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ENB Comparison Shots 2.0


ao2thend

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Version 1.0 (Old)

 

 

 

Hello LL Community.  

 

I have recently been ENB searching, and to find the right one, I decided to make some comparison shots.  150 shots later, I decided that the best thing to do would be to give back to the community by posting these shots for anyone who might want to see various different ENB's in action. A few things to know about these comparison shots:

 

These shots are not all in perfect weather conditions on purpose. I wanted to see how each ENB would react in conditions like rain, or with cloudy weather.  

 

This is how the ENB's look "out of the box" (with the exception of Megatherium, which I was using prior to comparing).  

 

FPS varies from ENB to ENB and I'm not comparing the ENB's for that purpose, so don't ask.  

 

All ENB's are using the recommended lighting/weather plugins.  

 

Lastly, I only tested ENB's that I had interest in and ones that were .254 binary or higher.  

 

The ENB's used were: 

 

 

 

 

So with that out of the way, onto the pics!

 

 

 

8:00am, Rainy.  

Aeon (Fantasy)
1_aeon.jpg
Air
1_air.jpg
CR Natural
1_cr.jpg
Far Off
1_fo.jpg
First Seed ENB
1_fs.jpg
Grim and Somber Auzra
1_gsa.jpg
HRK 2
1_hrk.jpg
K Pure Light
1_k.jpg
Lumen
1_lu.jpg
Megatherium
1_mth.jpg
Mistveil (winter)
1_mv.jpg
NLA
1_nla.jpg
Quietcool
1_qc.jpg
Rudy
1_ru.jpg
Serenity
1_ser.jpg
Skylight
1_sl.jpg
SugarSweet
1_sw.jpg
Toric Law of Nature
1_tln.jpg
Vividian
1_vn.jpg

 
These shots are of a tunnel at two different points in time.  One in the day, the other at night. Some ENB's have different interior lighting in day/night.  That's what I was testing here.  

Aeon (Fantasy)
Day
2_aeon_1.jpg
Night
2_aeon_2.jpg
Air
Day
2_air_1.jpg
Night
2_air_2.jpg
CR Natural
Day
2_cr_1.jpg
Night
2_cr_2.jpg
Far Off
Day 
2_fo_1.jpg
Night
2_fo_2.jpg
First Seed ENB
Day
2_fs_1.jpg
Night
2_fs_2.jpg
Grim and Somber Auzra
Day
2_gsa_1.jpg
Night
2_gsa_2.jpg
HRK 2
Day
2_hrk_1.jpg
Night
2_hrk_2.jpg
K Pure Light
Day
2_k_1.jpg
Night
2_k_2.jpg
Lumen
Day
2_lu_1.jpg
Night
2_lu_2.jpg
Megatherium
Day 
2_mth_1.jpg
Night
2_mth_2.jpg
Mistveil (winter)
Day 
2_mv_1.jpg
Night 
2_mv_2.jpg
NLA
Day
2_nla_1.jpg
Night
2_nla_2.jpg
Quietcool
Day 
2_qc_1.jpg
Night
2_qc_2.jpg
Rudy
Day 
2_ru_1.jpg
Night
2_ru_2.jpg
Serenity
Day 
2_ser_1.jpg
Night
2_ser_2.jpg
Skylight
Day 
2_sl_1.jpg
Night 
2_sl_2.jpg
SugarSweet
Day
2_sw_1.jpg
Night
2_sw_2.jpg
Toric Law of Nature
Day 
2_tln_1.jpg
Night 
2_tln_2.jpg
Vividian 
Day
2_vn_1.jpg
Night
2_vn_2.jpg

 
Dawn, Cloudy

Aeon (Fantasy)
3_aeon.jpg
Air
3_air.jpg
CR Natural
3_cr.jpg
Far Off
3_fo.jpg
First Seed ENB
3_fs.jpg
Grim and Somber Auzra
3_gsa.jpg
HRK 2
3_hrk.jpg
K Pure Light
3_k.jpg
Lumen
3_lu.jpg
Megatherium
3_mth.jpg
Mistveil (winter)
3_mv.jpg
NLA
3_nla.jpg
Quietcool
3_qc.jpg
Rudy
3_ru.jpg
Serenity
3_ser.jpg
Skylight
3_sl.jpg
SugarSweet
3_sw.jpg
Toric Law of Nature
3_tln.jpg
Vividian
3_vn.jpg

 
Sunset, Rain.  

Aeon (Fantasy)
4_aeon.jpg
Air
4_air.jpg
CR Natural
4_cr.jpg
Far Off
4_fo.jpg
First Seed ENB
4_fs.jpg
Grim and Somber Auzra
4_gsa.jpg
HRK 2
4_hrk.jpg
K Pure Light
4_k.jpg
Lumen
4_lu.jpg
Megatherium
4_mth.jpg
Mistveil (winter)
4_mv.jpg
NLA
4_nla.jpg
Quietcool
4_qc.jpg
Rudy
4_ru.jpg
Serenity
4_ser.jpg
Skylight
4_sl.jpg
SugarSweet
4_sw.jpg
Toric Law of Nature
4_tln.jpg
Vividian
4_vn.jpg

 
Midday, Clouds.  

Aeon (Fantasy)
5_aeon.jpg
Air
5_air.jpg
CR Natural
5_cr.jpg
Far Off
5_fo.jpg
First Seed ENB
5_fs.jpg
Grim and Somber Auzra
5_gsa.jpg
HRK 2
5_hrk.jpg
K Pure Light
5_k.jpg
Lumen
5_lu.jpg
Megatherium
5_mth.jpg
Mistveil (winter)
5_mv.jpg
NLA
5_nla.jpg
Quietcool
5_qc.jpg
Rudy
5_ru.jpg
Serenity
5_ser.jpg
Skylight
5_sl.jpg
SugarSweet
5_sw.jpg
Toric Law of Nature
5_tln.jpg
Vividian
5_vn.jpg

 
5:00-6:00pm, mostly sunny.  

Aeon (Fantasy)
6_aeon.jpg
Air
6_air.jpg
CR Natural
6_cr.jpg
Far Off
6_fo.jpg
First Seed ENB
6_fs.jpg
Grim and Somber Auzra
6_gsa.jpg
HRK 2
6_hrk.jpg
K Pure Light
6_k.jpg
Lumen
6_lu.jpg
Megatherium
6_mth.jpg
Mistveil (winter)
6_mv.jpg
NLA
6_nla.jpg
Quietcool
6_qc.jpg
Rudy
6_ru.jpg
Serenity
6_ser.jpg
Skylight
6_sl.jpg
SugarSweet
6_sw.jpg
Toric Law of Nature
6_tln.jpg
Vividian
6_vn.jpg

 
Lastly, 8:00pm, character shot.  This was primarily for the Subsurface scattering and nighttime sky lighting.  
 

Aeon (Fantasy)
7_aeon.jpg
Air
7_air.jpg
CR Natural
7_cr.jpg
Far Off
7_fo.jpg
First Seed ENB
7_fs.jpg
Grim and Somber Auzra
7_gsa.jpg
HRK 2
7_hrk.jpg
K Pure Light
7_k.jpg
Lumen
7_lu.jpg
Megatherium
7_mth.jpg
Mistveil (winter)
7_mv.jpg
NLA
7_nla.jpg
Quietcool
7_qc.jpg
Rudy
7_ru.jpg
Serenity
7_ser.jpg
Skylight
7_sl.jpg
SugarSweet
7_sw.jpg
Toric Law of Nature
7_tln.jpg
Vividian
7_vn.jpg

 

 
Looks like that's it.  Hope you enjoyed the shots.  
 

 
Version 2.0
 
So, here we are.  Tons of pictures later, we have my 2.0 version of my ENB comparison shots.  To best describe what I've done, lets break it down.  
 
So What is version 2.0 and what's different?
 
So first of all, the scope and complexity of 2.0 is rather different than 1.0.  Version 1.0 contained about twenty ENB's and 8 screenshots each.  Version 2.0 contains fifty seven ENB's and 12 screenshots each.  That means 684 shots in case you didn't know.  Because its so large, I can't just put all the shots up to this page, therefore, it had to be made into an archive that you can download.  
 
I also added a set (#9) that shows my FPS while taking the shot so that you can see the relative performance hit each ENB has.  I didn't edit the enblocal.ini so its really a ball park estimate and you may get more FPS by editing the enblocal.ini to fit your system, or might not have as many high intensity mods that I have.  It would also be helpful to note my Graphics card, which is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti.   So if you have a better graphics card, less intense mods, and a edited enblocal.ini, you will probably get more FPS.  
 
So I have to download the pictures in order to see them? 
 
Well...yes, but lets make a deal.  If the people who do download my archive get back to me and tell me which set of pictures is best, I will put said set of pictures in a spoiler for anyone to view.  So essentially if the community tells me what set of pictures best shows off the ENB's, I will then put that set up on this post so you can see if the archive is worth downloading or you can still get a healthy comparison of the ENB's without having to download the whole thing.  Does that sound like a good deal?
 
So is that all there is to know?
 
NO! There's more.  Some of the ENB's covered have been updated since I took these shots.  I did my best to keep up with the updates, but the beginning of the year seems to be a time where everyone updates their ENB's.  So put simply, the pictures taken may not fully represent the current look of the ENB.  
 
For obvious reasons, I didn't cover every single ENB, but that doesn't mean I'm not willing to cover more.  I set up the 2.0 archive so that I can cover more ENB's at a later date.  I have the saves required and the Mod Organizer profile ready.  All I need is requests from people telling me which ENB's they would like me to add/update.  I only ask that the ENB fits the following criteria:
 
1. It must be a .236  binary or higher.  
2. It has to be one that is still in use.  Don't tell me to review an ENB that no one uses anymore.  
 
And that's it!  Onto the Archive!
 
here are the Links to some of the ENB's covered.  

Serenity ENB _ Tranquility ENB: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/51343/?
Seasons of Skyrim ENB True HDR: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/23812/?
Kountervibe ENB Northern Light: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/58534/?
Jasmin ENB real Graphic Mod: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/12549/?
Photoreal ENB - Performance: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/50483/?

NOTE: I'm too lazy to get all the URL's for each ENB Covered so If you can't find the ENB I compared, then ask where I got it from.  Most of the ENB's covered were from the Nexus so they can't be that hard to find.  
 
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These are extremely helpful. There always was lacking an honest, no frills, out of the box showcase of some of these enb's. I discovered that trying to help pick out an enb for my bf to use. The ones he thought were nice always looked different than what some showcasing screenshots had because they were tweaked.

 

Thank you very much for sharing your findings!

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Hmm, won't produce the enlarged image?  That's odd.  It is 152 screenshots so it could just be that some didn't load on entering the page, but who knows?

 

In any case I will add a file with all the pictures available for download just in case someone would rather see the shots that way.  

EDIT: Well, never mind...

 

Apparently the file size is too big to upload directly.  I might have to upload the pictures to Mediafire or something...

I guess unless there's enough people having trouble viewing the pictures, i won't bother. 

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Just a suggestion: preset authors usually forget to factor in as to whether their end-users have LED or LCD monitors.

 

How much does that effect the visual quality?  There should only be a minor difference right?  

 

This is useful even for those of us who've settled into an ENB.

 

The screenshots here convinced me to try another one I thought I'd like better. And it looks like I'll be sticking with it.

 

Cool.  That's why I posted these shots.  Glad they helped.  

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Just a suggestion: preset authors usually forget to factor in as to whether their end-users have LED or LCD monitors.

 

How much does that effect the visual quality?  There should only be a minor difference right?  

 

 

I think there's some terminology confusion here. Rayblue probably is thinking of color gamuts.

 

Some LED monitors have a wide gamut, or even an extended gamut. But most don't--most are standard gamut, like CCFL backlit monitors. So the issue here is the color gamut.

 

Anyway, a larger color gamut causes a monitor to display a wider range of colors. But in non-color managed applications, the wider gamut will cause colors to look significantly more saturated than intended. This is a user issue though--the user has to ensure their monitor is calibrated correctly, or to switch gamut modes if their monitor supports the feature. In cases where neither is possible... well... all I can say is more isn't always better. Wide and extended gamut monitors do more harm than good for most people.

 

 

Only last thing to note is all this color gamut discussion shouldn't affect the screenshot file itself. It just affects how the screenshot will appear on a person's monitor. If Skyrim and the web browser are not color managed for a user, the ENB screenshot should be a pretty good representation of what it'll look like in their game.

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  • 3 weeks later...

 

 

Just a suggestion: preset authors usually forget to factor in as to whether their end-users have LED or LCD monitors.

 

How much does that effect the visual quality?  There should only be a minor difference right?  

 

 

I think there's some terminology confusion here. Rayblue probably is thinking of color gamuts.

 

Some LED monitors have a wide gamut, or even an extended gamut. But most don't--most are standard gamut, like CCFL backlit monitors. So the issue here is the color gamut.

 

Anyway, a larger color gamut causes a monitor to display a wider range of colors. But in non-color managed applications, the wider gamut will cause colors to look significantly more saturated than intended. This is a user issue though--the user has to ensure their monitor is calibrated correctly, or to switch gamut modes if their monitor supports the feature. In cases where neither is possible... well... all I can say is more isn't always better. Wide and extended gamut monitors do more harm than good for most people.

 

 

Only last thing to note is all this color gamut discussion shouldn't affect the screenshot file itself. It just affects how the screenshot will appear on a person's monitor. If Skyrim and the web browser are not color managed for a user, the ENB screenshot should be a pretty good representation of what it'll look like in their game.

 

 

I mentioned about it because I notice that LED monitors seem to be a bit brighter than LCDs with CCFLs. That's why I didn't like using presets that were too dark for my LCD monitor (and it's already been calibrated) and don't like tweaking the brightness too often.

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Guest Vendayn

That is my main problem with a lot of ENBs.

 

Its like Mc Donalds photoshopping their hamburgers to look delicious and huge and perfectly made.

 

When you get it, they are tiny with little meat, taste disgusting and made really lazily.

 

Likewise, take Serenity/Tranquility ENB. He goes in and personally edits his own ENB and takes screenshots. But when you download them, they look nothing like his screenshots because essentially (I doubt he did, but same thing really) he photoshops his screenshots to look better to get more views and downloads. A lot of ENB creators do that, release lackluster settings and personally greatly enhance them for screenshots...so what the downloader get and what is in the screenshots by the author are two totally different things.

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A prime example of ENB creators changing their settings to make the perfect shot is Unreal.  Unreal has some of the best Skyrim shots ever, like EVER.  To achieve this, Unreal changes the ENB settings for every...single...shot...THAT'S CRAZY, but it works.  

(Unreal's work: https://www.flickr.com/photos/javiercc/archives/date-posted/?view=lg/ )

 

Its also about the mods people use.  Textures, meshes, .ini tweaks, magic rituals, all kinds of things go into someone's Skyrim setup, and its hard to get the same quality as the person who made the ENB.  My "screens" Mod Organizer profile has around 122 mods that are Textures, meshes, or in some way directly connected to visuals.  And even with all that, I still can't compare to Prod with screenshots, even when using Prod's ENB.  So tweaking for the shots does come into mind.  Also, its the way someone makes the shot.  The FOV and framing of a shot can change the look drastically.  

 

Honestly, I think ENB presets can never be seen as the "finished product ready to be packaged, shipped and sent directly to your front door, all for one low flat rate" because ENB's change so many things and its never going to look quite as the creator intended.  The best way for people to use ENB's is for them to learn how to manage the settings and work with them to suit their own needs.  I have never had an ENB that I didn't change settings to.  And if I couldn't fix the problem, I moved on.  

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And while i'm here, would anyone be interested in a 2.0 archive of Skyrim shots?  There are new ENB's out there as well as ones I didn't cover the first time around.  

 

Absolutely. Maybe add a link to the first post and list out the new ENBs so people know what's changed?

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Absolutely. Maybe add a link to the first post and list out the new ENBs so people know what's changed?

 

 

Yep that could work.  I might get more in depth with it.  Look at more aspects and settings then I did before.  It wasn't too hard to make all this (posting it here was the most agonizing part, because it took so long to put the screens up).  

 

We will see.  

 

Another thing that would be helpful would be to know what ENB's should be looked at.  So here's what i'm thinking.  If you have an ENB that you want to see, then post and tell me.  

 

The only requirement that I'm going to give is that it has to be 0.236 Binary or higher.  

 

If this sounds like something that people are interested in, then I will do it.  

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