Getting Started with Shadow PC Gaming

Requirements and FAQs

Introduction with Shadow PC Gaming

General

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Technical Assistance - Apps, Ghost, and Box

Getting Started with Shadow PC Enterprise

Getting Started with Shadow Drive

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Using Color Enhancement on Shadow

Updated 

Have you ever wanted to enhance the colors on Shadow? Look no further than our feature, Color Enhancement (4:4:4). As the name suggests, Color Enhancement makes the picture on Shadow look better and truer to its original colors. This feature was released to the official Shadow Launcher on June 28, 2021.

This option is not available on Android, Android TV and Shadow VR. To enable this option on Apple TV, the H.265 codec will have to be enabled in your launcher settings.

How do I enable Color Enhancement?

You can find and enable the feature in the Settingsicons8-settings-24.png. On the Video & Display section, click on Advanced Settings, scroll down, then check the box next to Color Enhancement (4:4:4). This feature is purely optional, and it can be enabled or disabled at any time.

launcher_444_en.gif

Why is Color Enhancement disabled by default?

Color Enhancement requires more resources than our standard video encoding (4:2:0), which was designed to reduce the amount of data used. To ease any problems this might cause for our users, the feature is disabled by default, but it can be enabled at any time.

When should I enable Color Enhancement?

Whether you need Color Enhancement comes down to two things: personal preference and resources.

Color Enhancement uses 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, a technology that's especially popular among photographers, animators, graphic designers, and other digital artists. Since 4:4:4 does not compress colors, they might appear brighter or sharper, but it will also require more data.

On the other hand, 4:4:4 uses more data than our standard video encoding, 4:2:0. Because 4:2:0 uses less color information, it requires less bandwidth and keeps the brightness intact.

How will I know if 4:4:4 is working?

Here are two different color samples with standard video encoding 4:2:0 (left) and Color Enhancement 4:4:4 (right).

4:2:0
4:4:4

with standard video encoding

420.png

with Color Enhancement

444.png

If Color Enhancement (4:4:4) is not enabled, the two images will look identical on Shadow. Try enabling Color Enhancement, then open this article on your Shadow desktop.

Troubleshoot problems with Color Enhancement

When Color Enhancement is enabled, some users may notice higher CPU usage, faster battery drainage, and more data consumption.

Should you notice any of these changes, try disabling Color Enhancement (4:4:4) to see if the situation improves. If you're using a high resolution, you can also try to lower your resolution to 1920 x 1080 at 60Hz.

You may not notice a difference when Color Enhancement is enabled if:

  • the device you're currently using does not offer 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, or

  • the native content you're viewing does not use 4:4:4 chroma subsampling