Graphical filters can add another fun element to your PC games. Here's how you can apply them using GeForce Experience.

All games include at least a few display settings with which to configure graphics. However, such settings are usually limited to adjusting the graphical quality. In-game graphics tabs don’t include options for applying filters that change the visual appearance of their games.

GeForce Experience is gaming optimization software you can utilize on desktops and laptops with supported NVIDIA GPUs. It includes a Freestyle feature with which you can apply 23 filters to give your games a unique look. This is how you can add filters to your games with GeForce Experience’s Freestyle feature.

You may not need to install GeForce Experience if your PC has an NVIDIA GPU. GeForce Experience comes pre-installed with the NVIDIA Control Panel on some PCs. First, check if you already have that software by right-clicking the NVIDIA system tray icon to look for a shortcut that opens GeForce.

If you don’t already have GeForce, look at that software’s system requirements to check your PC meets GPU and OS requirements before installing it. This NVIDIA system requirements page for GeForce Experience lists all supported GPU series.

You can download the software from this NVIDIA GeForce Experience page. Our guide to using GeForce Experience includes more detailed guidelines for how you can install NVIDIA's gaming software.

Now you can have some fun with GeForce Experience! However, you’ll need that software’s overlay turned on to apply its Freestyle filters. Experimental features also need to be enabled. This is how you can enable GeForce Experience's experimental features and overlay:

A GeForce 430.64 driver is a minimal requirement for Freestyle. If your system doesn't meet that requirement, you can update your NVIDIA driver with GeForce Experience. Check out our guide to updating NVIDIA drivers for further details.

You can now start applying Freestyle filters to games. However, note that the Freestyle feature will only work with supported game titles. This NVIDIA Supported Games page includes a pretty big list of titles you can optimize with GeForce Experience. Forget about applying filters to games that aren’t on that list.

The GeForce Experience overlay incorporates the Freestyle feature. When you activate Freestyle, you’ll see a sidebar from which you can select and apply numerous filters. You can apply filters to a game in the following steps:

You can set up three different filter presets to apply in games. Clicking the 1, 2, and 3 buttons at the top of the Game filter bar selects a different preset to configure. Selecting Off will disable the presets.

You can remove any filter added. To remove a filter, select it on the sidebar. Then click the trash button to delete the selection.

Experiment with the numerous Freestyle filters available. You can completely change how your game looks or apply more subtle visual tweaks with them. Some might be fun filters, while others are more genuinely useful visual enhancements. These are some of the more notable filters you can apply:

Once you start applying filters, you'll appreciate that Freestyle is kind of like an image-editing feature for games. The Sharpen, Brightness, Black & White, Vignette, and Color filters are standard editing options you'll find in many image editors. Those filters are there to help you tweak how your game looks much the same as a photo within an image editor.

You can also apply filters to game screenshots with the GeForce overlay’s Photo mode feature. Bring up the Photo mode sidebar by pressing Alt + F2. Alternatively, you can select Photo mode on the overlay.

The Photo mode sidebar includes all the same filter options. You can select and configure them there much the same by clicking the Add Filter button. Then click the Snap button to capture screenshots with the filter applied.

So, now you can truly transform how your Windows 11/10 games look with the Freestyle filters feature in GeForce Experience. You can give a game a more cinematic or photorealistic look with some of the more useful Freestyle filters. It’s a feature that enables players to unleash their creativity in more ways than one.

Jack has been a freelance tech journalist for more than a decade. He has covered Windows Vista, 7, 10, and 11 topics within a multitude of guides for MakeUseOf and numerous other websites.

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