I think I’ve gotten closer to my goal of obtaining a preset that combines the blending potential of composite with the color vibrancy of RGB while retaining as much sharpness as possible. This is using a preset consisting of NTSC-Colors and CRT-Guest-Advanced-NTSC:
While it’s not razor-sharp, it’s still sharp enough that you don’t feel like it’s murdering all the details of the pixel art just to blend that damn waterfall. The colors are, of course, nice and vivid, courtesy of disabling all the NTSC parameters that tend to mute them, as well as giving them a nice boost through the NTSC-Colors shader. I’ve also begun to experiment with the Mask Boost parameter, which gives a nice brightness boost along with getting back some of the mask detail lost through the Bloom parameters. The image is actually bright enough that I can more than comfortably play with my monitor’s backlight all the way down to the lowest setting, and according to the 240p suite, while I am missing some color bars, that is purely down to the NTSC-Colors shader, which is a tradeoff I am willing to live with given how much it improves the colors of the image IMO.
Here is the preset, if anyone wants to check it out:
shaders = "19"
feedback_pass = "0"
shader0 = "shaders_slang/misc/shaders/ntsc-colors.slang"
wrap_mode0 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input0 = "false"
alias0 = ""
float_framebuffer0 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer0 = "false"
scale_type_x0 = "source"
scale_x0 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y0 = "source"
scale_y0 = "1.000000"
shader1 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/stock.slang"
filter_linear1 = "false"
wrap_mode1 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input1 = "false"
alias1 = ""
float_framebuffer1 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer1 = "false"
scale_type_x1 = "source"
scale_x1 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y1 = "source"
scale_y1 = "1.000000"
shader2 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/stock.slang"
filter_linear2 = "false"
wrap_mode2 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input2 = "false"
alias2 = "StockPass"
float_framebuffer2 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer2 = "false"
scale_type_x2 = "source"
scale_x2 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y2 = "source"
scale_y2 = "1.000000"
shader3 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/afterglow0.slang"
filter_linear3 = "true"
wrap_mode3 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input3 = "false"
alias3 = "AfterglowPass"
float_framebuffer3 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer3 = "false"
scale_type_x3 = "source"
scale_x3 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y3 = "source"
scale_y3 = "1.000000"
shader4 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/pre-shaders-afterglow.slang"
filter_linear4 = "true"
wrap_mode4 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input4 = "false"
alias4 = "PrePass0"
float_framebuffer4 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer4 = "false"
scale_type_x4 = "source"
scale_x4 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y4 = "source"
scale_y4 = "1.000000"
shader5 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/ntsc/ntsc-pass1.slang"
filter_linear5 = "false"
wrap_mode5 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input5 = "false"
alias5 = "NPass1"
float_framebuffer5 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer5 = "false"
scale_type_x5 = "source"
scale_x5 = "4.000000"
scale_type_y5 = "source"
scale_y5 = "1.000000"
shader6 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/ntsc/ntsc-pass2.slang"
filter_linear6 = "true"
wrap_mode6 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input6 = "false"
alias6 = ""
float_framebuffer6 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer6 = "false"
scale_type_x6 = "source"
scale_x6 = "0.500000"
scale_type_y6 = "source"
scale_y6 = "1.000000"
shader7 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/ntsc/ntsc-pass3.slang"
filter_linear7 = "true"
wrap_mode7 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input7 = "false"
alias7 = ""
float_framebuffer7 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer7 = "false"
scale_type_x7 = "source"
scale_x7 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y7 = "source"
scale_y7 = "1.000000"
shader8 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/custom-fast-sharpen.slang"
filter_linear8 = "true"
wrap_mode8 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input8 = "false"
alias8 = "NtscPass"
float_framebuffer8 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer8 = "false"
scale_type_x8 = "source"
scale_x8 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y8 = "source"
scale_y8 = "1.000000"
shader9 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/stock.slang"
filter_linear9 = "true"
wrap_mode9 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input9 = "true"
alias9 = "PrePass"
float_framebuffer9 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer9 = "false"
scale_type_x9 = "source"
scale_x9 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y9 = "source"
scale_y9 = "1.000000"
shader10 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/avg-lum-ntsc.slang"
filter_linear10 = "true"
wrap_mode10 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input10 = "true"
alias10 = "AvgLumPass"
float_framebuffer10 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer10 = "false"
scale_type_x10 = "source"
scale_x10 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y10 = "source"
scale_y10 = "1.000000"
shader11 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/linearize-ntsc.slang"
filter_linear11 = "true"
wrap_mode11 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input11 = "false"
alias11 = "LinearizePass"
float_framebuffer11 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer11 = "false"
scale_type_x11 = "source"
scale_x11 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y11 = "source"
scale_y11 = "1.000000"
shader12 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/crt-guest-advanced-ntsc-pass1.slang"
filter_linear12 = "true"
wrap_mode12 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input12 = "false"
alias12 = "Pass1"
float_framebuffer12 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer12 = "false"
scale_type_x12 = "viewport"
scale_x12 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y12 = "source"
scale_y12 = "1.000000"
shader13 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/gaussian_horizontal.slang"
filter_linear13 = "true"
wrap_mode13 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input13 = "false"
alias13 = ""
float_framebuffer13 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer13 = "false"
scale_type_x13 = "absolute"
scale_x13 = "800"
scale_type_y13 = "source"
scale_y13 = "1.000000"
shader14 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/gaussian_vertical.slang"
filter_linear14 = "true"
wrap_mode14 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input14 = "false"
alias14 = "GlowPass"
float_framebuffer14 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer14 = "false"
scale_type_x14 = "absolute"
scale_x14 = "800"
scale_type_y14 = "absolute"
scale_y14 = "600"
shader15 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/bloom_horizontal.slang"
filter_linear15 = "true"
wrap_mode15 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input15 = "false"
alias15 = ""
float_framebuffer15 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer15 = "false"
scale_type_x15 = "absolute"
scale_x15 = "800"
scale_type_y15 = "absolute"
scale_y15 = "600"
shader16 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/bloom_vertical.slang"
filter_linear16 = "true"
wrap_mode16 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input16 = "false"
alias16 = "BloomPass"
float_framebuffer16 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer16 = "false"
scale_type_x16 = "absolute"
scale_x16 = "800"
scale_type_y16 = "absolute"
scale_y16 = "600"
shader17 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/crt-guest-advanced-ntsc-pass2.slang"
filter_linear17 = "true"
wrap_mode17 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input17 = "false"
alias17 = ""
float_framebuffer17 = "true"
srgb_framebuffer17 = "false"
scale_type_x17 = "viewport"
scale_x17 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y17 = "viewport"
scale_y17 = "1.000000"
shader18 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/deconvergence-ntsc.slang"
filter_linear18 = "true"
wrap_mode18 = "clamp_to_border"
mipmap_input18 = "false"
alias18 = ""
float_framebuffer18 = "false"
srgb_framebuffer18 = "false"
scale_type_x18 = "viewport"
scale_x18 = "1.000000"
scale_type_y18 = "viewport"
scale_y18 = "1.000000"
sega_fix = "1.000000"
quality = "0.000000"
ntsc_phase = "3.000000"
ntsc_scale = "0.750000"
ntsc_cscale = "2.250000"
CCONTR = "0.000000"
GAMMA_INPUT = "2.400000"
gamma_out = "2.400000"
HSHARPNESS = "1.000000"
S_SHARP = "1.200000"
HSHARP = "2.000000"
MAXS = "0.270000"
HARNG = "0.000000"
m_glow = "1.000000"
m_glow_cutoff = "0.400000"
m_glow_mask = "2.000000"
SIZEH = "14.000000"
SIGMA_H = "15.000000"
SIZEV = "14.000000"
SIGMA_V = "15.000000"
bloom = "0.500000"
mask_bloom = "0.500000"
halation = "-0.005000"
brightboost = "1.000000"
brightboost1 = "1.000000"
gsl = "-1.000000"
scans = "0.000000"
scan_falloff = "0.100000"
shadowMask = "9.000000"
maskstr = "1.000000"
mcut = "2.000000"
maskboost = "1.799999"
slotmask = "1.000000"
slotmask1 = "1.000000"
deconrr = "0.500000"
deconrg = "-0.500000"
deconrry = "0.500000"
deconrby = "-0.500000"
textures = "SamplerLUT1;SamplerLUT2;SamplerLUT3;SamplerLUT4"
SamplerLUT1 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/lut/trinitron-lut.png"
SamplerLUT1_wrap_mode = "clamp_to_border"
SamplerLUT1_mipmap = "false"
SamplerLUT2 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/lut/inv-trinitron-lut.png"
SamplerLUT2_wrap_mode = "clamp_to_border"
SamplerLUT2_mipmap = "false"
SamplerLUT3 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/lut/nec-lut.png"
SamplerLUT3_wrap_mode = "clamp_to_border"
SamplerLUT3_mipmap = "false"
SamplerLUT4 = "shaders_slang/crt/shaders/guest/advanced/lut/ntsc-lut.png"
SamplerLUT4_wrap_mode = "clamp_to_border"
SamplerLUT4_mipmap = "false"