The Sims 4 blue coloring lens - love it or hate it?
Its faint yes, but the Sims 4 uses a lighting coloring called a blue lens (for lack of a better term) that is true blue enough to turn a light green wall blue or grey concrete blue (see screenshots below).
There exist’s multitude of ways to correct this, such as a “noblu” game mod correcting in-door lighting to environmental mods that change outdoor lighting in a multitude of ways, or using programs such as reshade.
Color lens are often seen in tv shows or movies to stylize them - a great example is the Underworld movie which used a blue lens to stylize it as a vampire movie set against the night. Less so in gaming though.
Hence my first assumption is the blue lens was added (to the Sims 4) to make the world more unrealistic and stylized.
Here’s a great example of the differences below, the the first screenshot being the vanilla game and the following screenshot being a custom coloring to remove the blue lens.
https://i.imgur.com/JYUg9mE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/81TKdD7.jpg
So why do you simmers believe they chose a blue lens and have Maxis/guru’s officially ever talked about it? I’d be interested in knowing who suggested this on their team and I'll bet not everyone was onboard with it. This blue lens never existed before with previous Sim titles as a default, although examples of a lens do exist in the Sims 3 such as with specific worlds.
Personally I wish they'd add a toggle (in the games options) to turn it off or on. Give players a choice without relying on mods to do it.
Especially for those of us that create movies and screenshots from a directors point of view.
So how about you simmers?
Love it?
Hate it?
EDIT:
For those who are looking for methods to turn it off or recolor your worlds here are a few links. The first link below is a basic game mod you put in the mod folder, it removes the blue lens BUT ONLY for indoor settings. If you want to replace the outdoor blue lighting its a little more complicated.
If you find yourself mostly playing indoors then just download this mod:
Noblu mod (removes indoor blue lens) Goes in your mod folder.
https://luumiasims.com/post/176043227929/its-been-well-over-a-year-since-noblu-v1-came-out
IF you also want to change the outdoor coloring, then you need to take a few extra steps and replace game files. This won't be for everybody, so you might just want to stick to indoor lighting change/simple mod above unless your comfortable with this.
No blue worlds (removes blue coloring from outdoors)
Make sure to follow the instructions - this is not a mod!!! These are edited game files that replace existing game files.
https://wrixles.tumblr.com/post/180326882591/no-blu-worlds-a-lighting-mod-by-wrixles-to-make
Your third option is reshade and there are a lot of articles discussing how to use it with a quick google search. Heres a good tutorial.
https://katverse.com/2018/05/01/how-to-install-reshade-3-on-the-sims-4/
Reshade doesn't require modding or changing game files, but reshade is a lot more complicated to setup because it either requires presets or creating your own "color" scheme. The one good thing is once you've set it up, you'll never have to set it up again or worry about updating it for future Sims 4 patches or content.
One last note about reshade that unlike noblu mod or world recoloring files - reshade more or less completely changes the look of your game to some degree (or completely). So if you like the basegame but don't want the blue lens, then modding is the better way to go - but if you prefer a more stylized look of your own then I suggest reshade.
Personally I'd prefer is Maxis would officially add a toggle as I mentioned, instead of relying on third parties to fix what is literally a game changing feature that effects every player no matter "how" they play the sims 4.
There exist’s multitude of ways to correct this, such as a “noblu” game mod correcting in-door lighting to environmental mods that change outdoor lighting in a multitude of ways, or using programs such as reshade.
Color lens are often seen in tv shows or movies to stylize them - a great example is the Underworld movie which used a blue lens to stylize it as a vampire movie set against the night. Less so in gaming though.
Hence my first assumption is the blue lens was added (to the Sims 4) to make the world more unrealistic and stylized.
Here’s a great example of the differences below, the the first screenshot being the vanilla game and the following screenshot being a custom coloring to remove the blue lens.
https://i.imgur.com/JYUg9mE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/81TKdD7.jpg
So why do you simmers believe they chose a blue lens and have Maxis/guru’s officially ever talked about it? I’d be interested in knowing who suggested this on their team and I'll bet not everyone was onboard with it. This blue lens never existed before with previous Sim titles as a default, although examples of a lens do exist in the Sims 3 such as with specific worlds.
Personally I wish they'd add a toggle (in the games options) to turn it off or on. Give players a choice without relying on mods to do it.
Especially for those of us that create movies and screenshots from a directors point of view.
So how about you simmers?
Love it?
Hate it?
EDIT:
For those who are looking for methods to turn it off or recolor your worlds here are a few links. The first link below is a basic game mod you put in the mod folder, it removes the blue lens BUT ONLY for indoor settings. If you want to replace the outdoor blue lighting its a little more complicated.
If you find yourself mostly playing indoors then just download this mod:
Noblu mod (removes indoor blue lens) Goes in your mod folder.
https://luumiasims.com/post/176043227929/its-been-well-over-a-year-since-noblu-v1-came-out
IF you also want to change the outdoor coloring, then you need to take a few extra steps and replace game files. This won't be for everybody, so you might just want to stick to indoor lighting change/simple mod above unless your comfortable with this.
No blue worlds (removes blue coloring from outdoors)
Make sure to follow the instructions - this is not a mod!!! These are edited game files that replace existing game files.
https://wrixles.tumblr.com/post/180326882591/no-blu-worlds-a-lighting-mod-by-wrixles-to-make
Your third option is reshade and there are a lot of articles discussing how to use it with a quick google search. Heres a good tutorial.
https://katverse.com/2018/05/01/how-to-install-reshade-3-on-the-sims-4/
Reshade doesn't require modding or changing game files, but reshade is a lot more complicated to setup because it either requires presets or creating your own "color" scheme. The one good thing is once you've set it up, you'll never have to set it up again or worry about updating it for future Sims 4 patches or content.
One last note about reshade that unlike noblu mod or world recoloring files - reshade more or less completely changes the look of your game to some degree (or completely). So if you like the basegame but don't want the blue lens, then modding is the better way to go - but if you prefer a more stylized look of your own then I suggest reshade.
Personally I'd prefer is Maxis would officially add a toggle as I mentioned, instead of relying on third parties to fix what is literally a game changing feature that effects every player no matter "how" they play the sims 4.
