Lossless Scaling: Setup & Best Settings Guide

How to set up Lossless Scaling (LS) for smooth frame generation (LSFG) and upscaling in almost any PC game, which settings to use for different setups, and how to fix the usual problems (stutter, latency, artifacts, and it "not working").

Researched September 2026 — current as of LSFG 3.1 (June 2025) plus the Performance Mode hotfix (July 14, 2025), the latest official Steam update. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

Set the game to windowed or borderless fullscreen. LS can't capture exclusive fullscreen, except when LS outputs to a second display.
Cap the game's frame rate with the in-game limiter, RTSS, or the driver limiter at a number your PC holds steadily. A stable base frame rate is the most important thing.
Get the base frame rate high enough. The developer's minimum is 30 FPS. 40+ is preferred and 60 is ideal at 1080p.
Start with LSFG 3.1, Fixed mode, X2. Tune from there.
Leave GPU headroom. Frame generation runs on your GPU too. If the game is at 100% GPU usage, LS will make things worse.
Press Scale (or use the hotkey), then click back into the game window within the delay.
Use Flow Scale at high resolutions. Set it to 75% at 1440p or 50% at 4K to cut LSFG's GPU cost with little quality loss.
Save a Game Profile so your settings apply automatically when that game's .exe runs.

What Lossless Scaling Does

Feature	What it's for
LSFG (frame generation)	Adds generated frames between real ones. The game looks smoother, but your inputs still run at the base frame rate
Scaling (upscaling)	Render the game at a lower resolution and upscale it with LS1, FSR, NIS, SGSR and others. Also good for pixel-art and old games
Dual GPU mode	Run LS on a second GPU so the game's GPU does no extra work
Game Profiles	Per-game settings, applied automatically

LS works on almost anything that runs in a window: games without built-in frame gen, emulators locked to 30 or 60 FPS, older titles, even video.

System Requirements (Steam Store)

	Minimum	Recommended
OS	Windows 10 version 2004	Windows 11 24H2
GPU	Modern integrated graphics	GeForce RTX 30 / Radeon RX 6000 / Intel Arc series
API	DirectX 11	DirectX 11

A community port, lsfg-vk, brings LSFG to Linux (including Steam Deck). You still need a copy of LS for it.

Step-by-Step First Setup

Launch the game and set Display Mode = Borderless / Windowed Fullscreen.
Turn V-Sync off in the game and cap the frame rate (see the table below).
Launch Lossless Scaling. Leave it running.
In LS, choose:
- Frame Generation: LSFG 3.1
- Mode: Fixed
- Multiplier: X2
- Flow Scale: 100% at 1080p, 75% at 1440p, 50% at 4K
- Scaling type: Off, if you only want frame gen
Click Scale and switch back to the game, or use the global hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+S by default, rebindable).
Turn on Draw FPS in LS to confirm it's working. It shows base and generated frame rates.

Choosing Your Frame Cap and Multiplier

Pick a base frame rate your PC always holds, then a multiplier that reaches (or divides evenly into) your refresh rate.

Monitor	Suggested base cap	Mode	Result
60 Hz	30	Fixed X2	60 (only if you can't reach 60 natively; latency is noticeable)
120 Hz	60	Fixed X2	120
144 Hz	48	Fixed X3	144
144 Hz	72	Fixed X2	144
165 Hz	Uncapped or 60	Adaptive, target 165	165
240 Hz	60	Fixed X4	240
240 Hz	80	Fixed X3	240

Fixed vs Adaptive:

Fixed multiplies your base frame rate by a whole number. It gives the best image quality and pacing when base × multiplier matches your refresh rate. LSFG 3 unlocked multipliers up to X20, but high multipliers (X5+) only make sense for very high refresh displays.
Adaptive (AFG) targets a set output frame rate and adjusts the multiplier as it goes. It's great for games capped at awkward rates (like 60 FPS on a 144 or 165 Hz monitor) or uncapped games. It's the recommended mode with a second GPU. It costs somewhat more GPU and image quality is slightly lower, because most displayed frames are generated.

Every Important Setting Explained

Frame Generation

Setting	Recommendation
LSFG version	LSFG 3.1 (the current model)
Performance	Off by default. Turn it on for weak GPUs, iGPUs or handhelds. The developer says it cuts LSFG's GPU load by up to half with a slight quality drop, and it can look better overall if it lets the game keep a higher base FPS
Flow Scale (called "Resolution Scale" in older builds)	100% at 1080p, 75% at 1440p, 50% at 4K. Lower = cheaper motion estimation
Multiplier / Target	See the table above

Scaling

Type	Best for
LS1	LS's own upscaler for modern 3D games. Has a sharpness slider
FSR	Modern games, good all-rounder
NIS	Modern games, NVIDIA's spatial scaler (works on all GPUs)
SGSR	Snapdragon's very lightweight spatial upscaler, useful on weak hardware
Integer	Pixel art at exact multiples. Perfectly sharp pixels
XBR	Smoothing pixel art
Anime4K	Cartoons, anime and cel-shaded content

Scaling mode: Auto fits the window to your screen, while Custom lets you set a factor.
To gain performance through scaling, lower the game's own resolution in windowed mode and let LS upscale it to fullscreen.
If the game has its own DLSS or FSR upscaling, that usually looks better than any spatial upscaler. Use LS just for frame gen in that case.

Rendering and Capture

Setting	What it does	Suggested
Sync mode	How LS presents frames (V-Sync style vs allow tearing)	Default, or Off (allow tearing) with VRR/G-Sync
Max frame latency	How many frames the LS output queue can hold	Low values for lower latency
Capture API	DXGI or WGC	Try WGC first on Windows 11 24H2, and switch if you see stutter
Queue Target	0 = unbuffered, lowest latency. 1 = default. 2 = smoothest for uncapped or unstable base FPS	1, or 0 if your base FPS is locked and your GPU has headroom
G-Sync / VRR support	Lets LS work with variable refresh	On if your monitor supports it (also enable G-Sync for fullscreen in the driver)
HDR support	Correct output for HDR games	On only when the game is in HDR
Draw FPS	On-screen counter	On while tuning
Preferred GPU	Which GPU runs LS	Your second GPU in a dual-GPU setup
Output display	Which monitor LS shows on	Usually your main display

Windows 11 24H2 note: 24H2 changed how DXGI capture works, and it now depends on MPO (Multiplane Overlay) support. If frame pacing broke after that update, switch the capture API to WGC.

Dual GPU Setup (Advanced)

Plug your monitor into the second GPU, the one that will run LS.
In Windows Graphics settings, set the game to render on the main GPU.
In LS, set Preferred GPU to the second GPU.
Use Adaptive mode targeting your refresh rate, and let the game run uncapped or loosely capped.

The payoff: frame gen no longer takes FPS away from the game, and latency can be lower. The second GPU needs enough power and PCIe bandwidth for your resolution and output FPS. Community spreadsheets list what different cards manage.

Recommended Presets

Situation	Settings
Emulator locked at 30 FPS on a 60 Hz screen	LSFG 3.1, Fixed X2, Flow Scale 100%, Queue Target 1
Locked-60 PC port on a 144/165 Hz screen	LSFG 3.1, Adaptive target = refresh rate
Heavy AAA at 4K, 120 Hz TV	Cap at 60, Fixed X2, Flow Scale 50%
Handheld PC / iGPU	Cap at 40, Fixed X2, Performance ON, Flow Scale 75–90%
Pixel-art game	Scaling: Integer (or XBR), no frame gen needed
Anime / cel-shaded	Scaling: Anime4K, plus Fixed X2 frame gen if you like

Anti-Cheat and Online Games

The community has found LS safe with most online games that use anti-cheat. It reads the screen rather than injecting into the game. The developer says this can't be guaranteed, though, so use it at your own risk in competitive games. It's also a poor fit for twitch shooters in general, because frame gen adds latency.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Running the game at 100% GPU. LSFG needs headroom. Cap the game lower.
Using exclusive fullscreen. Switch to borderless.
Leaving in-game V-Sync on. It adds latency and fights LS's own pacing.
Base frame rate too low. Under 30 FPS base, artifacts and latency get bad. Lower the game's settings first.
Uneven multipliers. Base × multiplier not matching your refresh rate causes judder in Fixed mode. Use Adaptive instead.
Forgetting Flow Scale at 4K. 100% at 4K is expensive for little gain.
Stacking with in-game frame gen. Don't run DLSS FG or FSR FG and LSFG together.
Expecting better input latency. Frame gen makes the picture smoother. It doesn't make the game respond faster.

Advanced Tips

Cap slightly below what you can reach. If a game averages 70 FPS, cap at 60 so it never drops below.
Use RTSS for the most even frame caps when the game's limiter is jittery.
Hide the HUD's flicker. UI detection has improved (LSFG 3.1 refined it), but some fast-changing HUD elements still show artifacts. Lowering the multiplier helps.
Use profiles for launchers and emulators so each game gets its own settings automatically.
Linux/Steam Deck: lsfg-vk (by PancakeTAS) runs LSFG through Vulkan. The developer shared it officially.
Previous versions: older LS builds are available under Steam Properties > Betas if an update breaks your setup.

FAQ

Why isn't Lossless Scaling working? The game is probably in exclusive fullscreen, you didn't click back into the game after pressing Scale, or the capture API doesn't suit your Windows build. Switch to borderless, check the delay timer, and try WGC.

Does Lossless Scaling add input lag? Yes, some. It's lowest with a locked, high base frame rate, Queue Target 0 or 1, and in-game V-Sync off. The developer measured LSFG 3 at roughly 24% better end-to-end latency than LSFG 2 in its test (40 base FPS, X2).

What base FPS do I need? At least 30. 40 or more is better, and 60 is ideal at 1080p.

Fixed or Adaptive? Use Fixed when base × multiplier equals your refresh rate. Use Adaptive for awkward caps, uncapped games, or dual GPU.

Is it safe with anti-cheat? The community generally reports that it is, but the developer can't guarantee it.

Does it work on Steam Deck or Linux? Through the community lsfg-vk project, yes.

Should I use LS instead of DLSS/FSR frame generation? If a game has native frame gen, that's usually better quality and latency. LS is for everything that doesn't.