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Project M Shader

Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
The Project M Shader
This is a custom configuration of Ishiiruka's dolphin post-processing shaders for project m. The goal was to enhance the graphical fidelity of game without changing the original asthetic. Some main focuses in adjustment of the overall visuals was reworking the the black and white levels and increasing vibrancy as the game has a tendency to look washed out and somewhat pale. New shadows and bloom were also added with care taken only minimally add shadows and not cause any artifacts.



Project M Shader:
Imgur
Project M Netplay Shader:
Imgur

SSB4 Shader for PM
Imgur
Mario and Marth on FD:
Before
After
Fox and Falco on Dreamland:
Before
After
Smash 3 Texture Lugi being suave:
Link

Shader for PM Netplay
Imgur

Prerequisites(Only if you want the best shader, otherwise go down to netplay guide):
Ishiiruka's Custom Dolphin
Make sure to pick up either 640 or 646 for the latest shader

Download:
Project M Shader (Tested with Ishiiruka 640, 646, 656...If not set Post--Processing Load order is Ishiiruka,Dolphin,SSAO2, download graphic settings below for it to be done automatically)

PM Shader Graphics Settings

These are my personal graphical settings for ishiiruka 656. I have these out since the lastest build has quite a bit of settings when it comes to phong lighting and tesselation that require some tweaking to get right so I have it done for you here. Lower the resolution, AA, etc to your your performance level.

PM Netplay Shader (Works with the netplay version of dolphin on opengl. You need dolphin.glsl for it to work, get that here<--.)

SSB4 Shader 2.10 (Only intended to work with Ishiiruka 436 and below using anything later may cause incorrect results)

Guide (click on links for visual aids):
  1. Download the latest build of Ishiiruka's custom dolphin.
  2. Extract it to a folder where you would want the emulator to be. (Use extract here)
  3. Go inside the build folder and select the Sys folder.
  4. Go inside Shaders.
  5. Delete absolutely everything EXCEPT IshiirukaFX.glsl (How it will look)
  6. Go to your documents folder and find the Dolphin Emulator folder.
  7. Drag and drop the load folder within the SSB4 Shader.zip into the Dolphin Emulator folder.
  8. Start up dolphin.
  9. Go to config set it to what anther's ladder guide has.
  10. Go to graphics, set Post-Processing Effect to IshiirukaFX. Everything else is up to you.
For Netplay:
  1. Download and install the latest build of the Dolphin netplay build for smash on smashladder.
  2. Go inside the the build folder and select the Sys folder.
  3. Go inside Shaders.
  4. Drag and drop DolphinFX.glsl from the ssb4 shader.zip(or the download above) into the shaders folder.
  5. Go to your documents folder and find the Dolphin Emulator folder.
  6. Go to the config folder and find dolphin.ini
  7. Open the ini file and go all the way to the bottom.
  8. On the line under BackgroundInput = False, copy and paste the text within the Dolphin FX config text file.
  9. Start up dolphin netplay.
  10. Go to config set it to what anther's ladder guide has.
  11. Go to graphics, set Post-Processing Effect to DolphinFX. Everything else is up to you.

Change Log:
3.00
  • Renamed Project M shader as the focus is no longer making it look as to SSB4 as I can.
  • Reworked from the ground up for Ishiiruka 646
  • Now uses two variants of SSAO, gamma correction and contrast enhancement
  • New settings for bloom, tonemap, filmic process, and pixel vibrance.

2.10
  • Have added DolphinFX shader for use in OpenGL of the official dolphin netplay builds.
2.05
  • Added support for Project M in the SSB4 shader originally used for melee.

If you have questions, feedback, or suggestions for improving the config or doing this a better way let me know.
 
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Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
Hey sorry to anyone who downloaded I forgot to check if Tino updated the Ishiruka dolphin. I noticed that the latest version came with new features and my config comes out with differing settings.
If you want it to look ho its supposed to please download this version.


I'm going to start updating shaders asap to look correct for the latest release.

Edit: Nvm so long as the stable release is used it works fine.

Edit 2: I went over the latest release and it seams version 444 has bloom issues so don't use it. If you want to use something more recent than 420, 436 has a new option under ssao called ssgi. It gets the a more accurate shade on the characters and I would recommend turning it on. Be aware it does come with a performance hit though. So you might need to turn it off if your pc can't handle it or lower the internal res of the game.
 
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drogoth232

Smash Lord
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Messages
1,072
To be completely honest, I don't think many people would find use of your work in the pm community. Majority of people play on wiis and the like, so they can't use your work.

That being said, I remember seeing your work in the melee section and I still think its awesome. Good work.
 

Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
I am aware of that, I'm just posting it since I mine as well after making it for myself. I tend to do this with other games aswell. (I have a custom enb for dark souls that uses samples from around 4 different enbs on the nexus.) I do this stuff for personal enjoyment, improving my satsfaction with a game, and to do light studies in video games (I'm trying to learn to do decent digital art like my avatar.). I just thought I mine as well share it since I was recommended to do so by friends, and people could use it during friendlies when not doing hardcore netplay like I do. The frame lag is quite the same as regular netplay so there is no real downside to not using it lan.

If I could I would make custom light effects for each map in pm if I knew how. that way the lighting changes could be directly experienced on the acutal platform, or netplay, instead of using a custom dolphin emulator meant for this shader. If anyone knows if this is possible let me know. Like just changing the way shadows and light works. Such as their color in the map etc. I don't believe its possible with melee but it might be on here.

To be completely honest, I don't think many people would find use of your work in the pm community. Majority of people play on wiis and the like, so they can't use your work.

That being said, I remember seeing your work in the melee section and I still think its awesome. Good work.
Edit: Who knows after I saw the blow up of Melee HD on the ssb subreddit, using dolphin may become more of a thing in a few years. This version of dolphin runs extremely well, and the latest release(436 and beyond wise) I believe has the official support for the wii adapter.
 
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Juken

Smash Ace
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
590
Looks great. Can't wait to see what it looks like with update S3 textures whenever those come out.
 

Layell

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Feb 3, 2014
Messages
369
Thanks for this amazing shader pack, I do hope more people realize the potential of HD Smash games through Dolphin.

I took a few photos with my S3HD textures and am quite happy with the results: http://imgur.com/a/LDg1x
 
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Granfalloon

Smash Cadet
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Messages
67
Just wanted to chime in and say the shader looks amazing for the most part. I feel that on darker stages things appear a little too dark though? On bright stages the game looks better than it ever did.
 

Charmilio

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Messages
90
Looks good. Slightly too much bloom in my opinion, but otherwise it's a nice touchup. Even out some of the bloom levels, ease a bit on the vibrancy (on some stages with the bloom+white point it becomes kind of overpowering, as well as the logos for the results screen when it's pitch black at first), and I'd use this over the default look for netplay. Thanks for sharing!

EDIT: Nevermind on the coloration, used PMXP's Dolphin build and the colors looked much more comparable to the screenshots. Love it.
 
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Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
Thanks for the feedback! I'll see if I can improve it some time in the future. For the menu's I tried to keep them neutral but there is only so much I can do, since if I nulled the shader for the menus then it would diminish the effect in the actual game.

The bloom will have to be changed anyway for the new Ishiiruka's dolphin coming out soon which is currently 448 and not a stable release. Tino redid the bloom so I have to reconfigure it anyway when that is merged with the stable release. Right now the bloom only works on versions 436 and below.

Edit: I'm thinking of also making a shader that will work with netplay dolphin using the dolphin.fx file. It may not be as nice but would a nice alternative.

P.S.
Also I'm using a monitor calibrated for 2.0 gamma (since room is dimly lit). If any of you haven't yet reading this, I highly suggest going to this site, and calibrating your screen based on the black level, white level and color contrast pages.. Its the best thing I've used other than my color munki to calibrate my displays. My calibrator only found a 4% error when I calibrated from the settings I made from the site. It will improve how everything you do on your screen and improve this shader as well.
 
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Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
Here is a preview of the DolphinFX shader version I am making that will work with project m netplay dolphin build.

The shader uses the Bloom, Tonemap, and Pixel Vibrance settings. Unfortunately there is no option for me to add ssao. This however will run better than the other shader.
Imgur

I'll be releasing it as soon as I'm satisfied with with a few small values in the tone map that are bothering me.

This time I am focused more on just improving how pm looks instead of it just being an imitation of SSB4.

If you guys end up liking this type more I'll make a variant of it for the Ishiiruka shader. If not I'll just keep making it look like ssb4.

Edit: Dolphin FX shader for netplay has been released.
 
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Granfalloon

Smash Cadet
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Messages
67
Tried out your 2.10 shader today and it seemed much improved to me! Don't get the issue where things appear to dark, it's fairly close to a perfect balance imo. Great work!
 

Βearzor

Smash Cadet
Joined
Jun 4, 2015
Messages
26
Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Just tried out the SSB4 2.10 shader. Dude, it's amazing. Thank you for making this and sharing it. It really gives the game a shiny new feel that I was dying to find. I'll pretty much be using this at all times from here on.

I plan to try out the netplay one when I get some time again too.
 

Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
Any updates coming out soon?
There is not much updating to be done, I do have a version unreleased that has tiny tweaks done to it, but I dunno if I would even consider them an improvement from whats out. The latest version of Ishiiruka still works fine to my knowlege with the shader.

I'm on mac how do i install
The main shader does not work with mac. The netplay may work with it however.
I do not own a mac myself but this thread has information on the equivalent of the documents directory for dolphin.
If your able to get in there just move the shader to the correct folder and then do the rest how my screenshots show for the dolphin ui.
 
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bngmn

Smash Cadet
Joined
Jan 23, 2015
Messages
64
There is not much updating to be done, I do have a version unreleased that has tiny tweaks done to it, but I dunno if I would even consider them an improvement from whats out. The latest version of Ishiiruka still works fine to my knowlege with the shader.


The main shader does not work with mac. The netplay may work with it however.
I do not own a mac myself but this thread has information on the equivalent of the documents directory for dolphin.
If your able to get in there just move the shader to the correct folder and then do the rest how my screenshots show for the dolphin ui.
Hey thanks for replying!
Awsome any tweaks are worth posting in my opinion if it provides an overall more visually appealing experience!
 

MasterE

Smash Rookie
Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
6
Location
Marina del Rey, California
Do I have to use Ishiiiruka build to apply the shadder? I wanted to use one of the newer experimental builds on the dolphin site since they were adjusting gc control.

*typos :)*
 
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Inquirer

Smash Cadet
Joined
Nov 4, 2014
Messages
65
Do I have to use Ishiiiruka build to apply the shadder? I wanted to use one of the newer experimental builds on the dolphin site since they were adjust gc control.
I am not sure as to what you mean by 'adjust gc control' but if you mean native support for gc adapters (nintendo/mayflash-4port ones) the last build of Ishiiruka has it as far as I know.
 

Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
Well yes the main shader uses ishiiruka shader, I have one for dolphin netplay which would work. I only use those two.
 

MasterE

Smash Rookie
Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
6
Location
Marina del Rey, California
I am not sure as to what you mean by 'adjust gc control' but if you mean native support for gc adapters (nintendo/mayflash-4port ones) the last build of Ishiiruka has it as far as I know.
https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2016/02/02/dolphin-progress-report-january-2016/#cuthere
Check the January update on the Dolphin site. Apparently there was a bug in Dolphin where it checked for input press/hold on the wrong part of a given frame. It broke multiplayer in sonic heroes for a long time. They recently fixed it and people have said that it has made some games with precise control (melee PM, etc) to feel a little closer to console experience. This update was big enough for some people to consider finally updating the PM online build to use this version of Dolphin.
 
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MasterE

Smash Rookie
Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
6
Location
Marina del Rey, California
Well yes the main shader uses ishiiruka shader, I have one for dolphin netplay which would work. I only use those two.
So it should be safe to use the netplay shader on a newer build of Dolphin? I would much rather use Ishiiruka's build but I don't think it has the Dolphin Input updates that came out recently.
 
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Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
Well yes. The shader is just a configuration for dolphin.glsl for the netplay release. For ishiiruka its the ishiiruka shader, which offers a much more diverse set of features, that can produce the graphical fidelity seen above with the right setup. So long as the new dolphin release did not drop shader support for dolphin.glsl it will work on it.

So it should be safe to use the netplay shader on a newer build of Dolphin? I would much rather use Ishiiruka's build but I don't think it has the Dolphin Input updates that came out recently.
Edit I just read the report and that update is amazing.
 
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Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
I've been focusing on the Melee Remaster Project but I haven't forgotten about PM either! Its been a long time since I touched this, and ishiiruka has come a long way so here is shader for the latest Ishiiruka build.

Project M Shader Change Log:
3.00
  • Renamed Project M shader as the focus is no longer making it look as SSB4 as I can.
  • Reworked from the ground up for Ishiiruka 646
  • Now uses two variants of SSAO, gamma correction and contrast enhancement
  • New settings for bloom, tonemap, filmic process, and pixel vibrance.
P.S. I have a video showcasing the shader now, check it out!
 
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Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
I could try to the problem with the netplay build is just that I can only really use the dolphin.glsl shader from way back which isn't all that great. I've had alot more expereince with this stuff and with projects like the melee remaster so I could give it another shot tommorow.

The 2.10 version did have one for netplay but as I remember its not the most intuitive thing to install. I would have to give you my Dolphin.ini file as the file to replace in your config folder as settings are read within there instead of the shaderpresets folder.

P.S. I added my graphical settings for ishiiruka 652 which have my settings for the per pixel/phong lighting, and tessellation.

Edit: I started it tonight; I'll finish it tommrow. Here are some screenshots(First is before, second is after, right click and open in new top each image and switch between tabs to see difference clearly):



 
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Charmilio

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Nov 27, 2013
Messages
90
The effort is much appreciated, and no huge deal if it ends up not meeting your standard of quality. Still using the SSB4 Shader with my netplay build to this day, so I'm looking forward to a possible update. Thanks so much for sharing your efforts with the community, looking forward to what comes next and/or any possible updates!
 

Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
I updated the OP with a download for the PM Netplay Shader.

Chnages from the SSB4 variant:
  • Now using texture scaling and sharpening to bring out fine details.
  • Tone map, blended bloom, filmic process, pixel vibrance adjusted to the style of the current Project M shader for ishiiruka.
  • gamma correction and contrast enhancement now used to minimize over darkening the image while mitigating for the lack of SSAO in the dolphin.glsl shader.
Imgur Album
 

bngmn

Smash Cadet
Joined
Jan 23, 2015
Messages
64
This shader is amazing but GAHH my performance!!
Why is it that it ran so smoothly before and now it doesnt?
 

Ed94

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
Messages
164
Try not using the second ssao I guess? Or don't use per pixel lighting? SSAO2 was one of the new things I added.
 

SnAp_!

Smash Rookie
Joined
Oct 24, 2016
Messages
1
Hey! I am Having Hickups making this work for netplay, the Part where you say
  1. "Go to config set it to what anther's ladder guide has." Is confusing Because It is already configured in the preset build and also the picture shown in
    1. Go to the config folder and find dolphin.in is also confusing because the links lead to A picture that is diffrent than the Actual Build please help.
 

Desmos

Smash Rookie
Joined
Mar 29, 2020
Messages
2
The link for the ssb4 shader has been giving me ERROR 404 plz help.
 
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