Metallic Shine - A Reshade Preset

Description:

The original color tone of X4 is quite warm and leans toward clean, high‑purity colors. This preset changes the tone and introduces the following changes:

• []The color palette is shifted toward more realistic, colder tones. Overall saturation is reduced, though some areas can become more saturated.[/]

  []Additional contrast and effects make space darker, shadows deeper, and surfaces on ships and stations appear shinier and more metallic.[/]

  []Sharpening and clarity enhance texture detail.[/]

  []Ambient lighting helps objects feel more “integrated” into the scene rather than “placed on top.”[/]

  []The GI version of the preset adds small‑scale shadows and global illumination effects. This is noticeable when moving inside ships and stations. It does not apply to distant objects.[/]

  This preset pack includes three versions:

  • []A non‑GI version (GPU‑friendly)[/]

    []A GI‑enhanced version[/]

    []A photo‑focused version (GI with depth of field)[/]

    Tips:

    Everyone has different preferences, so here are some suggestions if you want to move the appearance closer to the vanilla game:

    • []Lower LUT chroma to shift the color palette back toward the vanilla style.[/]

      []Lower LUT luma to give the game a flatter look.[/]

      []Adjust CAS/Clarity if you prefer a softer or sharper image.[/]

      Important:

      The GI version of this preset requires access to the depth buffer. I recommend downloading the full add‑on version of ReShade.

      After installing ReShade, make sure that reshade_depth_input_is_reversed is set to 1 in the global preprocessor definitions.

      Installation:

      Step 1: Install Reshade (These instructions are for version 6. 3. 1).

      • []Download Reshade installer from reshade.me and run it.[/]

        []Select a game or application: Select 'X4: Foundations' from the list and click 'Next'.[/]

        []Select the rendering API: Choose 'Vulcan' and click 'Next'.[/]

        []Select effects to install: Choose whatever you want. Standard effects are required for this mod. Click 'Next'.[/]

        []Select add-ons to install: Click 'Next'.[/]

        []Close the installer.[/]
      Note: Reshade does not alter any game files. It just adds few files to your X4 folder. If you want to uninstall it, just run the installer again, choose the game and click 'Uninstall'.