AH-64D Exported Display Images Look Very Dark

[Devrim]

Hi.

Exported images look darker than the MPDs in the cockpit. Even if I roll the BRT knob all the way, I can't get enough brightness for exported displays.

Everyone see that, or is it just me?

Thx.

[Alleluia]

Nope same problem on my side.

 

When flying at night i even need to have the mpd on day settings or i can see a damn thing on my export viewport.

 

Even in a completely dark room.

[MAXsenna]

There seems to be a problem with this across multiple modules. 

[Scaley]

This is a problem in the Hornet as well, and I think the Viper. It's been in DCS for over 3 years with nothing done. It seems to be a function of how the ED modules render their exported displays (vs all the 3rd party modules that don't do this)

[osram]

I'm not sure if that really helps, but no - that's not only you: You are not alone in this.

The issue is worst so far in the JF-17 especially during night. Last update I got from deka is that they look into the issue with ED.
Also I seem to have inconsistent behavior in the AH-64D using DCS lua command-interface as in displays/brightness not being able to be turned completely off/dark where they should. But hard to say where the problem is with the number of potential sources and general state of viewport-export functionality, might as well be my fault, unrelated. No idea.

 

[GibSlash]

Hi Guys, on the subject of exporting MPD's, I have a 3 screen set up... Now, when I load up FA-18, the centre screen is cockpit and the left screen is the left mfd and the right screen, the right mfd.... This just happens automatically, I didn't input anything for it.... Only happens though on this aircraft...is there a way or a feature I have to enable for this to happen on the AH-64? without getting involved in LUA.files..... 

below is pic.... I just wanted the Ah64 monitors either side like the fa18....

 

thanks guys

[Devrim]

Please don't break the topic.  Your one is another case and I suggest you to start a new topic.

Thx m8.

[GibSlash]

Sorry Buddy....Will do that....thanks

[Floyd1212]

I spent some time working on this yesterday and got a fix I am mostly happy with.  I came here to write up a post, but found this thread, so I will post it here.

The solution I am using is to use ReShade to adjust brightness/contrast/gamma on the exported region of my displays only, without effecting the rest of the game's rendered regions.  To accomplish this, you need to use a UIMask in ReShade, which then applies the shaders to the "masked" regions only. (More on this later.)

Follow this tutorial for how to install and setup ReShade.  (You can choose to use the shader settings he is showing or not, that's up to you.)

The next step is to create a "mask" for the regions of the screen you want to make adjustments to.  This feature is normally designed to mask elements of the user interface in a game that you don't want to change the look of, like maybe the minimap at the bottom of the screen, or the health bar, etc., but in this case we want to mask the majority of the screen from being effected, exposing only our display export regions to effect those.

Take a screenshot of your game with your display exports, and open it in your favorite image editing program. Fill in everything white, except for the display export regions, which you fill in black.  The shader effects we apply will only effect the regions of the screen that are black.  Save that black-and-white image as "UIMask.png". <-- very important

nullHere is my setup with two exported displays, and what the corresponding UIMask.png looks like:
 

Quote

nullnullnull

 

Save your UIMask.png file to the location on your machine where ReShade is expecting to find it.  This is within the DCS install folder, equivalent to:

G:\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta\bin\reshade-shaders\Textures\UIMask.png

Now open the ReShade controls after launching DCS, and enable the 4 shaders highlighted in the red box, and reorder them by dragging them so they are in the order shown below.  ReShade will process the "Tonemap" and "Levels" shaders only to the areas specified by our mask.

You now have real-time sliders for Black Point, White Point, and Gamma that you can adjust to tweak your external displays to suit your needs (red arrows).

It needs to be said, however, that this is not a complete solution for night missions.  You will still have a problem with the displays in the cockpit getting super washed out before you have anything usable on your export displays.  It does help a little, but you will still be blinded by the in-cockpit displays.  ED, please fix this!  In the meantime, this may help...

Edited May 1, 2022 by Floyd1212

[Devrim]

Thank you @Floyd1212

I use that software and I'll try what you told.

Thanks a lot! 

[JIGGAwest]

@Floyd1212

you can't run reshade on your masked main screen with different settings for the unmasked areas, can you?

 

I guess I need to decide if I want the benefit of the sharpening and contrast over more readable MPD's on export....

Edited May 6, 2022 by JIGGAwest

[Foka]

This problem lasts for years already, and it concerns all modules. And it's still ignored.
 

 

 

[Floyd1212]

5 hours ago, JIGGAwest said:

you can't run reshade on your masked main screen with different settings for the unmasked areas, can you?

Yes, you can; and I do.

I have them unchecked in that screenshot above so the sliders and settings area shown below them was less cluttered, but I normally run LumaSharpen and Curves shaders "above" the 4 shaders involved with the mask.  This means LumaSharpen and Curves is being applied to the entire rendered area, including the masked regions, then the mask shaders are applied after those.

Edit: As long as the Luma and Curves adjustments are subtle, it shouldn't have very much impact.  But if you are darkening the whole screen a lot with a shader above, then lightening the masked regions again, this would be counterproductive.

I haven't investigated if there is a way to have two masked areas, essentially the inverse of each other, with shaders applied that aren't overlapping, but my hunch is that is not possible.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Floyd1212

[Devrim]

Thanks @Foka

I tried brightness command addition in monitor lua but then DCS will completely stop seeing monitor lua file.

[Floyd1212]

@Devrim Have you tried the UIMask yet?

[Devrim]

Honestly, no.

I want a question; I'm currently using ReShade for color correction on DCS. Is it possible use two effects in the same time?

[Floyd1212]

Yes, that is what I am doing.

The shaders above the "UIMask_Top" shader will be applied to the entire screen (for color correction), then the shaders between "UIMask_Top" and "UIMask_Bottom" will be applied on top of that to the masked regions only.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Floyd1212

[Scaley]

In addition, you can always use the same shader twice, once inside the masked area and once for the whole screen. To do this just duplicate the shader fx file inside reshade/shaders and and rename one copy. ReShade will see them as two separate versions each with their own settings.

Edited May 8, 2022 by Scaley

[Sarge55]

Not a graphic artist by any stretch of your imagination but was able to muddle through and create the mask and set up ReShade.

Worked a treat.  Great workaround until ED sorts it out…

I mostly needed it to improve the video image of the TADS in the pilots MFD. The export was so poor it was impossible to check George’s target to see if it was friendly or not. Alas, there was a couple of Blue on Blue hits.

Thanks Floyd 

[Sarge55]

UPDATE:

I have since gone in and made a new UIMask.png which covers the Hornet and Viper as well as the Apache exported components and... Wow!

What a great improvement. 

[Floyd1212]

Nice!

@Devrim You try it yet?

[Devrim]

Haha! I'm so sorry man. Nowadays I've been away from my HOTAS only for 1 week. Some work thing. I have a congress to get through. Important for me. I'm working on some articles. Whenever my head gets hot, I come around here to relax my head.

I'll let you know when I try.

[Sarge55]

Perhaps someone can point me in the right direction on something.

I jumped back into the Viper and turned on re-shade and the MFD's were great, lettering and lines were very clear and easy to see just like my quick test earlier getting the Apache sorted.  This time however, since I was flying a training mission I activated A/G mode and brought up the TGP and A/G radar both of them were very bright and completely washed out.  The text around the outside was still somewhat visible but faint and the lines (crosshair or sweep line) were invisible due to the brightness of the background.

Now the problem, when I turn down the brightness to be able to see the images the text and lines fades away almost completely.  I tried to adjust the gamma in Re-shade, it adjusted the image fine but the letters and lines also became faded as well.  Is there a setting which affects the text and lines?  Adjusting SYM or CONT rockers seemed to have no effect on the text or lines.

This was not the case with the Apache, I had to tone VID down a little but all the text stayed as is.

Any suggestions?

[Floyd1212]

Hopefully someone else can help here; the only module I have setup with exported displays is the Apache.

[Sarge55]

Thanks Floyd, me to. 
I should take this to the F-16 thread rather than clutter up the Apache thread.