Display Shaders PowerToy

Crystal-clear text rendering for modern OLED displays through real-time shader injection

What is This?

Display Shaders PowerToy is a Windows utility that fixes text rendering issues on modern OLED displays using real-time DirectWrite shader injection with custom HLSL pixel shaders.

The Problem

Modern OLED displays use different subpixel layouts than traditional LCDs:

• LG WOLED (WRGB) - Four subpixels with white in center
• Samsung QD-OLED (RGB Triangular) - Triangular arrangement
• PenTile AMOLED - Diamond pattern

Windows ClearType was designed for standard RGB stripe LCDs, causing color fringing and blurry text on OLED displays.

The Solution

This application uses real-time DirectWrite shader injection to apply custom subpixel rendering optimized for your specific display type.

How it works:

1. Hooks into DirectWrite rendering pipeline
2. Applies custom HLSL pixel shaders
3. Monitors and optimizes new processes automatically
4. Provides pixel-perfect subpixel-aware rendering

Features

Real-Time Shader Injection

• Automatic process injection - Hooks into applications as they launch
• Live monitoring - Shows currently optimized applications
• Instant apply - Changes take effect immediately
• Safe and reversible - Clean unhooking on exit

Display Support

• Standard LCD/LED - Traditional RGB stripe
• LG WOLED (WRGB) - LG C/G/B series OLED displays
• QD-OLED (RGB Triangular) - Samsung/Alienware monitors
• PenTile AMOLED - Diamond pattern displays
• Multi-Monitor Support - Configure different settings for each display independently

Advanced Features

• Adjustable intensity - Fine-tune optimization strength (0-100%)
• Auto-start - Launch with Windows
• System tray - Run silently in background
• Diagnostic logs - Detailed troubleshooting information

Screenshot

The interface shows real-time status and easy configuration:

Key Elements:

• Green status indicator - Shows active optimization
• Live process count - "Optimizing 6 applications"
• Display type selection - Choose your monitor
• Optimization strength slider - Adjust intensity
• Active process list - See what's being optimized

Quick Start

Installation

1. Download the latest release from Releases
2. Extract the files to a folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\DisplayShadersPowerToy\)
3. Run DisplayShadersPowerToy.exe

Important: The DisplayShaderHook.dll file must be present in the same directory as the executable.

First-Time Setup

1. Select your display type:

   • LG OLED monitor? LG WOLED (WRGB)
   • Samsung QD-OLED? QD-OLED (RGB Triangular)
   • Standard LCD? Standard LCD / LED Monitor

2. Adjust optimization strength (100% recommended to start)

3. Toggle ON the master switch (top-right)

4. Watch the magic happen!

   • Status shows "Optimizing X applications"
   • Active processes list appears
   • Text rendering improves immediately

Multi-Monitor Configuration

For setups with multiple displays (e.g., an OLED main monitor and LCD secondary monitors):

1. Select a monitor from the visual layout at the top of the window.
2. Configure settings for the selected monitor:
   • Set Display Type (e.g., WOLED for main, Standard LCD for secondary)
   • Adjust Intensity
3. Repeat for other monitors.
4. Use the Identify button to show numbers on your screens if you're unsure which is which.

Recommended Settings

Display Type	Setting	Intensity
LG WOLED	LG WOLED (WRGB)	85-100%
Samsung QD-OLED	QD-OLED (RGB Triangular)	75-90%
Standard LCD	Standard LCD / LED	100%

How It Works

Architecture

+---------------------------------------------+
|        Display Shaders PowerToy             |
+---------------------------------------------+
|                                             |
|  Real-Time Shader Injection                 |
|    - Hook DirectWrite API                   |
|    - Apply HLSL pixel shaders               |
|    - Monitor new processes                  |
|    - Auto-inject on launch                  |
|                                             |
|  Optimized for:                             |
|    - WOLED (WRGB stripe)                    |
|    - QD-OLED (RGB triangular)               |
|    - PenTile (diamond pattern)              |
|                                             |
+---------------------------------------------+

What Gets Optimized?

Automatically optimizes:

• All GUI applications (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.)
• Text editors (Notepad, VS Code, Visual Studio, etc.)
• Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Communication apps (Slack, Teams, Discord, etc.)
• Any application using DirectWrite for text rendering

Process filtering:

• Skips system processes (safety)
• Skips security software
• Skips anti-cheat systems
• Only hooks GUI applications

Status Indicators

Main Status Card

? Optimizing 6 applications          [ENABLED]
  Real-time shader injection active

Status Messages:

• "Optimizing X applications" - Shader injection working
• "Waiting for applications..." - Ready, no apps yet
• "Optimization disabled" - Turned off
• "Shader Mode: Not Available" - DisplayShaderHook.dll not found

Active Processes List

Shows live list of optimized applications:

chrome.exe (PID: 1234)
notepad.exe (PID: 5678)
devenv.exe (PID: 9012)
...

Advanced Options

Real-time Process Injection

• Enabled (default): Automatically hooks new applications
• Disabled: Manual mode only

Launch at Startup

• Enabled: Starts with Windows
• Disabled: Manual launch required

Minimize to System Tray

• Enabled: Hides to tray when minimized
• Disabled: Normal taskbar behavior

Diagnostic Tools

View Logs

Click "View Logs" to see detailed diagnostic information:

[22:45:01] [InjectionManager] Scanning 234 processes...
[22:45:02] [Injection] SUCCESS: chrome (PID: 1234)
[22:45:03] [Injection] SUCCESS: notepad (PID: 5678)
...

Log File Location

%LOCALAPPDATA%\DisplayShadersPowerToy\Logs\diagnostic_YYYY-MM-DD.log

Technical Details

Components

C# Application (DisplayShadersPowerToy.exe)

• Modern WPF interface
• Process injection manager
• Settings management
• System tray integration

C++ Hook DLL (DisplayShaderHook.dll)

• DirectWrite API hooks
• HLSL pixel shader implementation
• Subpixel-aware rendering
• D3D11 device management

Application Settings (Registry)

Settings are stored in:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\DisplayShadersPowerToy\
?? EnableShaderInjection
?? ShaderLayout
?? ShaderIntensity
?? StartWithWindows
?? MinimizeToTray

Note: This application does NOT modify Windows ClearType settings or system font rendering.

Security & Safety

What This App Does

• Injects display shaders into GUI processes
• Monitors running processes
• Stores user preferences in registry

What This App Does NOT Do

• No admin rights required (user-level only)
• No kernel-level modifications
• No network communication
• No data collection or telemetry
• No modification of Windows ClearType settings

Blacklisted Processes

The app never injects into:

• System processes (csrss, winlogon, etc.)
• Security processes (Windows Defender)
• Anti-cheat systems (EasyAntiCheat, BattlEye, etc.)
• Graphics drivers
• Its own process

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 (with C++ and .NET workloads)
• .NET 8.0 SDK
• Windows 10/11 SDK

Build Steps

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/myn/DisplayShadersPowerToy.git
cd DisplayShadersPowerToy

# Build C++ hook DLL
msbuild Native\DisplayShaderHook\DisplayShaderHook.vcxproj /p:Configuration=Release

# Build C# application
dotnet build -c Release

# Run
.\bin\Release\net8.0-windows\DisplayShadersPowerToy.exe

See BUILD_INSTRUCTIONS.md for detailed build instructions.

Troubleshooting

"Shader Mode: Not Available"

• Cause: DisplayShaderHook.dll not found
• Solution: Ensure DLL is in same folder as executable
• Check: Look in diagnostic logs for DLL loading errors

Text doesn't look different

1. Check that optimization is ENABLED (toggle in top-right)
2. Verify your display type is correct
3. Restart the application you want to optimize
4. Check diagnostic logs for injection errors

Injection fails

• Some apps are protected (see logs)
• Try running as administrator (usually not needed)
• Check antivirus isn't blocking DLL

App shows "Waiting for applications..."

• Shader injection is enabled but no apps hooked yet
• Launch a GUI application (browser, editor, etc.)
• Check diagnostic logs for injection attempts

FAQ

Q: Do I need administrator rights? A: No, the app runs with user-level privileges.

Q: Will this work on my LG C2 OLED TV? A: Yes! Select "LG WOLED (WRGB)" for optimal results.

Q: Can I use this with games? A: Yes, but anti-cheat systems may block injection. The app will skip those processes automatically.

Q: What if DisplayShaderHook.dll is missing? A: The app will show "Shader Mode: Not Available" and no optimization will occur. You need both the EXE and DLL.

Q: Does this work in virtual machines? A: Limited. VMs may use different rendering paths. Try it and check diagnostic logs.

Q: Does this modify Windows settings? A: No. It only modifies application settings in the registry (under SOFTWARE\DisplayShadersPowerToy).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see the Development Guide for guidelines.

Development Setup

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests: .\test-complete-system.ps1
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Credits

• Inspired by PowerToys Issue #25595
• Based on Blur Busters Display Shaders specification
• Built with love for the OLED community

Documentation

• Quick Start Guide
• Build Instructions
• Developer Guide
• Implementation Status
• Technical Limitations

Related Projects

• PowerToys - Microsoft PowerToys
• MacType - Alternative font rendering
• Better ClearType Tuner - ClearType configuration tool

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Made for OLED displays | Version 2.0.0 | Report Issues