Overview
Minecraft is a beautiful game. The varied landscapes and limitless building possibilities make for a rich and detailed experience that simply can’t be found anywhere else. But with all this beauty comes the stone-cold truth that plagues us all. Minecraft is a very basic and stagnant game. The lighting is basic, the polygons are minimal, and there aren’t even godrays! Don’t fret though, young reader, for I bring you the ultimate solution: shaders! Not just any shader though, but the ultimate choice, BSL Shaders. Today, I’m going to shamelessly express how beautiful these shaders are, and why you should install them now!
Beauty at its finest
So, BSL Shaders is a shaders pack that has the primary goal of making your game look as beautiful as possible. With high customization and optimization, you’re getting real-time shadows, volumetric lighting, ambient occlusion, bloom, customizable clouds and water, along with built-in anti-aliasing. Additional effects are available as well, such as depth of field, motion blur, specular and normal mapping, celshading, world curvature, and more.
With over six million downloads, it’s easy to ask “What makes BSL different from other shaderpacks? For the most part, every shaderpack has similar functionality, and the colors, shading, and features implemented are what differentiate them. For BSL, the shading has a distinct yet warm color to it. The world is bright, but not blinding. The night is dark, yet not too dark. Everything is just the right tone, and there are a ton of customizable aspects from the water to the clouds. Want Vanilla clouds? BSL’s gotchu. Vanilla water? Ok then. Do you like a mix in between? Kinda weird, but whatever. Multiple options for anti-aliasing, exposure, color correction, and more.
How to Install BSL Shaders
You can find the official download page for BSL Shaders 1.16.5. This pack does require Optifine and a fair bit of installation steps. You can check out how to install shader packs like BSL in full detail here.
How to install Optifine
First, you’ll need to go to the optifine download page.
Next, click on ‘preview versions’ on the top left of the screen
Download the latest version of Optifine (at the time of this blog it is 1.16.1)
If the download says ‘this type of file can harm your computer’ do not worry! Just click ‘Keep’
To make things easier, drag Optifine to your desktop for the time being
Start up the downloaded file on your desktop
On the pop-up window click on ‘Install’
After that, you’re done! Optifine is installed!
How to install Shaders 1.16.5
Find your BSL (link provided above)
Download the Shaders (it should download as a Zip file or a Winrar file if you have Winrar)
Open up Minecraft on your Optifine profile, then open options once at the main menu.
Go to Options > Video Settings > Shaders and then select ‘Shaders Folder’ on the bottom left.
Once the Shaders folder opens, drag your Shaders into the folder as is (DO NOT EXPORT!)
Conclusion
Really, there isn't much else to say. BSL Shaders are a lot of fun, and you should try them out. I talk a big game, but there is no such thing as a perfect shaders pack in reality. BSL Shaders simply has a lot of flexibility and optimization built-in, allowing you to customize the environment to your liking. Isn't it true that the best product is the one that serves the most people? It's what I'm running on my world, in any case. With that stated, I hope you gained some knowledge, and have a wonderful day!