The alternative solution is to NOT install the viewer in Program Files. Install the VIEWER in a novel location. With Alchemy that is a problem as the install program only allows installation in C:\Program Files\AlchemyBeta. So, I installed and then renamed the install folder after. I also made changes to the launch icon.

Alchemy and Reshade work as they are supposed to after the changes. Then I made another install of the Alchemy viewer in the default folder. It works well too and all my previous Alchemy settings are already in the second install. Nice.

This duel install allows me to play with Reshade and suffer low FPS or play with Alchemy and have better FPS.

Reshade recommends backing up your viewer install before installing Reshade. I think backing up your settings is enough. This means making copies of the XML files. For Alchemy that would be making a copy of the folder: C:\Program Files\AlchemyBeta\app_settings. I’ve installed and uninstalled Reshade a few times now and no problems.

Once you decide how you want to install Alchemy install Reshade by double clicking the EXE file to run it. Reshade is supposed to find the games on your computer. It did not in my Win10 system. I have the SL, Firestorm, Black Dragon, and Alchemy Viewers. It sees none of them.

Use the browse button to navigate to your viewer’s install directory. In Alchemy’s case: C:\Program Files\AlchemyBeta. Select the AlchemyBeta.exe file. Click Next.

You’ll see an API selection page. For SL viewers select OpenGL. Click Next.

Next you will see a L O N G  list of effects. In the upper right is a button labeled Uncheck All. Click it and it will change to Check All. Click it to select all the effects. Click next. You’ll see the effects downloading. It will take a minute. You’ll get a second page of effects to select. Some you will not be able to select. Reshade won’t allow you to select some. Some you do NOT want to install. I installed all that I could and then the viewer could not login. Take Reshade’s advice and select ONLY what you know you can use. And I don’t know how you are supposed to know which you can and cannot install witout problems. Or none of these to avoid a problem. Click Next. – I haven’t experimented to find the effect that was blocking my login. I just avoided all of the second set.

Depending on whether you have installed before or not Reshade will ask if you want to update or uninstall. Or it will just install.

To use Reshade start the viewer and login. Once in-world, press the HOME key, over by Page Up. This will open the Reshade settings/control panel.

You have an immediate choice to Continue into the tutorial mode or Skip. If you Continue all the things you do, are considered play and not saved. Which you likely will want to do your first-time in.

I suggest you change three key-bindings to make life easier. The ‘open’ key is initially the HOME key on your keyboard.  Pick a key not used by Alchemy. Alchemy used the Home key to put the avatar in fly mode. I changed it to use F8.

And there are some other keys to change. I suggest you change the Pass-Through setting to Pass on all input. Then I set my Effect toggle key to F7. I set Performance mode toggle key to F6. For now that is all I am playing with.

Go down to Screenshots and add Save before and after images. They mean your image before the effect is applied and another image after the effect is applied. You can use the two mages in an editor of your choice to get the blending you want. It does not matter whether you have the effect active or not, meaning which image you are seeing on screen does not affect the saved images. Whatever, I tend to snap the shot with the effect active.

Now you are ready to start playing with the effects. Click the app’s Home button. Look through the list. You can select one or more effects. Some effects require a helper effect. These are not exactly user friendly names or settings. Yeah, each effect has settings. You can fake your way through. But one is expected to know what they are doing. As a novice you’ll have to do a lot of experimenting to do.

You can save any set of effects or effect with tweaked settings as a preset.

To get something like mine and Val’s images use the last effect in the list. Then blend the two in an editor. My blends were a bit complex because I wanted to emphasize the wireframe look. But the basic idea was to get light colored edge lines in Reshade and then blend using Lighten in the editor.

ReShade is actually a pretty awesome app. And I like Alchemy Viewer.

Have fun.