the RF signal vs clean emulation and you'll actually see more details in both games with the "lesser" connection :P. Heck every pixel was 2 lines on a TV, so they used this to blend.
Hello! I've applied the shader but i cannot find any filter for nes in this pack.. am i missing something ? 😅
You are missing something. For NES I recommend using the Blargg Filters in the Core Options of your NES Emulator.
@@CyberLabStudio thanks a lot ❤️
Can I use the SNES RF filter for the. NES games?
Once the NES core you're using allows it. I think it depends on the pixel format being output by the core or something like that. You can give it try it and see you might have to try several different NES cores to see which ones work and which ones don't.
I am looking for a shader that reproduces a rgb quality smilar to the Commodore 1084s when I connect it to my SNES. Any recommendations?
The ones in this pack are pretty sharp and clean especially the ones with "Sharp" in the filenames. The "Fine" ones would look less sharp at 4K but might look good at 1080p but I haven't tested that resolution.
Other than that, you can try my other shader preset pack.
@@CyberLabStudio Ty. Can you imagine having your shader package built into Retroarch so that you don't have to reinstall it separately.
@@Kig_Amait's not far fetched but these are still pretty new. The issue might be the maintenance commitment plus there are many great presets already available in RetroArch.
In the end I'll let the community decide but I did create some filter presets which are included by default.
@@CyberLabStudio TY!
5:04 What's the name of that game?
Do i need to have 4k resolution or this can be used with 1080p…
I'm sure you've since moved on but yea they won't look anywhere as good at 1080p. You want 1440p at the absolute lowest, preferably 4k.
Can you please also cover shaders for lower resolution displays?
Hi I have an entire playlist dedicated to them. Some work well on 1080p displays too - th-cam.com/play/PL3amG1g3KoFsVGTmOB7jD4T5sJ2UOeF3A.html
Is it really worth it?
So, which one does a better job to recreate the look of CRT TVs, inluding tranparency and other effects?
This or Sonkun?
Both Sonkun and CyberLab do a fantastic job. You can't go wrong with either option. I tried making one too th-cam.com/video/S6x0-TWwEsM/w-d-xo.html
@@RetroCrisis I cant make it look the same as on my crt tv with composite cables. Something is always a little off/wrong with sonkun and the other shaders here, compared to the real thing.
They are a good compromise for now thought. Im glad people put so much effort into these projects. The results are not bad per se, just not quite there yet.
Im giving your shader a try now.
@@crazyjake536 I play with a 14 inch CRT TV on my desk so I can compare directly to RA. For me no matter what options I configure the color is always off and I mess with all the parameters. I can get it sorta close if I fiddle around for a while but it still isn't there.
Can you set up a good retroarch control on android?
I know retroarch can't move controls and can only zoom in/out controls.
it helped me alot
thanks🙏
can i use this shader to anbernic handheld like RG353m? or else can you recommend crt shader good for handhelds?
Nice bro, hello. From paris ✌️🇫🇷
Love this!
It's too dark. There's no brightness compensation for scanlines.
Too bad, we can't combine these shadowmasks with Duimon's overlays.
Who told you that? Of course, you can combine my Mega Bezel presets with other Mega Bezel Overlay and Graphics Packs.
The presets in the CyberLab Special Edition Folder can be used as templates.
You just have to swap the line that says "Background..." with "#Reference..." and have that reference line point to one of Duimon's presets in the params format (I think they should be in the params folder).
You can convert any preset to a *.params file simply by commenting out or removing the reference line. Be sure to make a backup copy first though.
Feel free to make ask a question in my Libretro Thread if you need further assistance.
This seems like a good topic for another @RetroCrisis video.
@@CyberLabStudio Really?? But it's incredible! As soon as my kids go to sleep I'm going to look into it. If I can't do it, I'll ask my questions on your thread.
@@CyberLabStudio No, I've been on this for hours and there is always a problem. Is your thread the one called "CyberLab Mega Bezel Death To Pixels Shader Preset Pack"?
@@Sa2si28 Yes, that is the name of my thread.
Note that I said you can combine my Mega Bezel presets and not my CRT-Royale presets. They will give you a similar effect though.
even Retroarch's own shaders are convincing enough
option 2: get an actual CRT
Yeah. These shaders don't look good until you're at 4k and even then they can't even replicate composite fully.
I made the switch from retroarch to retrobat frontend a while ago. How would I install these on that? Any advice?
I've not tried RetroBat. What do you like about it?
Noob question, do you think I would be able to install this on batocera for pc?
Give it a try. I'm assuming Batocera also has a shader and filter directory
After following the instructions, I can use the video filters, but I can't see the .slang shaders in RetroArch browser. The files are there, but RetroArch doesn't seem to know that. Any help would be appreciated.
Did you change your video driver to Vulkan as recommended?
@@RetroCrisis I did, and I went to the CyberLabs links and attempted to use their other packs as well, just in case I was missing something. I updated all my shaders, restarted, and still, RetroArch (1.15.0) cannot see the .slangp shader files.
Does this work in retropie?
It says "failed to load filter" whenever I try to load one.
Update your slang shaders and also redownload and reinstsll preset pack.
RetroArch recently underwent a shader reorganization so that might be the source of some of the issues.
THIS VIDEO IS ART
Is there any way to increase the brightness using these?
Nevermind i scrolled further down and found out.
Gorgeous
I can't play these games without the filter. I just wish they worked well on N64 games as well or a special pack for n64 games
Try Glcore as your video driver. I did it by mistake and it worked for the Sonkun slot mask shaders
Have you tried them? They just might. I do have another Shader Preset Pack which has N64 tested presets.
This one might get some too at some point.
@@CyberLabStudio I tried some other packs related to this, I'm not sure if it's the type of game n64 games are, but I like how the display looks on the 2D games(NES, SNES etc) I like the scanlines and old TV look. When playing on N64 games it still looks a bit HD
@CyberLabStudio ok, so funny thing. I realized the game IS in HD. When I lowered the resolution to the lowest, I could actually see the scanlines. I am testing them out with the Mega Bezel pack, and they actually look really good.
@@BlueStinger475 still think you should try swapping the video driver of your cpu can handle it. I remember the same odd scanlines you’re talking about on psx. They were super chunky, spaced far apart. I recently upgraded my device and now I can run n64 at 3x with the shader packs on, glcore only. Vulkan breaks the shader
great, now what to do about that pesky motion blur? lol
Maybe just focus on the game and your eyes and brain might adapt and learn to ignore it. Doesn't seem to bother many folks, myself included.
Others swear by BFI and some are strictly CRT folks.
@@CyberLabStudio fair enough
Looks cute but those "pixels" still looks like dots and not like slits, they should get twice taller if not three times taller
And why is that? Why can't one create things based on their own vision, ideas and taste?
Additionally, each included preset has a high and a low TVL version.
You're free to customize the size of the phosphors to your hearts desire using the "Mask - Triad Size Desired" shader parameter.
You are overthinking
@@SP95At least I know how to think.
@@user-se1wb4qp7v Do you feel like a Man-King now for trying to insult or belittle me and all the other "scorned women"?
I bet the hair under your arm must have grown another half cm and the bass in your voice might have finally dropped a semitone or two.
Whatever smokes your pipe. I am me, you don't have to like it or agree with the way I express myself or understand how passionate I feel about what I do.
You don't know me well enough to judge me.
Any more inappropriate or insulting comments you'd like to make to feel better about yourself?
Feel free to look at your perfect self in the mirror and tell yourself, "Self, Oh what a good boy/girl/animal/alien am I", while ignoring all of your imperfections and transgressions against others and all the people who you might have treated good, badly and indifferently throughout the course of your life.
Who named you defender of the TH-cam comments?
@@user-se1wb4qp7vYou can change the brightness within the shader parameters.
The creator is only getting annoyed because it is a problem he has told 8000 other people in this comment section how to fix.
Whats the name of the game at 5:06?
That's Magic Sword
@@CyberLabStudio Thanks
Too bad there’s also no way to completely eliminate input latency with software emulation. Once you try a MiSTer on a CRT there’s no forgetting that lightspeed response to the controls of practically every game.
This might interest you on the topic of latency elimination on emulation: th-cam.com/video/NDYqRoyOKI4/w-d-xo.html let me know your thoughts if you get a chance
@@RetroCrisis I might give preemptive frames a try one day. I wasn’t impressed at all with the old Run-ahead. It resulted in weird frames being displayed during abrupt transitions (like bouncing off of springs on Sonic).
To be honest, I’m glad the days of endlessly tinkering with software emu are behind me. I spent almost ten years from 2009 trying to replicate my old setup without ever being satisfied. That said, I’ve been messing with the Miyoo Mini and Mini Plus which has a CFW named OnionOS - 90% of it is preconfigured to perfection. Those old LCD handhelds had enormous levels of display latency and ghosting, so moving to a modern IPS with decent enough LCD grid shaders is actually an improvement. Beyond perfect for GB/GBC/NGPC! I recommend, and I’m tough to please. xD
That's good to hear. I personally enjoy the customisation of things like RetroArch, because much like yourself, I have a particular preferences. I included a tutorial of how to configure preemptive frames properly in that video to avoid the frame issues. Some of the CRT shaders have come a long way too. I've not tried the miyoo, but I use emudeck on my Steam Deck and it does the job. I must admit I've not tried Mister yet but I've heard lots of good things about it
I keep getting error messages on certain shaders and I've done it correctly. What could be the problem?
Update your slang shaders and also redownload and reinstsll preset pack.
RetroArch recently underwent a shader reorganization so that might be the source of some of the issues.