Duimon - HSM Mega Bezel Graphics and Presets - Feedback and Updates

[Morris_Schaffer]

Hey man thanks for the feedback. This is really weird as I coulda sworn I had it figured out. I grabbed the 12 Megabyte package from HSM with the Mega Bezel package (first link in this thread). I deleted the existing mega bezel folder on RA, and placed the one I downloaded in the exact location that HSM says it has to go which is: Retroarch/shaders/shaders_slang/bezel/Mega_Bezel.

So I got my bezels there. Then I grabbed one of your Super Nintendo overlays, and it displays fine in RA, but whatever shader I select in RA, no reflections. I’m on Vulkan by the way. My PC is capable as it’s a brand new one: I7 12700 KF, 32 ram, RTX3080. What am I missing? Thanks!

[Morris_Schaffer]

I might have it figured out. I now downloaded your 743 MB Duimon mega Bezel package, and it contains a whole bunch of slang shaders. I suspect those are the ones I actually need and not the 12 MB pacakge in that HSM link. Gonna try now.

[Drybonz]

You need both of those, so keep the 12mb package around too.

[Morris_Schaffer]

Crap and I had to disable the overlay option under quick menu because Duimons shaders come with the overlay package already.

so now it looks totally fab. Awesome.

[p3st]

yeah i meant the shader preset …and i think i menat the Tube Shadow overlay …but the empty tube space option seems to be the thing i wanted without editing or add another image overlay …now i just have to find this in this ocean of options xD And yeah this shader is the best retrogame shader i seen so far really thankfull for that gift from @HyperspaceMadness ^^

[HyperspaceMadness]

Very kind words, thank you

@Duimon and @TheNamec deserve a lot of credit for all the work they have done sticking through me with the development of this testing things and recommending new features and giving feedback

And of course I can’t think enough the community of shader writers giving us awesome crt effects and magical pixel processing.

@p3st

…but the empty tube space option seems to be the thing i wanted without editing or add another image overlay

This is right above the Tube Shadow, Perhaps it should be in its own section

[Leatherface]

Hi guys,

Just a problem when playing with stella (VCS 2600) :

Impossible to read the screen size (last number), then impossible to make adjustments.

[Duimon]

It can get even worse than that.

And I’m not sure there is anything that can be done to fix it.

If it helps, I usually only need the final aspect to make adjustments, once I have acquired a target aspect. (And I make the change by hand in the *.slangp.)

HSM_ASPECT_RATIO_MODE = "1.000000"
HSM_ASPECT_RATIO_EXPLICIT = "2.000000"

[FamShoppa]

Hi @Duimon, I’m a noob and I just tried your beautiful bezels for the first time. I have a question (which any knowledgeable user can feel free to answer) and a suggestion (for the great artist)…

…

QUESTION: Is it possible to disable the color and texture filtering that affects the game itself (not the surrounding bezels)?

Additionally, if I apply shaders that came with RetroArch by default (like general softening and sharpening ones)…could they just be applied to the game? Or would they affect the surrounding bezel as well?

If I could explain my concerns, for background information…

So I’m starting my “Retro Console” journey with Nintendo Entertainment System. When I initially loaded the game in default RetroArch…the colors looked bright and everything looks smooth. I love that cartoon-like aesthetic. Obviously, I’d want to improve on it…but to my mind it could use blurring and glow.

But when I activate the bezels, I feel like there’s this dimming and “orange” color filter on top of the game. And to my personal taste…the scanlines are way too prominent and distracting. I feel like that look loses the sense of fun.

This is why I asked the questions above.

…

SUGGESTION: I think the NES’s “Custom Bezel 1 (normal or night)” preset is the best in terms of screen size…but the border frame and left-side text look really awkward.

It would be greatly improved if it could use the same border as the NES’s “Bezel” preset (the first one listed). That one is normal looking and sleek. Also, if the text on the left side could be shrunk (where it says “Nintendo Entertainment System”) so that it’s not awkwardly cut off.

Again, if I could explain myself…

So I cycled through all the NES presets. 99% of them looked so beautiful. But I found it very difficult to play games like baseball or paperboy…because they shrunk the screen dramatically. That means little critical objects like balls or obstacles were harder to see.

The only preset that provided the ideal screen size was “Custom Bezel 1”. But as I said earlier…artistically speaking, I don’t think that look makes any sense.

• The display border is so deep and unnatural…it doesn’t approximate any screen I’ve seen in real life.
• It has this strange silver border color that none of the other presets have, and again…very unnatural.
• The left side text “Nintendo Entertainment System” gets cut off…but without any logic. Kind of looks like an awkward “cut and paste”.

This is why I’ve made the suggestions above.

[Drybonz]

You can adjust the viewport setting in the shader parameters and make the game area larger. Give it a shot and see what you think.

[Duimon]

Welcome back, nice to see you hanging around.

OK… first.

@FamShoppa

if I apply shaders that came with RetroArch by default (like general softening and sharpening ones)…could they just be applied to the game? Or would they affect the surrounding bezel as well?

It is not possible to apply another shader on top of this shader.

Second.

@FamShoppa

Is it possible to disable the color and texture filtering that affects the game itself

The easiest way to accomplish this is to use the [A/B SPLITSCREEN COMPARE] parameter group.

Change the Show: parameter to 1.00 to split the screen…

…and change the splitscreen position to 100.

This would of course disable everything, including any smoothing or filtering.

@FamShoppa

the scanlines are way too prominent and distracting

If you just want to turn down the scanlines. turn down the Trigger RES from the default to 100.

And change the Opacity to something that appeals to you.

@FamShoppa

It would be greatly improved if it could use the same border as the NES’s “Bezel” preset

You could use that preset and just scale the screen using the Non-Integer Scale % parameter.

Then…

Since all my presets are set to use the built in Super Widescreen Mode…

Go to the Background Layer parameters and change the Scale X parameter…

…until the logo is centered in the free space.

I have made this adjustment on some of my later presets. At some point I may go through the earlier ones.

Experiment around a bit with the parameters and you can tune a lot of things to fit your taste… the shader is not static like and overlay.

For example…

@FamShoppa

It has this strange silver border color

This is the frame texture image, and can be turned off.

@FamShoppa

The display border is so deep and unnatural

You can adjust the bezel height and width.

@FamShoppa

I don’t think that look makes any sense.

The look was intentionally designed to mimic the Bezel on some of the scenes most popular historic Overlays by OrionsAngel…

It doesn’t have to make sense, and was never designed to look like any RL counterpart.

@Orionsangel’s overlays were the original inspiration for my project. This preset was intended to pay homage to his work.

[FamShoppa]

WOW! So much great info. Thanks to both @Drybonz and especially @Duimon for that detailed walk-through!

I’m about to get to work boys!

Also I think one of the initial problems was that I wasn’t aware of the “Shaders Parameters” window where you can tweak the shader look. Noob growing pains!

[FamShoppa]

Oh sorry one last thing… What’s the difference between the “Advanced” “Standard” and “Light” preset folders?

They seem to have the same presets. When I applied them, I couldn’t visually notice any differences.

[Duimon]

Good question. It just so happens that I was about to recommend the Lite in your situation.

The Advance and Standard are identical except for some advanced CRT parameters.

The Lite uses a base preset that is in turn based on an old version of Guest’s CRT shader.

The PC requirements increase with each level from Lite>>>Standard>>>ADV.

For the look you seem to be going for, try the Lite preset and scroll up in the parameter list to get to the end of the parameter list. Then…

Select the CGWG mask.

Turn the scanline strength down.

And adjust the mask strength.

After you get the screen to look like you wish, play with all the Bezel, Frame, and Scale parameters. (Don’t forget the Background layer Scale X.)

Here is an example of what can be done.

Here I have the Bezel height set lower than the width. To get the reflection Corner Crease to line up I had to adjust the Corner Rotation Offset Top, and Bottom.

[Drybonz]

I found some of that info useful as well… thank you.

edit Somebody should do a tutorial for all the settings in that style, above… I’m sure that would be a huge pain, but really useful to new guy like me that like tinkering with settings.

[p3st]

yeah found it but one question/suggestion maybe you can get it so that you can recolor (set hue , brightness etc.) for the empty tube space ? maybe its to much to ask but than we could get that empty space spot on ^^

[Duimon]

I think time might be better spent on integrating the DMG shader.

[p3st]

its already the “one shader to rule them all” ^^

[Duimon]

@p3st

maybe you can get it so that you can recolor (set hue , brightness etc.) for the empty tube space

Just to add. The Space is already correctly colored. Try a game that uses has dark elements at the edge of the screen.

If you changed the color it would look weird then.

While HSV on the empty tube space would be cool. Here I am using Multiply Blending on the screen, and Monochrome settings for the color. Things might not work like you expect in this case.

Hence my comment on time better spent.

[Duimon]

@Drybonz

Somebody should do a tutorial for all the settings in that style, above

I can redo the setting and save (And post) a simple preset.

It will list all the changed parameters.

I have a GitHub pages site that is intended to host guides, as well as galleries, so I could do some customizing guides in the future.

I plan on spending some time on these sort of things before doing any new graphics anyway.