This is a thread dedicated to showing in great detail the differences between the different graphics settings on Beyond Ultra, especially when it comes to Anti-Aliasing. I painstakingly took the same picture over and over again at different settings, as well as HD mods and no HD mods. Not all settings have the same performance, of course. For the most part, FXAA is the fastest, MSAA is the slowest, and SMAA is in-between. Enabling Sparse Grid Supersampling Nvidia Tweak gives a tiny FPS hit, while ALL the tweaks gives more of a FPS hit (especially with SSAO). My computer froze several times while doing all of this, but I was unable to pinpoint it to any one setting.

The intention of this thread is help people compare settings to try and see if it looks as good / better / worse on their computer. While there are pictures here with HD texture mods, it's not the intention of this thread to be a debate about them (they're included because the tweaks enhance them more than vanilla textures).

There are 4 different scenes used: Steel-Plate Lydia outside Whiterun (Default), Inside Dragonsreach, Pond near Whiterun (Water 1), Stream near Whiterun (Water 2 / 3)

These are all at my native resolution of 2560x1600 at near-bit-perfect PNGs, so you should be able to tell the difference. You can find all of these screenshots in their original bitmap format here, all 268MB of them: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/SkyrimLosslessScreenshots1600p.zip

Note: If you want to see a lot of the screenshots quicker, just download the bitmap pack.

http://imgur.com/Plpfs -- NoAA, NoAF (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_NoAA_NoAF_NoTextureMods.png )
http://imgur.com/Jm9Ho -- 4xMSAA, 16xAF (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_4xMSAA_16xAF_NoTextureMods.png )
http://imgur.com/KmX3O -- FXAA, 16xAF (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_FXAA_16xAF_NoTextureMods.png )
http://imgur.com/B3DQJ -- SMAA, 16xAF (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/Screenshot_SMAA_16xAF_NoTextureMods.png )

With HD Texture Mods
http://imgur.com/CV3dC -- NoAA, NoAF, HD Texture Mods (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_NoAA_NoAF.png )
http://imgur.com/CV3dC -- NoAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_NoAA_16xAF.png )
http://imgur.com/7IVfX -- 2xMSAA, 8xAF, HD Texture Mods (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_2xMSAA_8xAF.png )
http://imgur.com/nyPer -- 4xMSAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods
http://imgur.com/zxGud -- 6xMSAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_6xMSAA_16xAF.png )
http://imgur.com/B5OwZ -- FXAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_FXAA_Only_16xAF.png )
http://imgur.com/4tFYT -- SMAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/Screenshot_SMAA_16xAF.png )

With 8x Super-Sampling (Sparse Grid) AA Transparency
http://imgur.com/I2bCh -- FXAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods, 8xSSSGAAT (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_FXAA_8xSSSGAAT_16xAF.png )
http://imgur.com/rVvZi -- SMAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods, 8xSSSGAAT (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/Screenshot_SMAA_8xSSSGAT_16xAF.png )

All Nvidia Inspector Tweaks on 290.36

• Antialiasing - Gamma Correction: On
  
• Antialiasing - Transparency Supersampling: 8x Sparse Grid Supersampling
  
• Texture Negative LOD Bias: Clamp
  
• Texture filtering - Quality: High Quality
  
• Anisotropic filtering mode: User-defined / Off
  
• Anisotropic filtering setting: 16x
  
• Ambient Occulusion setting: Quality
  
• Ambient Occulusion usage: Enabled

http://imgur.com/7DaAL -- FXAA, HD Texture Mods, All Nvidia Tweaks (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_FXAA_AllTweaks.png )
http://imgur.com/7qj9D -- SMAA, HD Texture Mods, All Nvidia Tweaks (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/Screenshot_SMAA_AllTweaks.png )

Realistic Water Texture Screenshots (Albums)
http://imgur.com/a/sVpcr#0 -- FXAA, RWT HD Mod, All Nvidia Tweaks (3 screenshots) (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/water/fxaa )
http://imgur.com/a/PLX5g#0 -- SMAA, RWT HD Mod, All Nvidia Tweaks (2 screenshots) (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/water/smaa )

Screenshots inside Dragonsreach
http://imgur.com/5bZbf -- FXAA, HD Texture Mods, All Nvidia Tweaks (Dragonsreach) (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/ScreenShot_FXAA_AllTweaks_Dragonsreach.png )
http://imgur.com/xwAWv -- SMAA, HD Texture Mods, All Nvidia Tweaks (Dragonsreach) (PNG: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/Screenshot_SMAA_AllTweaks_Dragonsreach.png )

FXAA Post-Processing Preset: Realistic Colors and Realistic Nights (Album)

• FXAA with All Nvidia Tweaks, HD Texture Mods
  
• Includes Adaptive HDR
  
• 4 screenshots (default, Dragonsreach, Water 1, Water 2)

Album Link: http://imgur.com/a/K1cZI#0
PNGs: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/rcrn

Skyrim Enhanced Shaders (HDR Edition) (Album)

• SMAA with All Nvidia Tweaks, HD Texture Mods
  
• Includes Adaptive HDR
  
• 4 screenshots (default, Dragonsreach, Water 1, Water 2)

Album Link: http://imgur.com/a/0lk9d#0
PNGs: http://www.matts-hosting.com/~gennmx/skyrim/screenshots/seshdr

My Skyrim.ini:

My Skyrimprefs.ini:

Here's my basic computer specs:
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
Intel Core i7 920 @ 3.5GHz
12GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM (8-8-8-24-41-1T)
Two Nvidia GTX 470 Overlocked in SLI (using 290.36 drivers)
Gateway XHD3000 30" 2560x1600 S-PVA LCD Monitor
30GB OCZ Vertex 2 for boot + all Skyrim files (except BSAs, which are on a RAID0 of VelicoRaptors)
Running SuperCache

Finally, I leave you with the haunting beauty of a fully tweaked Skyrim: http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/614970002250813012/3C47769625D33DA3EF70EC0DBFA53CADCF8F5BAA/

Edit: Formatting/syntax, added computer spec per request. Converted all the bitmaps to PNGs instead of JPEGs. No idea if my web server will be able to handle the load of 7MB+ PNG requests.

Great thread!!!

There are a few pics that look like SSAO is enabled, then disabled (without being labelled as such), in the same groupings...make is hard to see the AA differences. Or am I missing something?

example:

With 8x Super-Sampling (Sparse Grid) AA Transparency
http://imgur.com/I2bCh -- FXAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods, 8xSSSGAAT
http://imgur.com/rVvZi -- SMAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods, 8xSSSGAAT

Look at the grass. The SMAA screen has nice dark shadows while the FXAA screenshot is lacking. Also look the grass that's far away. It's bushier on the SMAA screenshot.

On my rig with Ultra preset (medium shadows) and 4xSuper Sampling, I get a steady 30-40 fps pretty much everywhere. It looks so smooth also.

Posted to help people see the performance impact on a rig like mine

Great thread btw!

Hmm well the default for 290.36 drivers is to have SSAO enabled, but to have the actual quality setting "Off". Just to be sure I uploaded these two pictures for everyone's comparison to the one in the original link:

http://imgur.com/I2bCh -- FXAA, 16xAF, HD Texture Mods, 8xSSSGAAT
http://imgur.com/JJPtP -- same as above, SSAO forced disabled

And also this just to be sure it's not a placebo effect from the "Flora Overhaul" HD Texture Mod:

http://imgur.com/10WJP -- FXAA, 16xAF, 8xSSSGAAT, SSAO forced disabled (no HD texture mods)

Edit: Fixed 3rd link.

Might be useful if the OP posted his computer specs also.

Uldred

OK, done.

Thanks!

Uldred

No offense man but those jpegs are no good for this, they are all blurry and low quality. It made it hard to see much difference between them. Even the screenshot of NoAA I didn't see a single pixel, it's all blurred together.

It sure does.

Yeah, it's great to see a thread with such comparisons, but those JPGs are an over-compressed mess. PNGs are the way to go, but at least we can always download your mighty BMP pack

But anyhow, kudos to you for your work.

Ah, stupid me.

I converted the bitmaps to PNGs and added links to directly to my web server, as I can't find a host that'll accept the 7-8.5MB PNGs without converting them to JPEGs.

Your FOV settings are too high. Lydia is not that fat.

I only say this because I also run at 2560x1600. I find that an FOV of 80 is best for a 16:10 resolution, though 85 may be used with minimal distortion.

Thank you a lot for these pictures! Could you however check the above packed file, it seems to be corrupted. I'd really like to download them all uncompressed and verify them carefully.

@dzeijay -- Ah sorry, I repacked the files with all the latest bitmap screenshots (and 4 PNGs) and re-uploaded them.

@Kastagir -- If "fDefault1stPersonFOV" does what it's suppose to, my FOV should be 75 while in 1st person. I'll check.

I keep telling her and telling her to lay off the sweetrolls...

Great thread, glad i found it but i have a few questions if you don't mind, first you have iMultiSample=1 instead of 0 any reason for this that i should know ? Also you have iMaxAnisotropy=16 instead of 0 (even tho its forced to high quality x16 in NI) i was under the impression that you should turn it off in game if forced through the NI or NCP.


Second , i use this setup ( and it actually runs better then my previous setup)

FXAA Post-Processing Preset: Realistic Colors and Realistic Nights

• FXAA with All Nvidia Tweaks,
  
• Includes Adaptive HDR

and i had a question ( maybe wrong thread thought) but is FXAA something i need to have on in game to see the "full effects" of this mod/setup ?


Last- Ambient occlusion, i love this setting but for me, i have horrible foliage shimmer (due to shadows i think) that makes almost all ground foliage like grass bushes vines etc shimmer and its very distracting and i just cant manage to work this issue this out no matter if i use NCP or NI to force it on its pretty much the same. When walking through area's with lots of grass its almost as if the whole ground is shimmering and i cant ignore it, i have also seen slight shimmer on a couple other surfaces like a bookshelf once but no where near as bad as ground foliage. Has anyone found a some settings or tweaks that would remedy this issue ?

edit -side note, would putting in a good HD texture mod for foliage maybe help this issue ? I read somewhere that the shimmer could be due to shadows shining through the transparent edges of textures, and thought maybe "better" textures would have less of this transparent edges.

Thank you in advance for any info and assistance that can be given.


Win Vista 32
460 GTX
AMD 3.0 dual core
4g ram ( 3.25 )

If you disable AA that's what it's set to, 1, not 0. So I kept it like that.

Yes. The FXAA Post-Process Injector doesn't actually use FXAA, it was just based on something which did. What it does is use shader effects to create the "Realistic Colors and Realistic Nights", and anti-aliasing is not a shader effect. You need FXAA on in Skyrim if you want FXAA.


I get this too and I have yet to find a good way around it. It's caused by SSAO conflicting with Nvidia's Anti-Aliasing for Transparent Textures, so you can fiddle with the Nvidia settings for Anti-Aliasing Transparent Textures. I use "Sparse Grid Super Sampling" seems to have less flicker, and some people say using "Multisampling" *instead* of Supersampling has even less (some people say exactly the opposite).

However I think having "iBlurShadowMask" enabled (set to higher than 0) can also cause this, as I remember having flickering problems since day 1 and trying wildly to solve them. It defaults to 3.

Thank you for the quick reply. Ya i noticed when i set AF off in game that in the INI its set to 1 , but with AA for me it gets set to 0 in the INI, odd. I will play around with the settings you mentioned and see if i can get satisfying results, but may have to play without AO for now.

Good day.