OptiShade 0.21.7 Beta

Shared entries apply to both channels; Beta-only entries require the opt-in Beta build. These notes cover changes since 0.21.4 Stable and 0.21.5-beta.1 Beta.

Fixes

Shared — Stable and Beta

• Attempted fix: Menu flickering, ghosting and GPU-related instability. The overlay now waits for its previous GPU work before reusing rendering resources or cleaning them up.

• Corrected MFG setup wording to follow the installed channel: Stable describes its retained RTX 40 provider and source-receipt repair; Beta no longer says preparation has already happened before installation.

• Fixed missing Hybrid runtime assets in the installer: the exact verified kernel, parameter builders and size contracts are now included. This repairs the missing-file failure; actual Hybrid rendering still needs target confirmation.

• Fixed the missing JPEG-quality workflow: quality is exposed, saved and passed to the screenshot encoder, with invalid values rejected or safely defaulted when loading.

• Memory-pressure retry and disabling its session override now force a fresh budget check before the next NR dispatch, instead of reusing a recent admission check.

• Fixed valid installer file lists being rejected by Windows PowerShell.

• Fixed retries after partial effects downloads losing track of completed packs, while preserving installed packs and edited shaders.

• Fixed inconsistent handling of invalid installation paths so discovery and setup use the same checks.

• Hardened installation records against partial writes and malformed data. Recovery now stops with useful context instead of resetting ownership records or original backups.

• Fixed repair handling for duplicate records of the same owned MFG file; conflicting original backups still require review.

• Fixed preset control when a separate VR session starts first, while keeping its settings separate from the desktop look.

• Reworked preset changes and live effect edits so desktop and linked headset targets track their own pending changes and replay edits after reloads.

• Fixed screenshot request cleanup during runtime replacement, reloads and cancelled captures, preventing an old request from remaining stuck or reporting a later capture as its own.

• Fixed plain-text authentication tokens being missed when diagnostic text is redacted.

Beta only

• Attempted fix: TAA + frame-generation flicker. Estimated-motion history now resets when frame-generation settings or depth interpretation change, and poor motion matches are rejected.

• Attempted fix: X-Plane grain and speckling. Added the same poor-motion rejection and reset neural history when the guide history changes.

• Repaired main-view selection and recovery around X-Plane/Vulkan secondary windows, so pop-outs do not automatically take over the main effects target.

• Corrected the new source-MFG backend’s output ownership and replacement handling, including retiring old viewports and rejecting stale acknowledgements after the presentation target changes.

Improvements

Shared — Stable and Beta

• Reduced repeated memory-budget diagnostics while preserving the first warning, periodic occurrence counts and pressure/device-failure errors. Existing bounded log rotation is retained; no measured FPS gain is claimed.
• Multi-install updates now stop for unavailable or unsupported recorded locations before changing any game. Existing checks for locked games, space and original backups remain in place.
• Returning to Stable now reviews Beta-only X-Plane installations first. It can restore their recorded OptiShade files while preserving presets; an X-Plane-only setup keeps the Beta manager for Play and Restore.
• Update recovery now records where a version change stopped, including download, installation and manager cleanup, making interrupted updates easier to diagnose.
• Version changes recheck the reviewed installation plan before applying it, stopping if installation records changed after review. Existing identity-checked previous-manager cleanup is retained.
• Preset status now checks that requested effects and edits have reached the active target, distinguishing loading or missing effects from processing.
• Improved neural-model selection on multi-GPU systems using the observed rendering adapter where available, with checks against stale or incompatible adapter information.
• MFG save feedback now distinguishes a queued write from a completed settings save. Existing pending/accepted/frame-timing distinctions are retained; a saved multiplier is not proof of generated output.
• Neural-rendering observations now track current work more closely and avoid presenting stale timing as current activity.
• Improved owned MFG repair, backup validation and duplicate-provider protection. Controls remain tied to the verified active backend and its supported capabilities.
• Diagnostic collection has tighter size limits and collection deadlines, with clearer reporting when information is omitted or collection stops early.
• Expanded crash discovery and rendering-session information in diagnostics to help investigate missing effects, device selection and interrupted frame generation.

Beta only

• Updated experimental DLAA activation and TAA working-size handling for unusual resolutions and ultrawide displays. Simulator image-quality confirmation remains outstanding.
• Improved the X-Plane launch path and local Vulkan-layer setup used by the Beta manager.

Changes

Shared — Stable and Beta

• Portable version changes now give explicit separate-folder instructions: keep the old folder and Data as recovery, copy Data to the new portable folder, then update supported games through Setup.
• Updated bundled component notices and package verification, including checks that the installer contains the intended channel’s files.

Beta only

• Experimental TAA/neural-rendering guide processing now uses built-in shaders instead of relying on a downloaded image-effect helper.
• Eligible source-MFG migration retires the recorded legacy provider and backs up its settings. The separate upstream menu is absent only where this headless backend actually owns the installation.

Stable behaviour retained: Fresh Stable installs keep the established RTX 40 MFG provider. Stable does not newly activate the experimental RTX 20/30/40 backend; already-recorded source-backend installations can be repaired. Native RTX 50 and ordinary AMD/Intel paths retain their existing scope.

New additions

Shared — Stable and Beta

• Added an optional hardware-temperature overlay, controlled from Settings & status. It stays visible during gameplay, can be repositioned with the menu open, and saves its preference. Supported NVIDIA sensors are read directly; CPU and other temperatures use a running Libre Hardware Monitor provider. Unsupported readings show Unavailable.

• Added “Link headset look to desktop”, with the option to retain a separate VR preset. Save or discard pending edits before changing the link.

• Added separate desktop/headset effect status, including not connected, loading, separate-profile and processing states.

• Added snapshot folder, PNG/JPEG and JPEG-quality options in the in-game UI, plus a “Take screenshot” button. Captures still go inside an Optishade Snapshots folder; Browse screenshots follows the saved location.

• Added a per-game GPU choice for model downloads when automatic selection is ambiguous. The choice is labelled as user-selected, not proof of the active renderer.

• Added download-cache recovery that preserves the old cache locally before retrying, without removing installed files or original backups.

Beta only

• Added the experimental source-built RTX 20/30/40 MFG backend for supported MSFS installations, controlled through OptiShade. It offers override off, Follow game, Fixed and capability-dependent Dynamic modes; available multipliers follow the active runtime.

Testing scope: repaired implementation paths have local production-code and package evidence. Real RTX 20/30/40 generated output, affected headset combinations, X-Plane/pop-outs, DLAA/ultrawide quality and HDR/VR capture still need target testing. No claim is made that every MFG case stuck at 2x or every crash is fixed. The new attempts for TAA/native-FG flicker, ghost menus, GPU instability and XP12 speckling still need confirmation in affected simulators; the specific post-Beta crash remains unconfirmed; The missing Hybrid asset packaging is repaired; actual Hybrid output remains a target test.

Please report issues in Discord and post reviewed diagnostic ZIPs in the correct channels. I am no longer responding to support requests in DMs.

OptiShade 0.21.6 Stable

Shared entries apply to both channels; Beta-only entries require the opt-in Beta build. These notes cover changes since 0.21.4 Stable and 0.21.5-beta.1 Beta.

Fixes

Shared — Stable and Beta

• Attempted fix: Menu flickering, ghosting and GPU-related instability. The overlay now waits for its previous GPU work before reusing rendering resources or cleaning them up.

• Corrected MFG setup wording to follow the installed channel: Stable describes its retained RTX 40 provider and source-receipt repair; Beta no longer says preparation has already happened before installation.

• Fixed missing Hybrid runtime assets in the installer: the exact verified kernel, parameter builders and size contracts are now included. This repairs the missing-file failure; actual Hybrid rendering still needs target confirmation.

• Fixed the missing JPEG-quality workflow: quality is exposed, saved and passed to the screenshot encoder, with invalid values rejected or safely defaulted when loading.

• Memory-pressure retry and disabling its session override now force a fresh budget check before the next NR dispatch, instead of reusing a recent admission check.

• Fixed valid installer file lists being rejected by Windows PowerShell.

• Fixed retries after partial effects downloads losing track of completed packs, while preserving installed packs and edited shaders.

• Fixed inconsistent handling of invalid installation paths so discovery and setup use the same checks.

• Hardened installation records against partial writes and malformed data. Recovery now stops with useful context instead of resetting ownership records or original backups.

• Fixed repair handling for duplicate records of the same owned MFG file; conflicting original backups still require review.

• Fixed preset control when a separate VR session starts first, while keeping its settings separate from the desktop look.

• Reworked preset changes and live effect edits so desktop and linked headset targets track their own pending changes and replay edits after reloads.

• Fixed screenshot request cleanup during runtime replacement, reloads and cancelled captures, preventing an old request from remaining stuck or reporting a later capture as its own.

• Fixed plain-text authentication tokens being missed when diagnostic text is redacted.

Beta only

• Attempted fix: TAA + frame-generation flicker. Estimated-motion history now resets when frame-generation settings or depth interpretation change, and poor motion matches are rejected.

• Attempted fix: X-Plane grain and speckling. Added the same poor-motion rejection and reset neural history when the guide history changes.

• Repaired main-view selection and recovery around X-Plane/Vulkan secondary windows, so pop-outs do not automatically take over the main effects target.

• Corrected the new source-MFG backend’s output ownership and replacement handling, including retiring old viewports and rejecting stale acknowledgements after the presentation target changes.

Improvements

Shared — Stable and Beta

• Reduced repeated memory-budget diagnostics while preserving the first warning, periodic occurrence counts and pressure/device-failure errors. Existing bounded log rotation is retained; no measured FPS gain is claimed.
• Multi-install updates now stop for unavailable or unsupported recorded locations before changing any game. Existing checks for locked games, space and original backups remain in place.
• Returning to Stable now reviews Beta-only X-Plane installations first. It can restore their recorded OptiShade files while preserving presets; an X-Plane-only setup keeps the Beta manager for Play and Restore.
• Update recovery now records where a version change stopped, including download, installation and manager cleanup, making interrupted updates easier to diagnose.
• Version changes recheck the reviewed installation plan before applying it, stopping if installation records changed after review. Existing identity-checked previous-manager cleanup is retained.
• Preset status now checks that requested effects and edits have reached the active target, distinguishing loading or missing effects from processing.
• Improved neural-model selection on multi-GPU systems using the observed rendering adapter where available, with checks against stale or incompatible adapter information.
• MFG save feedback now distinguishes a queued write from a completed settings save. Existing pending/accepted/frame-timing distinctions are retained; a saved multiplier is not proof of generated output.
• Neural-rendering observations now track current work more closely and avoid presenting stale timing as current activity.
• Improved owned MFG repair, backup validation and duplicate-provider protection. Controls remain tied to the verified active backend and its supported capabilities.
• Diagnostic collection has tighter size limits and collection deadlines, with clearer reporting when information is omitted or collection stops early.
• Expanded crash discovery and rendering-session information in diagnostics to help investigate missing effects, device selection and interrupted frame generation.

Beta only

• Updated experimental DLAA activation and TAA working-size handling for unusual resolutions and ultrawide displays. Simulator image-quality confirmation remains outstanding.
• Improved the X-Plane launch path and local Vulkan-layer setup used by the Beta manager.

Changes

Shared — Stable and Beta

• Portable version changes now give explicit separate-folder instructions: keep the old folder and Data as recovery, copy Data to the new portable folder, then update supported games through Setup.
• Updated bundled component notices and package verification, including checks that the installer contains the intended channel’s files.

Beta only

• Experimental TAA/neural-rendering guide processing now uses built-in shaders instead of relying on a downloaded image-effect helper.
• Eligible source-MFG migration retires the recorded legacy provider and backs up its settings. The separate upstream menu is absent only where this headless backend actually owns the installation.

Stable behaviour retained: Fresh Stable installs keep the established RTX 40 MFG provider. Stable does not newly activate the experimental RTX 20/30/40 backend; already-recorded source-backend installations can be repaired. Native RTX 50 and ordinary AMD/Intel paths retain their existing scope.

New additions

Shared — Stable and Beta

• Added an optional hardware-temperature overlay, controlled from Settings & status. It stays visible during gameplay, can be repositioned with the menu open, and saves its preference. Supported NVIDIA sensors are read directly; CPU and other temperatures use a running Libre Hardware Monitor provider. Unsupported readings show Unavailable.

• Added “Link headset look to desktop”, with the option to retain a separate VR preset. Save or discard pending edits before changing the link.

• Added separate desktop/headset effect status, including not connected, loading, separate-profile and processing states.

• Added snapshot folder, PNG/JPEG and JPEG-quality options in the in-game UI, plus a “Take screenshot” button. Captures still go inside an Optishade Snapshots folder; Browse screenshots follows the saved location.

• Added a per-game GPU choice for model downloads when automatic selection is ambiguous. The choice is labelled as user-selected, not proof of the active renderer.

• Added download-cache recovery that preserves the old cache locally before retrying, without removing installed files or original backups.

Beta only

• Added the experimental source-built RTX 20/30/40 MFG backend for supported MSFS installations, controlled through OptiShade. It offers override off, Follow game, Fixed and capability-dependent Dynamic modes; available multipliers follow the active runtime.

Testing scope: repaired implementation paths have local production-code and package evidence. Real RTX 20/30/40 generated output, affected headset combinations, X-Plane/pop-outs, DLAA/ultrawide quality and HDR/VR capture still need target testing. No claim is made that every MFG case stuck at 2x or every crash is fixed. The new attempts for TAA/native-FG flicker, ghost menus, GPU instability and XP12 speckling still need confirmation in affected simulators; the specific post-Beta crash remains unconfirmed; The missing Hybrid asset packaging is repaired; actual Hybrid output remains a target test.

Please report issues in Discord and post reviewed diagnostic ZIPs in the correct channels. I am no longer responding to support requests in DMs.

OptiShade 0.21.5 Beta

OptiShade 0.21.5 Beta

Stable

• Fixed menu size and position not being remembered.
• Improved controller support and hotkey recovery. Added an option to separate keypad navigation keys.
• Fixed Print Screen binding for SnapShot. Added clearer key labels, conflict messages and Num Lock guidance.
• Improved preset import status when effects are missing or fail to load.
• Fixed restore being blocked by changed logs and improved repeat MFG installation.
• MFG controls are now available inside the OptiShade UI.
• Improved old installer cleanup when switching between stable and beta. Update downloads remain compatible with 0.21.3.
• Beta updates stay on beta. Return to stable checks for the latest stable release.
• Reduced repeated upscaler error pop-ups and improved diagnostics.
• Clearer installer errors when antivirus removes or blocks a file.

Antivirus update

• Bitdefender confirmed the submitted sample was clean. I am investigating the newer Windows Defender reports.

Beta
Includes all the stable fixes above, plus:

• Attempted fix for XP12 neural rendering stopping after changing presets or settings.
• Attempted fix for DLAA neural rendering failing to start or recover.
• Attempted fix for TAA neural rendering at 5120 x 1440 ultrawide.

XP12, Vulkan NR and TAA NR remain beta features. The attempted fixes still need in-game testing.

OptiShade 0.21.4 Stable

OptiShade 0.21.4 Stable

Stable

• Fixed menu size and position not being remembered.
• Improved controller support and hotkey recovery. Added an option to separate keypad navigation keys.
• Fixed Print Screen binding for SnapShot. Added clearer key labels, conflict messages and Num Lock guidance.
• Improved preset import status when effects are missing or fail to load.
• Fixed restore being blocked by changed logs and improved repeat MFG installation.
• MFG controls are now available inside the OptiShade UI.
• Improved old installer cleanup when switching between stable and beta. Update downloads remain compatible with 0.21.3.
• Beta updates stay on beta. Return to stable checks for the latest stable release.
• Reduced repeated upscaler error pop-ups and improved diagnostics.
• Clearer installer errors when antivirus removes or blocks a file.

Antivirus update

• Bitdefender confirmed the submitted sample was clean. I am investigating the newer Windows Defender reports.

OptiShade 0.21.3 Stable

OptiShade 0.21.3 Stable

NEW FEATURE - SNAPSHOT

• Set a SnapShot key in the manager's Keybinds page or the in-game Keybinds page.
• Captures the rendered game image to a PNG in the game's "Optishade Snapshots" folder. The notification appears after saving.
• Browse screenshots opens that folder. The old ReShade screenshot triggers are disabled to avoid duplicate captures.

FIXES

• Added on-demand downloads for three older Barbatos shader filenames used by Vapory presets, with pinned original sources and integrity checks.
• Restore/uninstall now preserves changed, recorded shader source files in %LOCALAPPDATA%/OptiShade-Recovery before removing them from the game. Changed DLLs still require review.
• Fixed in-game INI/ZIP imports failing when MSFS is launched through its WindowsApps link. Imports resolve the physical game folder; unsafe archive paths and linked shader folders remain blocked.
• Fixed conflicting optional-MFG ownership records that could prevent restoring version.dll. Original backed-up files are preserved.
• Added a check for a missing upscaler backend before evaluation. The reported MSFS crashes remain under investigation; this is not a confirmed fix for every crash.
• Improved the missing/damaged installer-file message with recovery steps. Damaged or missing DLLs still fail verification.

IMPROVEMENTS

• FPS overlay controls are now visible in Settings & status, with matching OptiShade switches: visibility, position, detail, text size, opacity and theme colours.
• In-game Settings & status now includes UI size: Auto or 100–200%. Text and controls scale together; Auto uses 200% at native 4K. Save settings keeps the choice per game.
• Retry NR after a memory-pressure pause without restarting the simulator.
• Added a memory-pressure override beside Apply the model. It is off by default and lasts only for the current game session. Low VRAM can still cause stutters or crashes; device-loss checks remain active.
• Compatible RTX 40 installations automatically receive the bundled MFG component. Native DLSS Frame Generation must still be enabled in game; Backspace opens its menu. Supported multipliers vary. Existing conflicting loaders are not overwritten by automatic MFG setup.
• Other GPU families retain their supported options; this build does not install an unvalidated RTX 40 component on RTX 20/30/50, AMD or Intel.
• Beta opt-in and uninstall choices now use purple toggle switches.
• SnapShot and preset hotswap use the same keybind controls as the other actions.
• Missing custom FX warn without blocking preset installation; known catalogue dependencies still download. Long import instructions are no longer truncated.
• Successful updates place the new manager on the Desktop and remove the unchanged previous EXE. Returning to stable resets beta opt-in. Presets and configuration are preserved.

STABLE AND BETA

• This stable build supports MSFS 2020 and 2024. XP12, TAA NR and Vulkan NR remain beta-only.
• Beta installers are built from the beta branch and published as prereleases. They are only offered after enabling beta in Settings. Stable users are offered stable releases only; nothing installs until you choose it.
• Return to stable always checks the current published releases and defaults to the latest stable build. Successful return turns beta opt-in off.

INSTALLING

• Download this update manually from GitHub if 0.21.2 reports no update. Its release-list parsing issue is fixed in this version; subsequent update checks and channel switches use the corrected code.
• Updates started by this manager save the new EXE to Desktop and remove the unchanged old EXE after success. The first update started by 0.21.2 still uses that older updater and may retain its previous EXE.
• Close your simulators and update normally; a restore/reinstall is normally unnecessary. Repair continues to use files from the matching manager version.
• If installer verification reports a missing or damaged file, download a fresh official EXE and check antivirus protection history. Do not replace individual DLLs from unrelated websites.

ANTIVIRUS UPDATE

• Bitdefender reviewed the submitted OptiShade sample and confirmed it is clean and no longer detected by its engines.
• Other antivirus reports remain under investigation. If you still see a warning, include the app version, affected filename and detection name with your diagnostic ZIP.

Please send diagnostic ZIPs, with a description of the issue, to the diagnostic zips channel in BlackBox Discord: https://discord.gg/6hjR9cSsy7

RTX 40 SERIES — ENABLE MFG

1. Close MSFS, then install/update OptiShade for your game. The required Universal RTXMFG v1.3.3-hotfix.2 DLL is included and installs automatically for a detected compatible RTX 40 setup. No separate DLL download is required.
2. Start MSFS and enable its native NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation option in graphics settings. MFG requires the game's compatible DLSS Frame Generation pipeline.
3. Press Backspace to open the MFG menu. Choose an available fixed multiplier, or Dynamic if available. Follow game keeps the game's requested multiplier.
4. Check the menu's status for pending changes or restart instructions. Available multipliers depend on the game, GPU and runtime; not every listed mode is guaranteed to work.

• If installation reports that version.dll is already occupied, automatic MFG is skipped to protect the existing loader. Do not overwrite it manually; include the message in a diagnostic ZIP.
• MFG is not provided for X-Plane 12. In the beta, TAA Neural Rendering requires frame generation off.

DOWNLOADS

• Choose the stable/beta EXE matching this release, or its portable ZIP. You only need one EXE.

OptiShade 0.21.3 Beta 4

OptiShade 0.21.3-beta.4 Beta

X-PLANE 12 VULKAN STARTUP FIX

• Fixed the packaged Vulkan layer's Windows DLL path. Forward-slash relative paths could fail to load ReShade64.dll and surface as VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_HOST_MEMORY during vkCreateInstance.
• Verified the failure and corrected startup with the actual packaged DLLs in an isolated Vulkan instance test. A full cockpit test on affected systems is still needed.
• Play now validates the layer JSON, resolved DLL and recorded component hashes before launching. Invalid installations produce a repair/update message instead of forcing a broken layer.
• Preserves inherited Vulkan layer paths and other requested layers, removes duplicate entries, and handles existing VK_LAYER_PATH overrides correctly.
• All launch environment changes stay inside the child process. No driver changes or system-wide Vulkan registration.
• Play explains when administrator mode prevents local Vulkan layer discovery. Reopen the manager normally before launching X-Plane.
• X-Plane launch diagnostics now record validation, sanitized layer configuration and component hashes.

BETA TO STABLE

• Increased the previous-manager cleanup wait from 2 to 30 seconds so a closing beta launcher can finish releasing its EXE. The update window remains responsive.
• Only the exact unchanged previous EXE is removed. If another process still holds it open, the completion message shows its retained location.
• This cleanup applies to switches started by Beta 4. Manually opening a separate stable installer does not remove other downloaded EXEs.
• Return to stable continues to select the latest published stable release and turns beta opt-in off after success.

INSTALLING

• Close your simulators, enable beta versions in Settings, then Check for updates.
• If updating manually, run Beta 4 and update the recorded X-Plane installation in Setup before Play. Repair is for installations already on the matching version.
• Presets and configuration are preserved. MSFS functionality and stable 0.21.3 are unchanged.
• The existing dxgi.dll bridge remains required for the XP12 menu and experimental NR integration. Do not delete it manually; Restore uses ownership records and backups.
• Use Play in the manager for X-Plane. TAA NR, Vulkan and XP12 remain experimental beta features.

DOWNLOADS

• One beta EXE and one portable ZIP. Choose one; portable users should preserve their Data folder when extracting the new version.

Please post diagnostic ZIPs in the diagnostic zips channel in BlackBox Discord, including the simulator selected in Setup and what happened: https://discord.gg/6hjR9cSsy7

OptiShade 0.21.3 Beta 3

OptiShade 0.21.3-beta.3 Beta

This experimental installer is built from the beta branch and published as a GitHub prerelease. It is offered only when beta versions are enabled in Settings.

EXPERIMENTAL FEATURES

• X-Plane 12 Vulkan image effects and Neural Rendering. Launch XP12 using Play in this manager. Frame generation is not provided for XP12.
• MSFS 2020/2024 TAA Neural Rendering using estimated guides. Use SDR with frame generation disabled. NR and TAA fallback require a fresh opt-in each game session.
• These paths passed earlier local visual checks. This updated build includes further fixes; please report your results. Performance and compatibility vary.

NEW FEATURES

• SnapShot: assign a key in the manager or in-game Keybinds. One PNG is saved in the game's Optishade Snapshots folder, followed by a completion notification. Browse screenshots opens that folder.
• Snapshot storage resolves Xbox installation aliases. Cleanup records are verified before success is reported; unrelated pictures are not removed.
• Capture requests stay with the active effects runtime instead of a different game window.
• Selective uninstall lets you remove app files, saved INI presets or recorded snapshots. Remove everything requires confirmation. Snapshot cleanup is restricted to games recorded by this manager.
• Beta build labels, saved update-channel preference and channel-correct download links. Beta revision numbers are compared numerically for upgrades and same-version repair.
• Generated graphics logs no longer block updates. Changed or untracked graphics DLLs still require review.
• NR memory-budget checks and tuning debounce are retained. TAA waits use completion events and log synchronous frame cost; the GPU safety barriers remain in place.
• XP12 launch includes its ReShade compatibility argument.

FIXES

• Added on-demand downloads for three older Barbatos shader filenames used by Vapory presets, with pinned original sources and integrity checks.
• Restore/uninstall now preserves changed, recorded shader source files in %LOCALAPPDATA%/OptiShade-Recovery before removing them from the game. Changed DLLs still require review.
• Fixed in-game INI/ZIP imports failing when MSFS is launched through its WindowsApps link. Imports resolve the physical game folder; unsafe archive paths and linked shader folders remain blocked.
• Fixed conflicting optional-MFG ownership records that could prevent restoring version.dll. Original backed-up files are preserved.
• Added a check for a missing upscaler backend before evaluation. The reported MSFS crashes remain under investigation; this is not a confirmed fix for every crash.
• Improved the missing/damaged installer-file message with recovery steps. Damaged or missing DLLs still fail verification.

IMPROVEMENTS

• FPS overlay controls are now visible in Settings & status, with matching OptiShade switches: visibility, position, detail, text size, opacity and theme colours.
• In-game Settings & status now includes UI size: Auto or 100–200%. Text and controls scale together; Auto uses 200% at native 4K. Save settings keeps the choice per game.
• Retry NR after a memory-pressure pause without restarting the simulator.
• Added a memory-pressure override beside Apply the model. It is off by default and lasts only for the current game session. Low VRAM can still cause stutters or crashes; device-loss checks remain active.
• Compatible RTX 40 installations automatically receive the bundled MFG component. Native DLSS Frame Generation must still be enabled in game; Backspace opens its menu. Supported multipliers vary. Existing conflicting loaders are not overwritten by automatic MFG setup.
• Other GPU families retain their supported options; this build does not install an unvalidated RTX 40 component on RTX 20/30/50, AMD or Intel.
• Beta opt-in and uninstall choices now use purple toggle switches.
• SnapShot and preset hotswap use the same keybind controls as the other actions.
• Missing custom FX warn without blocking preset installation; known catalogue dependencies still download. Long import instructions are no longer truncated.
• Successful updates place the new manager on the Desktop and remove the unchanged previous EXE. Returning to stable resets beta opt-in. Presets and configuration are preserved.

SWITCHING VERSIONS

• Download this update manually from GitHub if 0.21.2 reports no update. Its release-list parsing issue is fixed in this version; subsequent update checks and channel switches use the corrected code.
• Enable beta versions in Settings and check for updates to download the beta prerelease. Stable users only receive stable releases; no beta is downloaded without opt-in and choosing to install it.
• To return to stable, turn beta off and Check for updates, or choose a stable build with Return to stable. Successful return clears beta opt-in.
• Close all simulators first. Presets, keybinds and configuration are preserved. Experimental TAA NR must be enabled again each session and is disabled in stable.
• Restore XP12 before returning to stable if you want to remove its experimental installation. Stable leaves existing XP12 installations untouched and does not offer XP12 installation.
• Updates started from this manager save the new EXE to your Desktop and remove the unchanged previous EXE after success. Updates started from 0.21.2 still use its older naming and retain the previous copy for this first update.
• Portable version changes use a separate extraction and preserve the Data folder.

ANTIVIRUS UPDATE

• Bitdefender reviewed the submitted OptiShade sample and confirmed it is clean and no longer detected by its engines.
• Other antivirus reports remain under investigation. If you still see a warning, include the app version, affected filename and detection name with your diagnostic ZIP.

Please send diagnostic ZIPs, with a description of the issue, to the diagnostic zips channel in BlackBox Discord: https://discord.gg/6hjR9cSsy7

RTX 40 SERIES — ENABLE MFG

1. Close MSFS, then install/update OptiShade for your game. The required Universal RTXMFG v1.3.3-hotfix.2 DLL is included and installs automatically for a detected compatible RTX 40 setup. No separate DLL download is required.
2. Start MSFS and enable its native NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation option in graphics settings. MFG requires the game's compatible DLSS Frame Generation pipeline.
3. Press Backspace to open the MFG menu. Choose an available fixed multiplier, or Dynamic if available. Follow game keeps the game's requested multiplier.
4. Check the menu's status for pending changes or restart instructions. Available multipliers depend on the game, GPU and runtime; not every listed mode is guaranteed to work.

• If installation reports that version.dll is already occupied, automatic MFG is skipped to protect the existing loader. Do not overwrite it manually; include the message in a diagnostic ZIP.
• MFG is not provided for X-Plane 12. In the beta, TAA Neural Rendering requires frame generation off.

DOWNLOADS

• Choose the stable/beta EXE matching this release, or its portable ZIP. You only need one EXE.

OptiShade 0.21.2 Stable

OptiShade 0.21.2 Stable

A NOTE FROM GRAVY
I'm sorry for the problems caused by the 0.21 release and the disruption to your flying. Thank you to everyone who sent reports and diagnostic ZIPs. This stable build keeps the safeguards from 0.21.1 and improves version switching and uninstall options. Experimental work will stay on beta while testing continues.

IMPROVEMENTS

• New uninstall window: choose app files, saved INI presets, recorded OptiShade snapshots, or Remove everything. Removing everything requires an extra confirmation. Game saves, controls and unrelated pictures are kept.
• The beta opt-in control now matches the Image effects style.
• Update messages identify the selected stable or beta channel correctly. Changing channels clears the previous offer; downloads still require your choice.

FIXES AND STABILITY

• Retains NR memory-budget checks, device-failure protection and reduced model rebuilding while adjusting sliders.
• Retains Xbox installation-folder detection fixes and fixes for generated logs blocking updates.
• These safeguards do not establish that every reported crash is resolved. Please continue reporting problems.
• Stable supports MSFS 2020 and 2024. Experimental XP12 installation, TAA NR and Vulkan NR remain excluded and continue on beta.

ROLLBACK — REVERT UPDATE

• Use the permanent Revert update button below the update controls, select an available compatible build, then press Install selected build.
• The regular EXE workflow downloads and verifies the selected installer, updates recorded installations, and keeps presets and configuration. The selected EXE is saved to your Desktop.
• Close all simulators first. Withdrawn releases are not listed. 0.21 and 0.21.1 are withdrawn from downloads; older available versions may lack current fixes. Portable users must download the selected portable package separately. Restore any XP12 installation before selecting a build that does not support it.

BETA TESTING

• In Settings, enable Opt into beta versions for testing, then select Check for updates. Enabled checks beta prereleases; disabled checks stable releases.
• The setting changes offered downloads; it does not install anything automatically. If no eligible beta exists, the launcher says so.
• Beta builds are experimental and are marked BETA in the manager and splash screen. A separate manager folder does not isolate files installed into your game.
• Use the matching release's instructions when switching versions. Keep your presets backed up.

INSTALLING 0.21.2

• Close your simulators and update normally. A restore and reinstall is normally unnecessary. Repair uses the matching manager version rather than downloading an update.
• Existing XP12 installations are not updated or removed automatically by this stable release.

ANTIVIRUS — SUSPECTED FALSE POSITIVES
The unsigned installer extracts a helper and graphics components; in-game features use graphics hooks. These behaviours can trigger heuristic alerts, but do not prove a particular detection is a false positive. Download only from official releases. If blocked, report the detection name and affected file path; do not disable antivirus or add blanket exclusions.

Please send diagnostic ZIPs with a description of the issue to the diagnostic zips channel in BlackBox Discord: https://discord.gg/6hjR9cSsy7

OptiShade 0.20.12

OptiShade 0.20.12

• Fixed an issue where changing your menu key binding could cause aircraft controls to glitch when opening or closing the UI.
• Updated Preset HotSwap: choose Preset 1 and Preset 2, and set your Preset hotswap key. An on-screen message now shows which preset is active after swapping.

Updating: Close MSFS, run the 0.20.12 installer, select your simulator and click Repair OptiShade. No restore or uninstall is needed. Restart MSFS afterwards.

OptiShade 0.20.11 - Preset HotSwap

OptiShade 0.20.11

New Feature Added: Preset HotSwap

Uses:

• Quickly compare two different presets.
• Switch between day and night presets while flying.
• Keep two favourites ready to swap whenever you cannot decide.

How to use:

1. Open the OptiShade UI and go to Image effects.
2. Choose a Main Preset and a different Hotswap Preset.
3. Click Change beside Hotswap and press your preferred key.
4. Save settings.
5. Close the UI and swap as you wish!

Save or revert unsaved preset edits before swapping. Different shaders may briefly reload.

Updating: Close MSFS, run the 0.20.11 installer, select your simulator and click Repair OptiShade. No restore or uninstall is needed. Restart MSFS afterwards.