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Authoring Shaders Online

headsta.sh has a full ISF shader editor built into the website — the same shader engine that powers the Resolume plugin, running in your browser. You can write and preview shaders live without installing anything, and (with write access) publish them.

Opening the editor

  • Create a new shader: go to /plugin/new.
  • Explore an existing one: every shader/plugin page (/plugin/<category>/<slug>) is the editor, pre-loaded with that shader — a great way to learn by reading real code.

You can open and experiment in the editor without an account. You only need to sign in (and have write access) when you want to save.

What you can do

  • Write GLSL live. A code editor sits next to a live preview that recompiles as you type. Tabs cover the Fragment Shader, Vertex Shader (when relevant), and ISF Metadata. Multi-pass shaders get a tab per pass (Image, Buffer A–D).
  • Preview and control playback — pause/resume, reset time, go fullscreen, and watch FPS, time, and resolution.
  • Import from Shadertoy. In create mode, the Import tab searches Shadertoy live (with filters for multipass, sound, VR, and more) and loads a shader straight into the editor, reassembling it into the engine’s format.
  • Import from the ISF library. The same Import tab can pull from headsta.sh’s own ISF collection.
  • Add controls. Declare inputs (sliders, colors, toggles, points) and see them render as live parameter widgets in the Controls tab — the same inputs become mappable parameters when the shader runs in Resolume.
  • Go audio-reactive. Toggle your microphone to drive the shader with live audio, with a readout of BPM, level, and bass/mid/treble.
  • Inspect — a Passes view and a Console help you understand and debug multi-pass or misbehaving shaders.

Exporting

The Export tab downloads your shader as an ISF .fs file you can use in the Resolume plugin or anywhere else that reads ISF. (ISF is the format that exports today; it’s the native format the whole system speaks.)

From browser to Resolume

A shader you write here is ISF, so it drops straight into the Shader Engine plugin — export it, put it in your library folder, and load it. The site editor is a fast place to build and test; the plugin is where you perform.

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