Map effects
CS2 ยท World. Changes how the map looks: lighting without shadows, world and sun color tint, "flattened" textures, sky color, weather (rain, snow, stars), the map's own rain and wet surfaces, and image post-processing (tonemap, bloom, vignette, local contrast, depth of field). Settings are set for all maps at once or separately for each map.
Also searched as: night mode, nightmode, world color, world modulation, sky color, skybox, remove sky, weather, rain, snow, fullbright, remove shadows, map lighting, remove rain, remove rain on train, wet surfaces, dry map, post-processing, post processing, bloom, remove bloom, vignette, tonemap, tonemapping, sharpness, depth of field, dof, background blur
Where to find it in the menuโ
World โ Map effects
The page has four cards: Map selection (profiles) and three cards with the settings โ Lighting, Sky & weather and Post-processing.
How to useโ
- Global โ the profile that applies on all maps. The settings in the "Lighting", "Sky & weather" and "Post-processing" cards belong to the profile selected in "Map selection".
- A profile for a specific map: in "Map selection", click Add next to the current map โ the map gets its own profile, starting as a copy of Global. Other maps are added with the Add map button.
- In game, the current map's profile applies, or Global if it has none. The profile that is active right now is marked "In game". When a map loads, its profile is selected in the menu.
- "ยทยทยท" next to a profile: Copy settings, Paste settings; for Global โ Reset to default (all effects back to their defaults); for a map โ Copy from Global and Delete profile (after deletion, Global applies on that map again).
- Profiles are saved in the menu config together with the other settings.
What it doesโ
- Simplify โ removes all shadows and fully lights the map.
- World color โ tints the map in the selected hue.
- Sun color โ replaces the sunlight color with the selected one.
- Flatten textures โ removes the map's textures and draws it with one flat metallic material. In the gear (settings) icon you choose the surface (rough, reflective, checkerboard) and the amount of metallic shine.
- Sky โ the toggle turns the sky on and off. It is on by default, and the sky color (bright pink) and brightness (0) are always passed to the game together with it while the profile is active โ there is no separate "recolor sky" toggle. How strongly the color and brightness change the sky is up to the game itself: adjust the values while watching the result. Turning "Sky" off removes the sky completely.
- Weather โ rain, snow or floating stars around you. In the gear (settings) icon you choose the effect and its parameters, split into groups.
- Map weather โ replaces the map's own rain and wet surfaces with your values: Rain strength (0 โ the rain droplets stop running) and Wetness coverage (0 โ everything the rain wets is dry). Set in the Global profile, it can dry maps like Train completely. The same values affect the rain droplets on the first-person view (see Viewmodel).
- Post-processing โ each row replaces that part of the map's post-processing with your values from its gear (settings) icon; while a row is off, the map's own values apply. The defaults in the gear panels are the game's base post-processing.
- Tonemap โ the curve that turns scene brightness into screen colors: how softly the brightest tones roll off, the mid tones, how hard the dark tones are crushed and the white point.
- Bloom โ the glow around bright light. The gear panel has two tabs: General (strength, threshold, etc.) and Layers (the weight of the five blur layers, from the sharpest to the widest).
- Vignette โ darkening (or brightening) of the screen edges. The tint color is picked on the same row. A strength below 0 darkens the edges towards black, above 0 brightens them towards white, at 0 the edges only take the tint. The vignette shows only where the map places a post-processing volume.
- Local contrast โ pulls detail apart from its surroundings and sharpens edges; it can fade towards the screen edges.
- Depth of field โ blurs what is nearer or farther than the focus. You set the focus distance, the depth of the sharp zone and how quickly the blur sets in near and far.
- Changes are visible in game immediately if the profile marked "In game" is open in "Map selection". Edits to another profile apply when its map loads.
Night modeโ
There is no separate "night mode" button โ it is built from the rows of the Lighting and Sky & weather cards:
- Simplify โ leave it off: it does the opposite and fully lights the map.
- World color โ turn it on and pick a dark color (for example, dark grey or dark blue): the map is tinted in that hue. The default color is light grey with a blue tint โ it only slightly dims the map.
- Sun color โ turn it on. Sunlight is replaced with the selected color; the default color is already dark grey, for a darker night pick an even darker one.
- Sky โ turn it off to remove the bright sky, or leave it on, set a dark "Sky color" and adjust "Brightness" in the gear (settings) icon.
- For atmosphere, you can turn on Weather (rain or stars).
Settings are saved in the profile selected in "Map selection": in Global โ for all maps, in a map profile โ only for that map.
Settingsโ
Lighting
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplify | Toggle | Off | โ | Remove shadows, the map is fully lit |
| World color + Modulation color | Toggle + color | Off, light grey with a blue tint | โ | Tints the map in the selected hue |
| Sun color + Sunlight color | Toggle + color | Off, dark grey | โ | Sunlight color |
| Flatten textures | Toggle + gear (settings) icon | Off | โ | The map is drawn with one flat metallic material |
Sky & weather
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sky + Sky color | Toggle + color | On, bright pink | โ | Turns the sky on and off. While it is on, the sky color and brightness are passed to the game together with it |
| Weather | Toggle + gear (settings) icon | Off | โ | Rain, snow or stars around you |
| Map weather | Toggle + gear (settings) icon | Off | โ | Replaces the map's rain strength and wet surfaces with your values |
Post-processing
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonemap | Toggle + gear (settings) icon | Off | โ | Replaces the map's tonemapping curve |
| Bloom | Toggle + gear (settings) icon | Off | โ | Replaces the map's glow around bright light |
| Vignette + Vignette tint | Toggle + color + gear (settings) icon | Off, white | โ | Replaces the map's darkened screen edges. Shows only where the map places a post-processing volume |
| Local contrast | Toggle + gear (settings) icon | Off | โ | Replaces the map's local contrast |
| Depth of field | Toggle + gear (settings) icon | Off | โ | Blurs what is nearer or farther than the focus |
Flatten textures settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Flatten textures"
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | Dropdown | Rough | Rough, Reflective, Checkerboard | How the flattened surface looks |
| Metalness | Slider | 0.85 | 0โ1 | Strength of reflections and metallic shine |
Sky settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Sky"
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brightness | Slider | 0 | 0โ255, step 1 | Sky brightness, passed to the game together with the sky color |
Weather settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Weather"
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effect | Dropdown | Rain | Rain, Snow, Stars | Which weather effect |
| Settings | Tabs | Appearance | Appearance, Lighting, Motion, Spawning | Which group of parameters to show |
Weather parameters (each effect has its own values):
| Parameter | Group | Rain | Snow | Stars | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Appearance | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0โ5 | Size of raindrops, snowflakes or stars |
| Opacity | Appearance | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0โ1 | How clearly the effect is visible |
| Raindrop length | Appearance | 0.05 | โ | โ | 0.005โ0.1 | Rain only: visible length of raindrops |
| Splash size | Appearance | 7 | โ | โ | 0โ15 | Rain only: splashes when hitting a surface |
| Splash opacity | Appearance | 0.5 | โ | โ | 0โ1 | Rain only: splash visibility, 0 โ no splashes |
| Color | Appearance | White | White | White | โ | Effect color |
| Glow in the dark | Lighting | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0โ2 | The effect stays bright even in dark places |
| Brightness boost | Lighting | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1โ10 | Boosts the effect's brightness |
| Light blending | Lighting | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0โ1 | The effect brightens the background behind it. 0 โ normal look |
| Rise or fall speed | Motion | โ1500 | โ200 | 0 | โ2000โ1000 | Negative values โ falling, positive โ rising |
| Swirling | Motion | 0 | 0.35 | 0.5 | 0โ2 | Swirl strength. 0 โ straight movement |
| Wind direction X | Motion | 0 | 0 | 0 | โ500โ500 | Drift of the effect along the map's X axis |
| Wind direction Y | Motion | 0 | 0 | 0 | โ500โ500 | Drift of the effect along the map's Y axis |
| Air resistance | Motion | โ | 0 | 2 | 0โ10 | Slows down falling and wind drift (not available for rain) |
| Amount | Spawning | 1000 | 300 | 100 | 0โ1000 (stars 0โ100) | How many elements spawn. 0 โ no new ones spawn |
| Time visible | Spawning | 2.6 | 5 | 3 | 0.5โ5 | How many seconds each element is visible |
| Area width | Spawning | 800 | 800 | 400 | 100โ1600 | Width of the spawn area around you |
| Area depth | Spawning | 800 | 800 | 400 | 100โ1600 | Depth of the spawn area around you |
| Starting height | Spawning | 1600 | 600 | 400 | 0โ1600 | At what height above you the effect starts |
Map weather settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Map weather"
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain strength | Slider, % | 100 | 0โ100 | How hard it rains; 0 stops the rain droplets running |
| Wetness coverage | Slider, % | 100 | 0โ100 | How much of the wetness shows; 0 dries everything the rain wets |
Tonemap settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Tonemap"
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder strength | Slider | 0 | 0โ1 | How softly the brightest tones roll off |
| Linear strength | Slider | 0.001 | 0โ1 | How long the curve stays linear through the mid tones |
| Toe strength | Slider | 1 | 0โ2 | How hard the darkest tones are crushed |
| Toe denominator | Slider | 1 | 0.01โ2 | The shape of the curve's dark end |
| White point | Slider | 1.5 | 0.1โ16 | The brightness that maps to pure white |
Bloom settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Bloom"; tabs General and Layers
| Setting | Tab | Default | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | General | 0 | 0โ4 | How strongly the bloom is added to the image |
| Screen strength | General | 0.126 | 0โ2 | How strongly the bloom is screened over the image |
| Blur strength | General | 0 | 0โ2 | How strongly the bloom blurs the image |
| Threshold | General | 1.055 | 0โ16 | The brightness a pixel needs to bloom |
| Threshold width | General | 1.661 | 0โ16 | How gradually pixels past the threshold start to bloom |
| Blur weight 1โ5 | Layers | 0.2 | 0โ1 | The weight of each of the five bloom layers: 1 โ the sharpest, 5 โ the widest |
Vignette settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Vignette"
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Slider | โ0.3 | โ1โ1 | Below 0 darkens the screen edges towards black, above 0 brightens them towards white; at 0 they only take the tint |
| Center X | Slider | 0 | โ1โ1 | Moves the vignette's center sideways |
| Center Y | Slider | 0 | โ1โ1 | Moves the vignette's center up or down |
| Radius | Slider | 0.5 | 0โ2 | How far from the center the vignette starts |
| Roundness | Slider | 1 | 0โ2 | How round the vignette is, against the screen's shape |
| Feather | Slider | 0.5 | 0โ1 | How soft the vignette's edge is |
Local contrast settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Local contrast"
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Slider | 0 | 0โ4 | How strongly detail is pulled apart from its surroundings |
| Edge strength | Slider | 4 | 0โ4 | How strongly edges are sharpened |
| Vignette start | Slider | 0 | 0โ2 | How far from the center the local contrast starts to fade |
| Vignette end | Slider | 0 | 0โ2 | How far from the center the local contrast is gone |
| Vignette blur | Slider | 0 | 0โ2 | How much the faded screen edges are blurred |
Depth of field settings โ gear (settings) icon next to "Depth of field"
| Setting | Type | Default | Range / options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus distance | Slider | 0 | 0โ4000 | How far away the image is sharpest |
| Focus depth | Slider | 0 | 0โ4000 | How deep the sharp zone around the focus is |
| Near falloff | Slider | 1 | 1โ2000 | How quickly the blur sets in nearer than the sharp zone |
| Far falloff | Slider | 1000 | 1โ8000 | How quickly the blur sets in farther than the sharp zone |
FAQโ
I set up the effects, but they are missing on another map. That map has its own profile. In "Map selection", delete the map's profile ("ยทยทยท" โ "Delete profile") so that Global applies on it, or copy the settings ("Copy from Global").
How do I make a night mode / dark map? Turn on World color with a dark color and Sun color (dark grey by default), leave Simplify off, and turn Sky off or make it dark. Details are in the "Night mode" section above.
Is the sky pink by default? "Sky" is on by default, and together with it the color (bright pink) and brightness 0 are passed to the game. How it looks is up to the game. If the sky does not look the way you want, change "Sky color" and "Brightness" in the gear (settings) icon or turn "Sky" off.
How do I remove the sky? Turn off the Sky toggle.
I cannot see the weather. Turn on Weather and check in the gear (settings) icon that "Amount" and "Opacity" are not zero.
How do I remove the rain and wet surfaces on a map (for example, on Train)? Turn on Map weather in the "Sky & weather" card and set Rain strength and Wetness coverage to 0 in its gear (settings) icon. In the Global profile this applies on all maps.
I turned on the vignette, but I can't see it. The vignette shows only where the map places a post-processing volume. Also check Strength in the gear panel: at 0 the edges only take the tint, and with a white tint nothing changes.
How do I remove bloom / glow? Turn on Bloom in the "Post-processing" card and set Strength and Screen strength to 0 in its gear panel โ both control how much bloom is added to the image.
How do I put everything back? "ยทยทยท" next to the Global profile โ Reset to default. Map profiles are deleted with "Delete profile".