Selecting the Pack in Video Settings
Once Softbound Shaders is placed inside your shaderpacks folder alongside a shader loader such as Iris or OptiFine, you still need to activate it inside the game menu.
1. Launch Minecraft and load into a singleplayer world or server, or stay on the main title screen.
2. Open Options, then select Video Settings.
3. Click the Shaders or Shader Packs menu button.
4. Locate Softbound Shaders in the list and click it once so it is highlighted.
5. Click Done or Apply and give the game a moment to reload all terrain chunks.
Confirming the Lighting Loaded Properly
Step outside during daytime to verify that the shader is active rather than vanilla lighting:
- Walk near a tree or the wall of a building and check the ground for soft, smooth shadows instead of flat vanilla darkness.
- Look closely where walls meet the floor or where blocks form an inside corner; you should see subtle dark ambient shading tucked into those edges.
- Look toward sunlit terrain at midday and confirm the surface stays evenly lit without harsh, washed-out bright spots.