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Cinematic Vanilla Shaders Wiki › Guides › Adjusting Shadow Intensity and Softness

Adjusting Shadow Intensity and Softness

Access Shader Settings

Open your shader options menu while in-game. This is typically found in Video Settings > Shaders > Shader Options, though the exact path depends on your launcher.

Fine-Tune Shadow Parameters

Look for shadow-related sliders such as:

  • Shadow Distance: Controls how far shadows render from your character. Increasing this makes distant shadows visible but uses more performance.
  • Shadow Softness: Adjusts the blur and feathering of shadow edges. Higher values create softer, more cinematic shadows; lower values produce sharper, more defined shadows.
  • Shadow Brightness: Lightens or darkens shadowed areas. Increase if caves feel too dark; decrease for more dramatic contrast.

Test Your Changes

After adjusting each setting, move around your world to see how shadows fall on buildings, terrain, and vegetation. Pay attention to how shadows look during different times of day—morning and evening light creates the most noticeable shadow effects.

Performance Consideration

If your frame rate drops noticeably after increasing shadow distance or softness, reduce these values incrementally until you find a balance between visual quality and smooth gameplay.