Fix Starfield Washed Up Picture and Elevated Black Image Issue

Starfield, the eagerly awaited space-faring RPG from Bethesda, has whisked players away to explore the cosmos and embark on interstellar adventures. However, like many complex games, it isn’t without its share of technical issues.

One particularly vexing problem that has marred the experience for some players is the washed-up picture and elevated black image issue. In this article, we’ll dive into the details of this problem and provide you with a temporary fix to enhance your Starfield visuals until an official patch arrives.

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How to Fix Fix Starfield Washed Up Picture Issue

Elevated black levels in Starfield have become one of the most alarming issues plaguing the game. This issue is particularly evident in the form of a washed-up picture with gray shadows, making the game borderline unplayable in its current state. stunning experience into something akin to playing on an early 2000s LCD monitor.

Compounding the issue, Starfield lacks in-game sliders for brightness, gamma, and contrast, which means players are unable to adjust these settings to alleviate the problem on their own.

The root of this bug seems to stem from the fact that both SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) and HDR (High Dynamic Range) modes were released in a broken state at launch, resulting in this washed-out appearance.

Use ReShade

ReShade is a post-processing tool that can significantly enhance your gaming experience. To apply ReShade to Starfield, follow these steps:

1. Download ReShade: Depending on whether you purchased Starfield through Steam or the Windows Store, download the appropriate version. For the Steam version, download ReShade. For the Windows Store version, download ReShade Centralized.
2. Install ReShade: Run the ReShade installer and select the Starfield.exe executable file.
3. Launch the Game: Start Starfield as you normally would.
4. Activate ReShade: While in-game, press the HOME key to open the ReShade menu.
5. Select and Enable Shaders: Within the ReShade menu, choose the following shaders: Levels, Deband, and CAS (Contrast Adaptive Sharpening), setting CAS to 3.0.
6. Enjoy: With ReShade and these specific settings enabled, your Starfield visuals will have more depth, sharpness, and vastly improved black levels.

Using ReShade can be an effective way to mitigate the washed-up picture and elevated black image issue, resulting in a more visually appealing gaming experience.

Adjust Brightness Settings

If ReShade doesn’t suit your preferences, or if you’re looking for additional solutions, adjusting brightness settings through Nvidia or AMD control panels can be another way to address elevated black levels in Starfield. However, this method may affect your system-wide settings and is not an ideal solution.

For those with AutoHDR support, an alternative solution has been proposed:

1. Create a Copy of the Starfield Executable: Make a copy of the Starfield executable (exe) file.
2. Rename the Copied Executable: Rename the copied exe file to “farcry5.exe.”
3. Configure Steam: Configure Steam to launch the new exe file.
4. Set Launch Options: Set launch options for farcry5.exe as follows: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Starfield\farcry5.exe” %command (Include the quotes as shown.)

These alternative solutions may not be perfect, but they can provide some relief for those dealing with elevated black levels in Starfield.

Alternative Exe File

For those with AutoHDR support, an alternative solution has been proposed:

1. Create a Copy of the Starfield Executable: Make a copy of the Starfield executable (exe) file.
2. Rename the Copied Executable: Rename the copied exe file to “farcry5.exe.”
3. Configure Steam: Configure Steam to launch the new exe file.
4. Set Launch Options: Set launch options for farcry5.exe as follows: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Starfield\farcry5.exe” %command (Include the quotes as shown.)

Use Nvidia/AMD Settings

You can also address elevated black levels by using the Nvidia or AMD control panel settings. Here’s how:

1. For Nvidia Users:
   • Right-click on your desktop and select “Nvidia Control Panel.”
   • Under “Display,” select “Adjust desktop color settings.”
   • Adjust the “Brightness” slider to a lower level to reduce black levels.
2. For AMD Users:
   • Right-click on your desktop and select “AMD Radeon Software.”
   • Go to the “Display” tab.
   • Adjust the “Brightness” slider to a lower level to reduce black levels.

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