Game Boy palette/color changer shader

RetroArch Additions Shaders
#1

This is based off my old and currently lost Virtual Boy color changer shader which is based off Harlequin’s super old GB shader way way back when.

This works perfectly for SameBoy for example which lacks the ability to change palettes/colors.

The folder structure of the attached .zip file looks like this:

It’s rather simple actually and the end result looks like this:

DMG

Game Boy Light

Game Boy Pocket

Blur and sharpness can be controlled by this attribute (default is always 5x)

This is how it looks with 1x:

Credits go to @hunterk for originally leading me to Harlequin’s super duper old shader package, and credits also goes to Harlequin himself.

I only deserve half-credit since I only modified it to my liking and removed the awful grids.

Download

Here (external host due to .zip file not being supported here to upload at Libretro)

How do you combine sahders?
Regarding the SameBoy core
#2

If anyone got any problems with this or the download stops working for some reason just give me a hollar and I’ll fix it in a jiffy.

I would also like to say that the 3 palette files that is included is created by playing a game in Gambatte/SameBoy using the regular shader files included with RetroArch then taking a screenshot, paste the screenshot in Paint and carefully select each color with the pipet tool and applying them to the palette files.

If you want more palettes it’s very easy to create new ones, just use this chart (Super Game Boy)

Copy one of the palette files, name it and then use Paint and the pipet tool on each color from the column you have selected and apply it to the existing copied palette.

So for example if you want the white/black/grey one from 2H, the white color should be on top, the light grey after, the darker grey next and black last.

Then copy one of the .cgp files and name it gb_monochrome_shader.cgp or something like that, open it in Notepad and replace the old palette name with the new one (whatever you called the finished palette in Paint)

Or you could experiment and come up with new exciting palettes based off the chart above by mixing different colors from different columns.

Good luck!

1 Like
#3

Is there a way to do this for the other Gameboy emulators such as Gambette?

#4

It should work for any of them, AFAIK

#5

Yes, this will work on Gambatte too, but with Gambatte you can also use standalone Gambatte to create so called .pal palette files which you then put in the system folder for RetroArch.

However this shader package will of course work for any Game Boy emulator and even Nintendo Virtual Boy.

#6

Hi, I cleaned up this shader and submitted it to the common-shaders repository, so it should become available through the online updater soon.

I also ported it to GLSL and Slang, so it’s no longer limited to Cg.

1 Like
#7

Thanks man, it looks awesome!

Big props to you for taking your time to fix this!

#8

Link dead please reupload.

#9

No real need; it’s been included in RetroArch for a while, in the shaders handheld directory as the gb-palette set.

1 Like
#10

cool shaders i will be sure to use it