How to improve Portal 2 with ReShade

ReShade is a post-processing software that applies filters to games to improve their looks.
This guide will tell you how to Install ReShade, and how to use it in game.

Video Link

I made a video tutorial that is easy to follow, and you can watch it here.

Installation

How to install ReShade:

1.

Go to https://reshade.me/ and download ReShade. After you have downloaded it, find the .exe and run it.

2.

Once you run it, you should get this screen:








Click on "Select Game" and find the .exe for Portal 2 located in
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Portal 2"
Once you have found it, double click on it. The ReShade window should say "Done". If so, tick the box that says "Direct3D 9". When you tick it, you should get another window that asks you if you want to install "standard effects" from GitHub. Click yes.















It should start downloading. When the download is finished, you should get this window:
















Make sure everything is ticked, then click "ok". It should say "Done". It is now installed.

However, we are not done yet

Repeat step 2, but instead of using portal2.exe, find any .exe in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Portal 2\bin".















Once it is done, you should have a "reshade-shaders" folder in both
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Portal 2" and in
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Portal 2\bin".

It is now installed!

Actually using ReShade

Start Portal 2. Once it launches, you should have a grey box at the top of your screen. It should say that it is loading the effects. This will happen everytime you launch it. Once it has finished loading, press Shift+F2 to open the settings menu. You may skip the tutorial, but make you sure you make a preset. Once you are in, enable these effects:
• AmbientLight
• BloomAndLensFlare*
• Clarity
• Colourfulness
• HDR
• Levels
• MagicBloom
• Tint
• TechniColor2
• Vignette

*To change the intensity of bloom, scroll down in the menu below and find "bloom". Open it and find "intensity". To change it, click and hold it, then move left or right.

After you have enabled all these effects, you may exit the ReShade menu by pressing Shift+F2 again. You will notice that the when you are in the Portal 2 menu, or have paused the game, it looks pink. This is normal. If it does not, check that all effects listed above are enabled.

You may experiment with other effects, but most of the other effects don't change much, or drop your FPS. You can also change the settings of these effects in the menu below the effects list.

That's it. Enjoy your better-looking Portal 2!

Before & After

Final Words

Hey, I put effort into stuff.

You can see that from my Youtube Channel, which you should TOTALLY subscribe to!

Here are some videos I've made.

[JusFoNo]

ofc, just tweak the settings to fit with the look of it

[YEE]

yo can i use it on l4d 2 too?

[drain damage]

@JusFoNo : well most effects either fail to compile or dissapear from the menu when i try using them

[JusFoNo]

reflection effects?

this works on basically any game but you're gonna have to tweak the filters a lot, the first portal is a much brighter game than this

[drain damage]

is there a way to make this work with portal 1, i tried but no reflection effects work

[portalbernard99]

found a way to make it work
thanks

[JusFoNo]

The software likely changed some of its keybinds or the way it is installed or something, remember that this guide is 5 years old at this point.

[portalbernard99]

do it even works with portal 2

[portalbernard99]

i did press home and nothing happened
help???

[DaBoyWhoGames]

when I open reshade it comes up with a screen to select a game THEN it asks me what API the game uses