If DLSS looks soft, leaves trails behind moving objects, or makes fine detail shimmer, first compare a less aggressive DLSS Super Resolution mode in the same scene. Then check sharpening and, if the problem affects ray-traced lighting, test Ray Reconstruction separately. The right fix depends on the game: DLSS reconstructs an image from lower-resolution frames and motion data, so both your settings and the game’s implementation affect the result.
Why DLSS can look blurry or unstable
DLSS Super Resolution renders the game at a lower resolution and uses information from multiple frames, including motion data supplied by the game, to reconstruct the image at your display resolution. More aggressive modes have fewer rendered pixels to work from, which can mean less fine detail in the result. The appearance also depends on how the game handles temporal data, texture sampling, and its DLSS implementation. NVIDIA describes DLSS and its features.
Blur, ghosting, shimmer, and flicker are different symptoms, so they do not necessarily have the same cause. A soft image while the camera is still points to a different troubleshooting path than trails behind moving objects. Diagnose them separately rather than treating every visual problem as a sharpening issue.
How to compare DLSS settings fairly
- Record your current settings. In the game’s graphics menu, note the output or display resolution, DLSS Super Resolution mode, sharpening level if available, and whether Ray Reconstruction is enabled. Also check whether dynamic resolution is changing the internal render scale.
- Keep the test conditions constant. Use the same scene, camera position, output resolution, and other graphics settings for each comparison.
- Change one thing at a time. Test one less aggressive mode—for example, Balanced instead of Performance, or Quality instead of Balanced. If performance allows, compare against DLAA or native rendering as an image-quality reference.
- Check both still and moving detail. Inspect a stationary scene with fine detail, then pan the camera or watch moving objects. A still image alone may not reveal ghosting, shimmer, or flicker.
- Compare the trade-offs. Note image detail, stability in motion, and frame-rate impact. The best option depends on the title and your hardware; no mode is best in every game.
Fixes by symptom
The image looks soft even when you are standing still
Move one step toward a less aggressive mode and compare again at the same output resolution. If the image improves, the softer result was likely related to the lower-resolution input available to reconstruction. Only after comparing modes should you adjust the game’s sharpening control, if it has one. Make small changes: too much sharpening can add ringing around edges or make flicker more noticeable.
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DLAA can provide another comparison if your system has enough performance headroom. Unlike Super Resolution, DLAA applies DLSS anti-aliasing at native resolution rather than reconstructing a higher-resolution image from a lower-resolution render. NVIDIA’s DLSS overview describes the feature family.
Moving objects leave trails, or details appear late
Compare the available DLSS modes and, where the game or NVIDIA App supports it, the available model or preset. Make the comparison in the same moving scene: temporal artifacts may be hard to see in a static screenshot. NVIDIA says its DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution models aim to reduce ghosting and improve temporal stability, but that goal does not mean every game’s implementation is artifact-free. Model availability and performance effects vary by game, GPU generation, and mode. See NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution FAQ.
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Edges or fine detail flicker or crawl as the camera moves
Compare another DLSS mode and, if available, a current model or preset. If flicker persists, the cause may lie in the game’s temporal inputs rather than a setting you can change. NVIDIA’s developer guidance identifies incorrect or missing jitter as a potential cause of poor anti-aliasing and increased flickering. NVIDIA’s Streamline integration guidance explains the relevant integration requirements.
Only ray-traced or path-traced lighting looks smeared
Test Ray Reconstruction on and off separately if the game exposes that option. Ray Reconstruction is distinct from Super Resolution: it is a reconstruction and denoising feature for ray-traced effects, not another name for upscaling. NVIDIA’s integration guidance calls for appropriate depth inputs, accurate motion vectors, compatible jitter, and suitable texture mip bias. A problem confined to reflections or lighting may therefore need a different diagnosis from softness across the whole image. See NVIDIA’s Ray Reconstruction integration guidance.
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Should you use Quality, Balanced, or Performance?
Choose by comparing image quality and performance in your game, rather than assuming one mode is universally best. In general, moving from Performance toward Balanced or Quality gives reconstruction more rendered input detail, while using a less aggressive mode may cost performance. The actual result depends on the title, output resolution, and hardware.
| Option | What to compare | When to test it |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Detail and stability against Balanced at the same output resolution; also note frame-rate impact. | When you want to see whether a more aggressive mode is contributing to softness or temporal artifacts. |
| Balanced | Whether image detail improves over Performance without an unacceptable performance change. | As a less aggressive comparison when Performance looks too soft. |
| Quality | Whether additional input detail improves the image enough for your needs. | As a less aggressive comparison when Balanced still looks soft, if performance permits. |
| DLAA or native rendering | Use as an image-quality reference, and consider the performance cost. | When you have enough performance headroom to compare against Super Resolution. |
The names alone do not establish the best setting for a particular game. Compare the same stationary and moving details, then decide whether the image improvement is worth the performance trade-off.
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What to know about DLSS 4.5 model options
NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 guidance describes a second-generation transformer model for Super Resolution and recommends the “Recommended” model selection in the NVIDIA App for supported games. NVIDIA says this selection uses different presets depending on the in-game DLSS mode. It also cautions that Models M and L have a heavier performance impact on RTX 20- and 30-series cards, which lack native FP8 support. Check the current NVIDIA App and the game’s own options: support, model choices, and labels can vary or change. NVIDIA’s DLSS 4.5 model guidance.
Avoid treating developer presets as routine player fixes. NVIDIA’s preset descriptions are developer-facing tuning guidance, and a game can select presets according to mode and content. Replacing game DLLs or forcing a preset may change behavior without addressing the underlying problem. NVIDIA’s developer update describes preset guidance.
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When the game itself may need a fix
Some causes are part of the game’s rendering integration, not a player-accessible graphics setting. NVIDIA’s programming guide says DLSS requires a negative mip-map bias so texture sampling is appropriate for display resolution. Its example gives a bias of -2.0 for a Performance-mode render-to-display ratio of 0.5; that is an implementation example, not a universal setting for players. The guide also describes jitter requirements, while NVIDIA’s integration guidance notes that missing or incorrect jitter can worsen anti-aliasing and increase flicker. NVIDIA DLSS Programming Guide.
If the defect remains across reasonable mode comparisons, a game update may be needed to correct its temporal inputs or integration. Players generally cannot repair missing motion data, incorrect jitter, or mip-map bias from an ordinary graphics menu.
What information helps identify a game-specific cause
DLSS options and implementations differ by title, and not every game exposes the same model, preset, sharpening, or Ray Reconstruction controls. For targeted troubleshooting, note the game title, output resolution, GPU, selected DLSS mode, whether the defect appears only in motion, and whether Ray Reconstruction is enabled. NVIDIA’s driver guide also emphasizes that DLSS-related options are game-specific. NVIDIA’s driver installation guide.
NVIDIA’s DLSS pages describe DLSS 4.5, and its Developer DLSS page reported a plugin package update in September 2026. App and driver rollouts, supported games, model labels, and game implementations can change, so verify the options currently available for your game. NVIDIA Developer: DLSS.
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