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P3D v4.4 and TomatoShade

Daube

Daube

SOH-CM-2025
Hi all,

For the simmers who use TomatoShade, I have seen some annoucements telling that the latest version of TomatoShade, version 2.6, would be compatible with P3Dv4.4.
It is not.
At least, it doesn't work on my computer. I get some red error messages about some of the shader files in the log, and a red error message telling "something went wrong during initialization".
The option to apply shaders (F9) is greyed out and cannot be triggered.
Is anybody else having problems with that version ?
 
I used Tomato Shade in 4.3, but haven't tried it in 4.4 as I assumed it would need an update.
 
Same situation as myself, Dave. I think I was using the version 2.3 with my P3D4.3, and the result was perfect.
After updating to 4.4, I started looking for possible updates for TomatoShade to make it work with this new version....
 
The version 2.7 of TomatoShade is now available and is compatible with P3Dv4.4 :redfire:
The old preset I made with the version 2.3 worked perfectly.

If I understood correctly, in TomatoShade 2.7, the reflection effects are temporarily disabled.
 
TomatoShade is a small freeware program that let's you change some parameters in the shaders of P3Dv4.
By modifying these parameters, you can influence all sorts of visual effects, from the intensity of light and shadows, to contrasts, water reflections, cloud illuminations etc...
Just like other similar tools like PTA or Reshade, it also allows using some "presets", for people like me who don't understand anything to these parameters :)

TomatoShade includes by default two presets: light and dark.
These presets however, will alter the reflections in the sim, which require additional tweaking. I didn't like that, so I just loaded the "light" preset, and deactivated all settings related to reflections on the aircraft or on the water surface.
I was very pleased with the result, the difference it makes in the sim is just unbelievable.
 
Just to illustrate, here are two screenshots taken over the same photorealistic scenery in the French Alps, with same weather condition (from my default flight).

The first one was taken a few days before I started using TomatoShade. Check closely the atmospheric effect (haze), the colors of the ground/autogen and the luminosity/contrast in general:

daube_image0172.jpg


And here is another picture taken a few days after I started using TomatoShade with the default "light" preset (minus the reflections):
daube_image0195.jpg


You can see the colors and light are more intense, and the atmosphere now has a distinct blueish tint and gives a better sense of volumes and distances, in my opinion. Here is one last shot taken in Corsica, still with photoreal scenery. The mountains/hills in the background now give a impression of distance I never had before. And that effect works in VR helmets too, and the results are simply awesome, like night and day.

daube_image0217.jpg


Please note these screenshots are not modified at all, excepted cropping/resize.
 
Incredible

Well even with terrible screen quality (viewing home screen at work via TeamViewer) - what a difference this makes!No still screen shots can do it justice. I can't wait to see it directly on my 2550 big screen.

You get very photographic like qualities - deep shadows, reflections and color hues as in a Kodachrome film or photo. Seems to make sunlight and contrasts much more natural looking. Really grateful for the tip.

I don't have any of the aircraft in the profiles that come with the app so have just left the planes as is. And only using your Daube.ini. Fab results.
 
I'm really glad to read that, thanks a lot :)
But all of this is is only thanks to the author of TomatoShade and the default preset most of all.

EDIT: as additional information, here are the settings I use for the lighting in the simulator options:
Luminosity 1.36
Bloom 0.50 or 0.30 (bloom has to be limited to a low value like that, else some gauges become unreadable, like the HUD of a jet for example)
Saturation 1.20
 
Where do you find the TomatoShade download, the package itself? Is there an official site?

I tried searching on Google, but all I could find are sites offering presets.

Thanks - Rob

PS: Never mind, I found through a link in a YouTube video tutorial. But given it's popularity, I would have
thought it would have been uploaded somewhere a bit more easier to find, like on the AVsim Library.
 
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And for the members who might read these lines a few days/weeks/months later, the proper way to download the latest version of TomatoShade is simply to download *any* version (for example, the one linked just above) and then look into the menu on the main window: there will be an item to check for newer version. It will find and download the latest one :)
 
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