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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/project516/retroview/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

retroview runs on Iris Shaders, not OptiFine. Before installing the shader, you need Fabric and Iris set up for your Minecraft version. The steps below walk through the full process for a fresh installation using Minecraft 1.21.5 and the latest tested versions of each dependency.
retroview requires Iris. It is not compatible with OptiFine. Installing it through OptiFine will not work.

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Prerequisites

1

Install Fabric

Download the Fabric installer and run it for Minecraft 1.21.5. Select Fabric Loader version 0.16.14 (the version used by retroview’s build). After installation, launch Minecraft once with the new Fabric profile to generate the mods folder.
# Or use the Fabric CLI installer if preferred
java -jar fabric-installer.jar client -mcversion 1.21.5 -loader 0.16.14
2

Install Iris Shaders

Download Iris 1.8.11+1.21.5-fabric (the latest build tested with retroview) from the Iris releases page and place the .jar in your Minecraft mods folder. Iris supports Minecraft 1.16.5 and later, so earlier versions also work.
Iris bundles Sodium. If you download Iris from its official site, you do not need to install Sodium separately — it is included.
3

Install Sodium (optional)

If you downloaded Iris without the bundled Sodium, or want the standalone version, add Sodium mc1.21.5-0.6.12-fabric to your mods folder. Sodium is optional but recommended for the best performance alongside Iris.
4

Download retroview

Download retroview 1.1.1 (latest release) from your preferred platform:
Go to modrinth.com/shader/retroview and click Download on the latest version. Save the .zip file — do not extract it.
5

Place retroview in your shaderpacks folder

Copy the downloaded .zip into your Minecraft shaderpacks folder. Do not unzip it.
%appdata%\.minecraft\shaderpacks
Press Win + R, paste the path above, and press Enter.
Alternatively, open Minecraft with Iris installed, go to Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs, and click Open Shader Pack Folder to navigate there directly.
6

Enable retroview in-game

Launch Minecraft and open Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs. Select retroview-1.1.1.zip from the list and click Apply. The shader loads immediately — no restart required.

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After installation

Once retroview is active, you can tune all visual effects through the shader options panel. Open Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs → Shader Options to adjust pixelation strength, scanlines, dithering, vignette, and more. See the quickstart for suggested starting settings, or the shader options reference for the full option list.

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