What Mellow Shaders works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Iris, OptiFine |
| Minecraft versions | 1.8.9, 1.9.4, 1.10.2, 1.11.2, 1.12.2, 1.13.2, 1.14.4, 1.15.2, 1.16.5, 1.17.1, 1.18.2, 1.19.4, 1.20.1, 1.20.6, 1.21.1, 1.21.5, 1.21.11 |
Mellow is a painterly shader pack for Minecraft Java built on the Iris and OptiFine pipelines. It replaces vanilla lighting with soft, storybook-style color grading and diffuse shadows instead of chasing photorealism, and its potato-tier presets keep frame rates high on modest hardware. Mellow supports Minecraft versions from 1.8 through 1.21.11.
Installation
Mellow runs through the Iris or OptiFine shader loader. Install one of the two first, then drop the shader pack into the game's shaderpacks folder.
- 1.Install Iris (Fabric or Quilt) or OptiFine for your Minecraft version.
- 2.Download the Mellow Shader zip file from the Modrinth project page without unzipping it.
- 3.Open Minecraft, go to Options > Video Settings > Shaders (or Shader Packs), and click Open Shader Pack Folder.
- 4.Move the Mellow zip into that folder, then select Mellow from the in-game shader list.
Visual style and effects
Mellow favors warm, muted color grading over the saturated, high-contrast look common in heavier shader packs. Water gets soft reflections, terrain lighting stays diffuse rather than sharply shadowed, and skies lean toward pastel dusk and golden-hour tones. The result reads closer to a painting than a realistic render, built for players who want atmosphere without a visual overhaul that fights the vanilla art style.
Performance and hardware notes
Mellow sits in Modrinth's potato performance category, aimed at players on integrated graphics or older dedicated GPUs who still want a lighting upgrade over vanilla. It skips expensive effects like full volumetric fog and ray-traced reflections in favor of lightweight diffuse lighting, keeping the frame-rate cost over vanilla rendering small.
Compatibility and known issues
- Works with Iris on Fabric and Quilt, and with OptiFine as a standalone client mod.
- No dedicated Sodium extension is required; Iris handles Sodium compatibility on its own.
- Distant Horizons support is not documented by the project; treat combined use as untested.
- Client-side only. Mellow changes local rendering and has no effect on server behavior.
See Mellow in action
Vanilla vs Mellow Shader Comparison
Questions about Mellow Shaders.
5 questions
How do I install Mellow Shaders?
Install Iris or OptiFine first, then download the Mellow zip from its Modrinth project page and drop it into your shaderpacks folder without unzipping. Select Mellow from Options > Video Settings > Shaders inside Minecraft and confirm it loads before adjusting settings.
Does Mellow work with Iris and OptiFine?
Yes. Mellow ships with support for both loaders, so Fabric and Quilt players can run it through Iris while players on OptiFine's standalone install can use it directly. Pick whichever loader matches your existing mod setup.
Is Mellow good for low-end PCs?
Mellow is listed in Modrinth's potato performance category, meaning it is built to run on integrated graphics and older GPUs. It skips heavy volumetric and ray-traced effects to keep the performance cost over vanilla rendering small.
Which Minecraft versions does Mellow support?
Mellow's current release supports Minecraft Java Edition from 1.8 up through 1.21.11, covering most actively used versions for both the Iris and OptiFine loaders.
Is Mellow safe to use?
Mellow is distributed under the MIT License through Modrinth, with its source published on Codeberg. Downloading directly from its Modrinth project page avoids the risk of a third-party repackage bundling unwanted extras.
