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Resources / Shaders / ink-wash-shaderpack

ink-wash-shaderpack

is an Iris shader pack for Minecraft, inspired by traditional Chinese ink wash painting art. Using post-processing shader technology, it transforms the game's…

ShadersFree1.20 – 1.21
by Zzai · listed from Modrinth
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Direct download from Modrinth · 18,559 downloads

ink-wash-shaderpack screenshot 1ink-wash-shaderpack screenshot 2ink-wash-shaderpack screenshot 3

What it does

ink-wash-shaderpack is a shader pack made by Zzai. is an Iris shader pack for Minecraft, inspired by traditional Chinese ink wash painting art. Using post-processing shader technology, it transforms the game's…

It supports Minecraft 1.20 – 1.21. It has been downloaded 18,559 times on Modrinth. The last update came out on Mar 5, 2026.

Supported versions

1.211.20

Release history

The newest is 1.1.0, released on Mar 5, 2026. It is made for Minecraft 1.20 – 1.21.11. It runs on Iris. The download is 711 KB.

VersionReleasedMinecraftType
1.1.0Mar 5, 20261.20 – 1.21.11Release
Description from the author on Modrinth

🎨 Ink Wash Painting Shader Pack

Transform your Minecraft world into a flowing Chinese ink wash painting.

✨ Overview

Ink Wash Shader Pack is an Iris shader pack for Minecraft, inspired by traditional Chinese ink wash painting art. Using post-processing shader technology, it transforms the game's visuals into a real-time ink painting style—featuring natural gradations of ink tones, varied brushstrokes, distant mountains fading into a dreamlike white space, and foliage swaying in the wind.

Unlike simple desaturation filters, this shader pack deeply simulates multiple traditional ink painting techniques:

  • Five Ink Tones (五墨法) — Natural transitions between burnt, heavy, dark, light, and clear ink tones.
  • Brush Stroke Outlines (皴法) — Multi-scale edge detection to simulate the texture of a traditional ink brush.
  • Negative Space (留白) — Distant scenery and skies fade into large areas of preserved white space, mimicking the ethereal emptiness found in traditional landscapes.
  • Ink Diffusion (墨晕) — A soft, natural bleeding effect simulating wet ink seeping into rice paper.
  • Rice Paper Texture (宣纸) — Fractal noise reproduces the authentic fiber texture of traditional Xuan paper.

🖼️ Core Features

🖌️ Global Ink Tone Palette

All blocks are mapped to ink tones based on luminance. Nearby objects show texture details (like light ink sketches), while distant objects gradually dissolve into negative space.

✒️ Three-Tier Brush Outlines

Brush Size · Detection Method · Visual Effect
Thick · Depth + Normal Edges (2x sample) · Major structure outlines (mountains, buildings)
Medium · Depth + Normal + Color (1x sample) · Block-level edges
Fine · Color Edges (0.5x sample) · Fine texture detail lines

🌿 Wind Sway Animation

Grass and flowers sway dynamically with a 3-layer wind system (main gust + rustle + fine tremor). Leaf blocks sway gently like entire branches. The shader intelligently differentiates foliage using texture transparency so solid ground blocks will not animate.

🌫️ Distant Fading

A depth-based fading system: foregound ink is sharp and clear → midground lightens → background dissolves completely into paper white, much like distant mountains in traditional landscape paintings.

💧 Ink Diffusion

A dedicated post-processing pass simulates wet ink seeping into the paper. Light ink areas spread naturally, strong ink remains crisp, and ink flow is subtly influenced by micro-gravity.

📜 Rice Paper & Mounting

  • FBM Paper Texture — Tri-scale fractional brownian motion noise with horizontal fiber bias to recreate authentic papermaking textures.
  • Scroll Border — Adds a traditional mounted scroll frame around the screen.
  • Vermilion Seal (朱印) — A toggleable traditional red stone seal stamp.

🌙 Time & Dimensions

  • Ink tones automatically adapt to Minecraft time—light and elegant during the day, heavy and dark at night.
  • Automatically detects the Nether dimension and applies a brightness boost and a subtle warm red tint perfectly fitting the lava atmosphere.
  • Subtle "Ink Flow" animation brings a breathing, hand-painted feel to the entire display.

⚙️ Configurable Parameters (18 Settings)

All parameters can be tuned in real-time via the Iris Shader settings menu, featuring full English/Chinese translations. Options include:

  • Ink Contrast & Color Tints (Subtle original color preservation up close)
  • Night Darkening & Nether Brightness
  • Edge Strength for all three brush tiers
  • Ink Flow & Wind Sway animations
  • Distance Fade & Ink Diffusion
  • Paper Grain Intensity
  • Vignette, Scroll Border, and Seal Stamp toggles

📦 Installation

  1. Requires Minecraft with Fabric and Iris Shaders.
  2. Place the downloaded .zip file into your .minecraft/shaderpacks/ folder.
  3. Enable the pack in-game: Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs.
  4. Press O in-game to access shader settings and tweak the look to your liking!

Written by Zzai. Read it with pictures on Modrinth.

How to install ink-wash-shaderpack

  1. Install Iris (with Sodium) or OptiFine for your Minecraft version: shaders need one of them.

  2. Download the .zip file from Modrinth. Do not unzip it.

  3. In Minecraft, open Options, then Video Settings, then Shader Packs, and click Open Shader Pack Folder.

  4. Drop the .zip file into that folder, pick ink-wash-shaderpack in the list and click Done.

  5. Shaders are heavy on the graphics card. If the game gets slow, pick a lower profile in the shader settings.

Full guide: How to install Minecraft shaders

Compatibility

Minecraft versions
1.21, 1.20
Edition
Java
Needs
Nothing else
License
Free to use
Price
Free
Upkeep
Actively updated (Nov 13, 2026)

ink-wash-shaderpack compared with similar ones Compare all alternatives

ResourceDownloadsVersionsLast updatePrice
ink-wash-shaderpackthe one you looked at19K1.20 – 1.21Mar 5, 2026Free
PhialSnorfield16K1.20 – 1.21Oct 25, 2025Free
Lomborebi ShaderspauschaL9,6491.18 – 26.xOct 9, 2026Free
Pagoda ShadersGlacierDevelopment7,3401.20 – 26.xJul 5, 2026Free

Questions

Does ink-wash-shaderpack work on Minecraft 26.x?

Not yet. The newest version it supports is Minecraft 1.21.

Is ink-wash-shaderpack free?

Yes. ink-wash-shaderpack is free to download from Modrinth.

Is ink-wash-shaderpack still updated?

Yes. The last update came out in the past day.

What are the best alternatives to ink-wash-shaderpack?

The closest ones are Phial, Lomborebi Shaders and Pagoda Shaders. Compare all alternatives

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