Ever since it was first unveiled, Nvidia’s latest upscaling technology, DLSS 5, has stirred up considerable controversy over its heavy reliance on AI-generated techniques. Then, not long ago, a development build of DLSS 5 originally meant for NBA 2K27 suddenly leaked online, and was soon turned into a mod that players could apply to any game. However, players have gradually discovered another unexpected way to use it.
Currently, the visual results players see when applying this to games are extremely polarizing. While there are occasional results that look decent, in most cases it makes the visuals very strange, and when applied to anime-style games, it can even produce nightmare-like imagery. Not only that, but this technology also causes a significant drop in performance.
But after spending quite a while exploring ways to use DLSS5, players began to let their imaginations run wild and decided to try applying the technology to real images, just to see what would happen.
A developer named jpneagle recently used DLSS5 technology to create a “real-time filter” software, integrating this new upscaling technology that Nvidia designed specifically for games into webcams, directly giving users the chance to apply DLSS5 effects to their own faces.
Webカメラの実写映像にDLSS5を適用させるデモプログラムを作ってみた pic.twitter.com/Lt0VKnluXR
— いーぐる© (@jpn_eagle) September 2, 2026
As of now, jpneagle has uploaded this software to GitHub On the platform, however, to avoid copyright disputes related to Nvidia, the creator did not directly provide the leaked DLSS5-related files, and even added a disclaimer reminding users to obtain those files in a “legal” way.
Interestingly, jpneagle is not the only creator currently applying DLSS5 to real-life footage. A Twitter user named Samuel Cardillo has also demonstrated how to apply the DLSS5 filter to his own face via the OBS program. He himself seems quite satisfied with the results, even saying that it basically feels like “professional lighting.”
here is a video of DLSS5 ON/OFF on my own webcam using OBS + Reshade + a DLSS feeder.
it basically gives professional lighting. this is really cool. pic.twitter.com/M2xwLpoZwQ
— Samuel Cardillo (@CardilloSamuel) September 2, 2026
Considering that DLSS5 is a technology built specifically for video games, seeing players start experimenting with applying it to live-action footage and getting decent results is definitely an interesting development. That said, it does seem a bit like overkill, since similar filter effects have existed for a while. Even so, this might actually open up another new possibility for Nvidia.
Source: KOCPC Chinese