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HDR Contrast Shader Override

May 22, 2021: Updated for compatibility with 8193.23. Unfortunately no longer backwards compatible with earlier game versions due to variable changes in EE's stock shaders.


The first 8 screenshots show areas with a modified version of the HDR Override Shader that only affects the left half of the screen. The right half is the default look.

The other screenshots are normal full screen screenshots with the HDR override installed.

The Beamdog High Contrast Shader has been replaced, and so is not shown in any screenshots. Additionally, the Beamdog Vibrance Shader has been disabled, and the Depth of Field shader has also been overridden in some screenshots with a different type of blur, or disabled in other screenshots.

The Screen Space Ambient Occlusion Shader is enabled for all screenshots.


These screenshots were taken on the Arelith NWN 1.74 Persistant World Server, and none of the areas were made by me. Visit Arelith.com for more information.


This workshop item includes one override .shd file, which replaces the High Contrast Frame Buffer Shader included in the base game, by having the same file name.

The shader file is a GLSL text file that is based on Beamdog's Contrast shader, with some adjustments to the parameters to taper high and low values (lights and darks) logarithmically, based on included reference values, with an overall expansion towards the upper values that decreases as the values approach maximum (full white).

This override was made in consideration of the typical light values contained within the standard assets of Neverwinter Nights. The default contrast shader makes lighter colors lighter, and darker colors darker, but many complained that the shader made the game look too dark. This is because very few of the colors created by the game's assets and lighting engine end up being in the "upper half" of the black to white range, so the stock shader has very few opportunities to brighten the game's appearance.

First impressions may resemble feeling the override brightens the game too much, however, I would suggest leaving it on for a day to see if your mind changes, since you may be accustomed to the previous appearance of the game if you have previous experience playing the game.

The lighter colors resulting from the use of the shader are largely in a domain of a monitor's display potential unused currently by NWN. By utilizing them, you will add more incremental steps between dark and light colors, dull and rich colors, and will accentuate the introduction of specifically dark or light features, such as spell effects, dynamic lighting from torches and spells, and high contrast textures.

Because of the treatment of colors, the larger range of values may provide some extra saturation in midtones, and decreased saturation in highlights. Therefore, it may be worth considering comparing the use of this shader with and without the Vibrance shader, since they both may be doing some of the same work to enhance the game's color (and not just it's dark/light values, since this shader applies adjustments to each Red Green and Blue values individually).


High-Dynamic-Range imaging is an industry term for a variety of formats and methods to encode color in such a manner that subtle differences between dark and light colors are more easily rendered during view. It employs a mix of methods, such as logarithmic encoding, and standardized levels for "more than white" data to be recorded or otherwise stored.

This shader does not use these specific methods, but rather aims for similar goals with some similar mathematical techniques. The literal use of HDR technology, as seen in other games, for the use of modifying game imagery with realistic exposure setting adjustments, adaptive visuals, and shifting balance points may require a more complex shader and different texture formats for specifc source files (such as extremely bright objects, like the sun).

The use of the term HDR in the title is representative of the extra color range afforded by the shader override, and some of the similarities of the appearance of the game with HDR technology.


This workshop item has also been uploaded to the neverwintervault archives at
https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn1/hakpak/original-hakpak/hdr-contrast-shader-override

Please let me know if you have any questions in either the item discussions tab (found above the screenshots), or in the comments below, and I will answer when I am able.