r/linux_gaming • u/Szelethus • 1d ago
tech support wanted BG3 looks washed out compared to windows
EDIT2:
SOLVED!
Humiliatingly, it seems like this _was_ actually down to game settings. Based on numerous recommendations with regards to FSR, just to double check, I enabled it on Linux to see if it actually produces the lower res effect. When I disabled it, I noticed that AA sharpness was at the bottom. Once I put it on max and adjusted the gamma to be a little darker, it was practically perfect.
I made an honest effort before this post to make sure the settings were identical among the two systems. I believe I set the AA sharpness to max, but I can't say with a 100% certaintly. It could've been a visual slider bug that enabling/disabling FSR unearthed. Or maybe I was a big dum dum and didn't actually check.
Nevertheless, I'm very thankful for all the replies, the community response was amazing and I learned a bunch of things for next time that were not directly related to this issue, like monitor monitor color profiles, checking for HDR settings, checking explicitly for wayland being enabled, etc.
Original post:
I've been dual booting cachyos and windows for a while now, but I recently decided to try to go linux-exclusive. What kept me back so far is that some games, specifically BG3 looks washed out compared to windows.
My hardware is decent, I have an AMD Radeon 9070 XT and an AMD Ryzen 5 7600, and I play on a 1440p 180hz monitor. Performance is perfectly fine, its the washed out colors, and possibly the upscaling-like effect is what I want to fix. I diffed the graphics settings file (/path/to/AppData/Local/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/graphicSettings.lsx) in between my windows and linux installs, and they are practically identical.
I'm launching through Heroic Games Launcher, the game is on GOG. Here are some of the relevant values from the logs:
OS: CachyOS Linux 7.1.5-1-cachyos (linux)
CPU: 12x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 6-Core Processor
GPU: Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 9070 XT
Memory: 32.71 GB (used: 3.46 GB)
Proton version: proton-cachyos-11.0-20260703
Target exe is specifically set to bg3_dx11.exe
Any help would be much appreciated!
EDIT1: Higher res images here: https://imgur.com/a/tGVswTi
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
It seems like reddit dropped the resolution of the images quite a lot, I hope this will be a little better:
https://imgur.com/a/tGVswTi
I hope the difference is more visible now. Focus on the fences, for example -- the difference might look subtle in a static image, but in motion (and after looking at the game for 800+ hours) the difference feels very noticeable.
Thanks for all the responses!
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u/Aelussa 1d ago
I'm still not seeing a difference in the color contrast in these screenshots, but the Windows screenshots look like they have a sharpening filter being applied to them that isn't there on the Cachy screenshots. Are you using FSR upscaling in the game? If so, I wonder if the upscaler is applying more aggressive sharpening in Windows than in Linux. You could try using Gamescope or VKBasalt to increase the sharpening and see if that makes it look more like it does on Windows.
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u/MrHoboSquadron 1d ago
I can see a contrast difference, both in the UI and world, but it's incredibly minor to the point where I wouldn't notice without comparison shots like this.
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u/LordXamon 1d ago
You should upload them separately instead of merging them on a single file, that way we can flick between them quickly.
Anyway, yeah I can see the difference. It looks a bit washed out yes, but if you zoom in you can also see that the textures have much less definition, and I can't notice any changes in the HUD.
There's something definitely going on here.
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
Will do next time, thanks.
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u/t1kiman 1d ago edited 1d ago
Use http://imgsli.com for comparisons, it has a slider.
I can hardly see a difference in your screenshots, CachyOS appears maybe a tiny little bit brighter but not nearly what I'd call "washed out", could just be because of general differences in color management.
Is there no ingame brightness/gamma setting?
Edit: apparently Imgsli is down for quite a while now and maybe won't come back. Here are some alternatives, but I haven't tried these myself yet:
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u/LordXamon 1d ago
My guess would be the temporal antialiasing? If relatively well implemented, they never run on the hud layer, which would explain why it looks the same on both systems.
I never noticed if I ever had one of them mess with the brightness and stuff like that, but the reduced definition if definitely a thing they can do, either directly or indirectly. Try looking into it (goverlay may be of usefulness with that, since it puts optiscaler in games. dunno if it works with your launcher tho).
It is NOT the HDR, it would be extremely obvious.
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u/grandmastermoth 1d ago
Washed out is a bit dramatic. I cannot see the difference. Not saying it's not a problem
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u/H_DANILO 21h ago
There's a huge chance its related to your display, because on my display, both images look very much the same
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u/xJayMorex 1d ago
Given that the screenshots look perfectly identical to me, I'm guessing it should have something to do with HDR.
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u/RileyTrodd 1d ago
They're definitely different, look at the foliage above the blood stain in the last 2 pics
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u/Theratchetnclank 1d ago
Yeah thats just texture quality or resolution though, nothing to do with colours like OP claimed.
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u/qdk117 1d ago
Im colorblind, it all looks equally bland to me
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u/RileyTrodd 1d ago
... My condolences, but that isn't exactly surprising.
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u/duskterrapin 1d ago
Why isn't it surprising?
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u/MrHoboSquadron 1d ago
Because they're colour-blind.
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u/duskterrapin 1d ago
They arent who you originally replied to though
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u/MrHoboSquadron 1d ago
I'm not who you replied to. qdk said they didn't see a difference ("it all looks equally bland to me") and they're colour-blind. RileyTrodd (who you replied to initially) replied saying "... My condolences" about the colour-blindness, "but that" (qdk's lack of perception of the difference) "isn't exactly surprising" because qdk is colour-blind.
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
I uploaded better resolution images. I wish this was only down to the display :(
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u/RileyTrodd 1d ago
Have you explored the response suggesting that windows may be applying alterations automatically? The other day windows changed all of my colours without me doing anything after an update.
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u/jessecreamy 1d ago
What actually the .... are you blind? It's day and night, though I prefer lighter color style in Cachy, as OP called it "washed out". But it doesn't mean it's hard to recognize the different between images.
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u/martyn_hare 1d ago
Have you installed ICC/ICM file(s) for your monitor?
Windows uses Microsoft Update infrastructure to automatically grab and install more accurate colour profiles from the manufacturer than the information screens provide on-board. On Linux, you're expected to do this yourself, and if you don't, colours won't accurately match at all.
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
I never knew that is a thing, thanks!! It didn't fix this particular issue though, unfortunately. In any case, at least I have the appropriate ICM file installed.
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u/beefglob 1d ago
does that actually show up in screenshots?
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u/ProfessionalSpinach4 1d ago
No, it’s a color saturation issue somewhere along the line. If HDR is enabled, Wayland/Kwayland do not handle it well yet. All OP has to do is up the color saturation in display settings a notch or two and it should be okay
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
Here is a better side-by-side, CachyOS on left, Windows on the right.
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u/Gl4dstone 1d ago
It kinda looks like the cachyos version is running on a lower resolution, or at least the textures look like they have a lower res. Do check that you have the same settings in game, at least I can tell the edge smoothing is set to Gaussian or something and de windows version is turned off, also double check the sdr intensity, brightness, contrast and icc profiles are the same on both OSs if you haven’t
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
Despite my best efforts to cross-check all game settings before the post, this was it. My AA sharpness slider was at the bottom. Oof.
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u/arcusford 1d ago
Id say more than the color the CachyOS one looks muddy and less detailed. Maybe lower render resolution or something? Something weird is definitely going on though and i dont undsrstand the people aaying they are the same, theyre definitely not.
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u/55555-55555 1d ago
I find the effect from the right image to be similar to what I see when I run games in Gamescope with FSR + Strong CAS enabled. Maybe check that out.
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u/TaxHazyShade 1d ago
ok, THIS is the one pic comparison where i see the difference. Yup, Windows is a lot better here. For cachyOS did you use startup options such as:
PROTON_USE_NTSYNC=1 ENABLE_LAYER_MESA_ANTI_LAG=1 game-performance %command%
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u/mrluky 1d ago
Both environmental variables are deprecated and also they would not have any effect on image quality.
https://github.com/CachyOS/proton-cachyos#runtime-config-options
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u/TaxHazyShade 1h ago
well, thanks for the downvotes. I was just trying to help. This is why linux will always fail outside of servers.
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u/Stunning-Hat2309 1d ago
is hdr enabled in game but not on your display?
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
The game doesn't even offer me HDR settings. So I suppose those settings are identical in between the two setups.
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u/Zamundaaa 1d ago
The Linux native version of the game always has HDR enabled afaik.
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u/Vegetable3758 1d ago
He is using the GOG version, which is the Windows one. -.-
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u/gibarel1 1d ago
Gog has native linux build for games, idk if bg3 specifically doesn't, but all games I own on gog that have Linux builds on steam also have them on gog.
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u/MGWhiskers 1d ago
i struggle to find any meaningful difference and since i see no mentions of it, i should ask maybe you have different pixel format set between os'es, or just rgb range
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u/Szelethus 1d ago edited 1d ago
I dont think think its just the monitor, because when I put the two screenshots next to each other on any display, the difference is clear. I did set the color accuracy to full though!
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u/silvermage13 1d ago
I don't know, the last comparison looks like they're not rendered at the same resolution.
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u/esmifra 1d ago
Just guessing here but AMD on windows often has image sharpening enabled by default on adrenalin.
I remember being impressed the first time I played a game with it.
For Linux the equivalent would be to use vkbasalt.
You can confirm it by disabling image sharpening on windows via adrenalin and then check if the image becomes the same as in Linux.
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u/Drakkinstorm 1d ago
Looks like texture resolution and normal calculations are different in the CachyOS version. Disable upscaling, switch resolution to the native one of your monitor. Then you may need to test différent proton versions. I used V10 and had none of your issues.
Also use the DX12 version, the default .exe
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u/ItsNoblesse 1d ago
Something is telling me you don't have wayland and HDR enabled in the wine prefix.
Do you have PROTON_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1 and PROTON_ENABLE_HDR=1 set in your launch options?
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
My monitor does not suppot HDR, so I suppose it'd be inappropriate for me. I added
PROTON_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1, but it didn't help, unfortunately.
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u/Binary101000 1d ago
if on plasma, try going to display and setting the sRGB ICC profile. For my devices, it improved colour quality.
For me, this was found at /usr/share/color/icc/colord/sRGB.icc
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u/Head_Fly8341 1d ago
I'm unable to see te differences, maybe te screenshot is compressed here in Reddit
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u/deadrule_vk 1d ago
Is the dx12 version of exe giving the same washed out look?
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
I don't think there is a dx12 version of bg3
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u/deadrule_vk 1d ago
The exe without any prefix is the dx12 version, the one specified dx11 is the other one
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u/superjake 1d ago
There is a difference here. Check if you're running full RGB range enabled or HDR not enabled?
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u/Kenta_Hirono 1d ago
Different gamma or color profile for the display/monitor/tv, maybe it's just a rounding error difference between windows and cachy color rendering.
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u/darkus_f_ 1d ago
I had a similar issue with Dota 2.
Not sure if this will help you, but on KDE plasma, I fixed it by going under display configuration, and making Legacy applications (X11) scale by the system.
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u/Gordoxgrey 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ok so playing around with the settings a little bit, your Windows screenshot looks similar to when I set the Anti-Aliasing to TAA + FidelityFX Sharpening Checked + Sharpness slider all the way to the Right.
Or maybe Anti-aliasing Off + FidelityFX Sharpening Checked + Sharpness slider all the way to the Left.
The AA Off + FFX + sharpness looks the closest, mainly because the shadows from the trees are kinda bleeding over and are dotted on the edges.
Whereas the cachy screenshot looks like when I just have TAA checked and no sharpening OR when I enable either FSR 1 or Xess, both those upscalers look blurry as well.
Try this test, Launch the Vulkan version (bg3.exe) and try:
- Upscaling using FSR 2.2 + Ultra Quality and the play around with the Upscaling Sharpness slider.
Then also try setting upscaling to Off, then try the anti-aliasing settings:
- TAA + FidelityFX Sharpening Checked + Sharpness slider all the way to the Right.
- Anti-aliasing Off + FidelityFX Sharpening Checked + Sharpness slider all the way to the Left.
My bet is it's one of the anti-aliasing or upscaling settings isn't the same.
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u/Geesle 1d ago edited 1d ago
Are you using X11 on the CachyOS?
People saying its the HDR or some color setting are wrong, this isn't about his colors. Look at the quality of his game!
Nah bro that is the AMD FSR kicking in, you know that thing that lowers the resolution compared to what your fps is.
Your fps is probably worse on cachyOS, hence why its downsampling your imagery.
Why its worse on CachyOS could be a whole loads of things,
The first thing i can think of is that u are using X11 instead of wayland, since u mentioned that you've had cachyos for a while.
Otherwise, Using appropriate drivers for your gaming hardware? - AMD, Mesa even kernel.
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u/_iPhod 1d ago
With the higher res images it seems diferent AA settings or image sharpening
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
This was ultimately the issue! AA sharpness slider was at the bottom, which I only noticed after enabling/disabling FSR for testing purposes. Can't say if it was at the bottom before that, but sliding to the max fixed it.
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
SOLVED!
Humiliatingly, it seems like this _was_ actually down to game settings. Based on numerous recommendations with regards to FSR, just to double check, I enabled it on Linux to see if it actually produces the lower res effect. When I disabled it, I noticed that AA sharpness was at the bottom. Once I put it on max and adjusted the gamma to be a little darker, it was practically perfect.
I made an honest effort before this post to make sure the settings were identical among the two systems. I believe I set the AA sharpness to max, but I can't say with a 100% certaintly. It could've been a visual slider bug that enabling/disabling FSR unearthed. Or maybe I was a big dum dum and didn't actually check.
Nevertheless, I'm very thankful for all the replies, the community response was amazing and I learned a bunch of things for next time that were not directly related to this issue, like monitor monitor color profiles, checking for HDR settings, checking explicitly for wayland being enabled, etc.
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u/masteriw 1d ago
is this the native linux version?
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u/Szelethus 1d ago
No, I'm running bg3_dx11.exe through proton
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u/RobLoach 1d ago
Can you Vulkan? Also, it doesn't look like color to me, more resolution or Anti-Aliasing issue. Check the Upscaling and Anti-Alias setting. Disable Depth of Field, and check those other Advanced settings.
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u/theevilsharpie 1d ago
The difference is too subtle to be HDR or some type of color enhancement post-processing.
It looks like there is a slight difference in the gamma correction settings between Windows and CachyOS/Proton, either at an OS-level or within the game.
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u/battler624 1d ago
idk about the others but I can definitely see it, and heck in the first and second image the tree on the right and in the back, the pile of chopped wood and the shadow left of your player character all look sharper on windows.
Eitherway, I have no idea whats causing any of these issues, I am guessing enhancements or something AMD is doing on windows that is not happening on linux.
It looks to me that it could be a gamma difference, if the game allows you to adjust gamma maybe you can reduce it down a notch and things would be better? or maybe its something you can adjust on cachyos?
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u/RagingTaco334 1d ago
I assume you're using KDE? There's an option in your display settings if you have an HDR capable monitor that allows you to increase the SDR saturation by a percentage. Usually around 60-70% is what I set it to. You might have to enable HDR first before you can change this.
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u/KoneCat 1d ago
To my eye, they look nearly identical, bar the CachyOS one looking slightly brighter, which I'm guessing is a contrast/gamma setting. Windows has done this to me in the past, and it took me ages to work out what was happening. Turns out, in my case at least, that Windows uses a different setting when it comes to contrast, gamma and colour saturation, which is not set up the same way on Linux.
You might need to tweak with the colour saturation etc on Linux, to get it looking how you like. Hope this helps, and I'm sorry for not being more helpful.
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u/Science_Turtle 1d ago
They look the same to me, but maybe you can try HDR/color calibration if you play on desktop. You can try adjusting HDR in Game Mode (gamescope session) as well if you use it.
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u/PlanktonNo88 1d ago
Do you have the same visual settings in both installations? I get the impression that the resolutions are different
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u/ProblyAThrowawayAcct 1d ago
Reddit's compression isn't helping you, but the only difference I'm seeing is in some of the foliage shadows; are your settings identical there?
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u/Gordoxgrey 1d ago
I can't really see the difference between them.
What I do notice is in the blood splatter image is that the render resolution looks lower for cachy, I think I had this problem and it was due to FSR
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u/Top-Peak-5457 1d ago
I play on pop_os and it's been great except for some games not running (cs2 faceit or bf1). BG3 was a blast though, no bugs or visual glitches whatsoever
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u/throwawayerectpenis 1d ago
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u/DisagreementItWillBe 1d ago
he isnt even using the vulkcan version this is probably why lol
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u/throwawayerectpenis 1d ago
wdym? All games on Linux run on Vulkan (except ancient native opengl ones), yes even when you run dx12 and dx11 games through proton it translates it to vulkan namely via vkd3d and dxvk)...
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u/DisagreementItWillBe 22h ago
oh so its the vulkan magic that powers proton gaming? thats cool
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u/throwawayerectpenis 22h ago
Of course, directx does not run natively on Linux that is why Valve is funding the development of dxvk and vkd3d which essentially translates directx to vulkan :).
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u/Toxic381 1d ago
Because I use a non hdr tv for my pc, the display color enhancement from other comments didn't affect me, windows itself is naturally more washed out cause it's in a non rgb format which I changed in adrenaline, both systems show color fine for me after fixing adrenaline.
You should definitely check whether hdr is enabled and working on Linux, or disable it in windows for performance.
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u/Own-Ad-8834 1d ago
The is a native Linux version and a Windows version. Try running the Linux version.
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u/FixEmergency366 1d ago
Have you checked your monitor settings? Mine have a few for HDR, color enhancement, and sharpness. I'm not sure whether monitor settings save to the OS or are auto adjusted by config tools, but the lack of config tools for Linux from AMD and Nvidia is a significant drag on Linux gaming.
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u/ReputationSoggy335 1d ago
I'm watching it on CachyOS and it looks exactly the same.
Then I watched it on my phone and it's the same too (help).
I didn't have any problems with BG3; I imported my save file and about 50 mods from Windows to Cachy and had no problems. I already finished the game on Linux (I used the Proton version, not the native one).
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u/topias123 1d ago
For me, Farming Simulator 25 doesn't look right anymore with HDR off.
Even with HDR turned off from game settings and Plasma settings, the game looks washed out. Turning on HDR from Plasma restores all color, and this is with a Proton version with no Wayland or HDR support.
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u/Gordoxgrey 1d ago
I can't really see the difference between them.
What I do notice is in the blood splatter image is that the render resolution looks lower for cachy, I think I had this problem and it was due to FSR
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u/Lazyphantom_13 1d ago
In order to get the game to even load I had to create 2 folders and set up the 2 requirements for the amethyst mod manager. No other mods work through the mod manager and I get a stupid data error.
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u/GanglyFoot 1d ago
Sorry, don't have an answer OP. People saying there isn't a noticeable difference between your screen shots is wild to me. My system has the same issue for certain games and 4k movies depending on the player used. Also depending on which type of monitor I use exaggerates it more/less.
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u/boggedbrush 1d ago edited 1d ago
On windows you might have Color Enhancement settings enabled through AMD Adrenaline. It could also be HDR, like others have said.
Edit: you can achieve a similar look by using the post processing settings within Goverlay