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The Library Browser

The library browser is the home base of Shader Engine. Open it from any Shader Engine instance by clicking Browse Library in the plugin’s parameters (the Load group). The window has tabs across the top:

  • LOCAL — your own shader collection on disk
  • ISF — search and download from the ISF database
  • SHADERTOY — search and download from Shadertoy
  • Preferences — settings (library path, providers, logging, license)
  • Help — keyboard shortcuts and a tab reference

This page covers the LOCAL tab. For ISF and Shadertoy, see Importing Shaders.

Your library folder

Shader Engine reads shaders from a library folder you control. By default that’s:

  • Windows: Documents\ISF\
  • macOS: ~/Documents/ISF/

You can point it anywhere. Open Preferences → Library and set the library path to whatever folder you keep shaders in. (Advanced: the ISF_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable overrides this if set.)

Use your own folder structure

The browser scans your library folder recursively, so your subfolders become the navigation. Organize however you think:

ISF/
├── Generators/
│   ├── plasma.isf
│   └── noise-field.isf
├── Feedback/
│   └── zoom-tunnel.isf
├── Shadertoy/          ← imported Shadertoy shaders
└── Gigs/
    └── 2026-summer-tour/

Shader Engine does not impose a proprietary format or database. The files on disk are the library. Add, rename, move, or delete shaders with Finder/Explorer and they show up (or disappear) in the browser — you keep full control of your files outside the plugin.

Loading and previewing

  • Hover a shader to preview it before committing.
  • Click to load it into the current Shader Engine instance — it renders in Resolume immediately.
  • Large collections are fine: the scan is fast and doesn’t read every file’s contents up front, so libraries with thousands of shaders stay responsive.

Cache folders

Shaders you pull from the web are saved into your library and surface as virtual folders in the LOCAL tab:

  • ISF Cache — shaders downloaded from the ISF tab
  • Shadertoy Cache — shaders downloaded (and translated) from the Shadertoy tab

They’re ordinary files on disk, so you can move them into your own folder structure whenever you like.

Bringing in outside shaders

There are two easy ways to add a shader that isn’t in your library yet:

  • Ctrl+O — open a shader file from anywhere and add it to your library.
  • Shader Path parameter in Resolume — point it at any shader file to load it directly, even from outside the library.

If you open a shader that lives outside your library folder, Shader Engine offers to copy it into the library so it’s there next time. Nothing is moved or changed without you choosing to.

Exporting

Any loaded shader can be exported as ISF from the browser — handy for saving a translated Shadertoy import, or a shader you’ve edited, as a clean, portable .isf file.

Tips for big collections

  • Keep a top-level folder per category (generators, feedback, distortion) so the browser’s tree stays scannable.
  • Use a per-gig or per-set folder to stage exactly the shaders you’ll perform with.
  • Because it’s just files, you can sync your library folder with Dropbox/git/rsync and carry it between machines.

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