The Shaders update of Minecraft is a big deal. First, the game was released on Windows and now it's also available on Mac OS. So not only the graphics are changed, but also the way they're used - different materials that can be used in different ways. So when you've finished your first playthrough, you should know how to change the lighting and render the quality of your characters (or minecarts).

Shaders are a very important part of Minecraft. They are used to make the game look more realistic and immersive. Some people also use them to improve their gaming experience.


BSL Shaders


BSL Shaders pack offers warm lighting and realistic water without interfering with the block-filled environment of Minecraft. The shader brings a beautiful depth of field effects and clouds that makes the game look like a Minecraft sequel. You can also turn on World Curvature to enhance the effect of BSL Shaders.


Continuum Shaders


The Continuum shader pack for Minecraft offers realistic lighting effects and shadows, life-like clouds, and color gradients across the skybox. With this pack, shadows in the game will adjust according to the Sun’s position. However, it should be noted that you would need a high-end gaming PC to run Continuum Shaders smoothly.


SEUS


Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders or SEUS completely overhauls the Minecraft world. It brings soft natural lighting, procedurally generated clouds, and raindrops that add a glossy look to every surface they touch. The shader pack doesn’t offer much customisability, which can be great if you don’t want to tweak every single aspect and play the game at default settings.


Complementary Shaders


The Complementary Shader pack is based on BSL Shaders and aims to be great at performance, compatibility, graphics, and gameplay. The Complementary shader pack offers a good experience on almost every PC with any GPU on the market. This shader pack is especially suitable for low-end PCs.


Oceano Shaders


Oceano Shaders visually rework the water surfaces in Minecraft. The shader pack also tweaks the rest of the color palette of Minecraft with bright colors and soft shades. Oceano gives a unique look to the Minecraft world that cannot be created by other shaders.


Nostalgia Shaders


Nostalgia Shaders offer a subtle graphics overhaul for Minecraft. The lightweight shader pack is designed to emulate shaders from the early 2010s. Just like Complementary Shaders, Nostalgia is meant to work smoothly on most PCs.


Sildur’s Vibrant Shaders


Sildur’s Vibrant Shaders gives a comprehensive makeover to Minecraft and comes with several customizability options. You can spend hours tweaking every single setting of the shader pack to get the perfect look for your Minecraft world. The shader pack also works well on a wide variety of PCs.


How to install shader packs in Minecraft


To install shader packs in Minecraft, you need to first install Iris or Optifine on your PC. Check out the easy step-by-step guide to install Minecraft shaders via Iris or Optifine.


How to install Minecraft shaders using Iris


Run the download file and select the Minecraft version you have on your PC to begin the installation
Download any shader pack mentioned above
Place the download folder in this location: %appdata%.minecraftshaderpacks
Open Minecraft launcher and select Iris and Sodium to play with new shaders


How to install Minecraft shaders using Optifine


Download any shader pack from the list mentioned above
Place the downloaded folder in the following location: %appdata%.minecraftshaderpacks
Open Minecraft launcher and select Optifine to play with newly installed shaders