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Photon Shader logo

Photon Shader

Shader

by sixthsurge

A gameplay-focused shader pack with a semi-realistic style

Type

Shader

CurseForge Downloads

9,999,689

CurseForge ID

1312687

Modrinth Downloads

29,007,951

Modrinth ID

lLqFfGNs

Last Updated

Nov 7, 2026

Description

Community

  • Join my discord server for questions, suggestions and development updates
  • You can also donate if you would like to say thanks

Frequently asked questions

"When will Photon be released for new Minecraft version?"

  • Shader packs are generally not very dependent on MC versions; as long as Iris is available, Photon should just work.


Features

  • Fully revamped sky, lighting and water
  • Detailed clouds with several layers and many different cloud types
  • Immersive weather system providing different skies each day
  • Voxel-based colored lighting (enabled with Ultra profile, requires Iris)
  • Screen-space reflections
  • Volumetric fog
  • Soft shadows with variable-size penumbras
  • Detailed ambient occlusion (GTAO)
  • Camera effects: bloom, depth of field, motion blur
  • Much improved image quality with TAA, FXAA and CAS
  • Advanced temporal upscaling (disabled by default) for low end devices
  • Extensive settings menu allowing you to customize every aspect of the shader
  • Full labPBR resource pack support

 

 

Compatibility

Shader loaders
  • Iris (recommended)
    • Iris is a modern shader loader with far better performance, mod compatibility and developer features than OptiFine
    • Some features (Colored Lighting) will only work on Iris
  • OptiFine

 

GPU vendors
  • Nvidia
  • AMD
  • Intel
  • NOT compatible with Apple GPUs (Metal) by default
    • Disable SH Skylight and Colored Shadows

 

Mods

 

 

Acknowledgments

Compatibility

Mod Loaders

Optifine Iris

Game Versions

1.17.1 1.21.2-Snapshot 1.21 1.21.6-snapshot 1.18.1 1.20.2-Snapshot 1.20.5-Snapshot 1.19-Snapshot 1.21.1-Snapshot 1.16.5 +45 more

Recommended Gear

Affiliate

Hardware and extras that pair well with this shader.

Minecraft Enderman Character Plush

Minecraft Enderman Character Plush

Enderman plush toys, and a reliable gift for a younger player.

View on Amazon →

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Screenshots

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Included in Modpacks (729)

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A Minecraft server Modpack A Minecraft server Modpack Comfortable survival Comfortable survival CRYONETICS Rebooted CRYONETICS Rebooted Nolini135's Vanilla Nolini135's Vanilla Valderheim Valderheim Archdroid1188's Create Modpack Archdroid1188's Create Modpack Mochi Mochi Airworks Airworks Game Changing Modpack Game Changing Modpack Weedie's Technological Cookstravaganza Weedie's Technological Cookstravaganza Banquito Banquito Harvest & Honor Harvest & Honor Create: Horizons Create: Horizons Rise of the Ancients Rise of the Ancients LlamaWorld LlamaWorld Adventure Reforged Adventure Reforged M: Realistic Edition. M: Realistic Edition. Corpus 2026 Corpus 2026 Recraft S7 Deceased Craft Recraft S7 Deceased Craft GenPlus GenPlus Wolf's Enhanced Vanilla Wolf's Enhanced Vanilla Foundry Semi-Anarchy Foundry Semi-Anarchy DDAGCraft DDAGCraft CreatorCraft 2 CreatorCraft 2 Solrise Solrise Suzeren Optimization Suzeren Optimization Cyclo's Gearbound Cyclo's Gearbound DivineIronGamer’s Medieval Journey DivineIronGamer’s Medieval Journey Visually Vibrant - [FABRIC] Visually Vibrant - [FABRIC] AwACraft Client Side Pack AwACraft Client Side Pack ElunovaPack ElunovaPack Create Attack 7 Create Attack 7 Troublesome Trio's FNAF Pack Troublesome Trio's FNAF Pack Vanilla Refined Vanilla Refined Wayward Wayward ImmerseMON [Cobblemon] ImmerseMON [Cobblemon] Craft And Chill Craft And Chill MYTHORIA MYTHORIA Refabricated Villagers: Vanilla+ Refabricated Villagers: Vanilla+ Bad No Cookie Bad No Cookie EwServer CoCrystal client CoCrystal client FreshYoz FreshYoz Kryeit++ Kryeit++ Snibbi's Modpack Snibbi's Modpack CreateAbility CreateAbility kringles ModPack kringles ModPack Pigeon Craft s2 Pigeon Craft s2 Vanilla Boosted Vanilla Boosted Astral Project Astral Project Perfectly Perfected Perfectly Perfected Better Craft Better Craft Kinetic Civilisation Kinetic Civilisation Create Intense Create Intense KineticWorks KineticWorks Simple Medieval Modpack Simple Medieval Modpack Better client Better client Cxrrvptxd Better Survival Cxrrvptxd Better Survival Skyfication Skyfication Expanded Adventures: Vanilla+ Expanded Adventures: Vanilla+ Iron Sky: TurboClocked Iron Sky: TurboClocked Dinguz's Survival Ultimate Dinguz's Survival Ultimate Smolder's Ultimatum Smolder's Ultimatum Vanilla & Voyage Vanilla & Voyage Content Creator Pack (CCP) Content Creator Pack (CCP) Darkness to Dawn Darkness to Dawn Horizons Edge Horizons Edge Aeronautics Shafts and Gears Aeronautics Shafts and Gears Vanilla Rewired Vanilla Rewired ENSImon ENSImon JUSTCREATE_byzemzemsuyu JUSTCREATE_byzemzemsuyu Project Beautiful Project Beautiful Ethereal Wrath Ethereal Wrath Virimon Virimon Tales of the Horizon Tales of the Horizon Kryeit: Cake Edition Kryeit: Cake Edition MeepPack MeepPack Carefully Created Carefully Created Fairly Optimized Fairly Optimized xXCAMPXx xXCAMPXx create simple cool create simple cool Starbounded SMP Lite Starbounded SMP Lite MTC (Mastering the Crafts) MTC (Mastering the Crafts) Vanilla Refreshed Vanilla Refreshed Felix′s Survival Modpack ZSM CreateSMP ZSM CreateSMP Client Compressed Client Compressed Harvest & Gears Harvest & Gears World shaper World shaper Hero Enhanced Vanilla Hero Enhanced Vanilla AtlantMC AtlantMC SashaServer SashaServer Aurora: Beyond Vanilla Aurora: Beyond Vanilla Quifted MytoEvent MytoEvent Possibility SMP Possibility SMP Plumm's Vanilla + Plumm's Vanilla + PacPack Aroma PacPack Aroma Vanilla Paste Vanilla Paste CreatingNations CreatingNations

External Resources

CurseForge Modrinth Source Code