When to use shaders

I have gotten many shader requests for effects that shaders wouldn't be good at making. Today I would like to explain the uses of shaders so that you know when to use them and when to look in to other resources like particles.

SHader uses

Shaders are for changing the color of pixels. It isn't used for anything more. Shaders can use textures or math to mix colors or blend them, but shaders can't easily be used for clickable or interactive objects in a scene. In general shaders are for recoloring or distorting. If you need textured shapes that can have gravity or motion (like rain for example), then you should use particles.

Particle uses

Particles are for moving and animated, textures or shapes that don't interact with objects or the scene. These are useful for effects like fire, rain, smoke, snow, etc. Blend modes can be applied to them also, so you can have additive blend (brightens the scene). However because particles aren't very interactive, then you may need objects.

Object uses

Objects should be used for anything interactive. That means that it should be used for things that can collide with other objects and bounce for instance. These however should be used lightly, because the are often the slowest. You probably don't want to use this for rain that can collide unless you don't have much rain.

Conclusion

Shaders are designed for effects like scan lines, vignette or sepia tone. Particles are designed for rain, fire, smoke, etc. Objects are for anything interactive like a bouncing ball. Now this doesn't mean that you can't use shaders for interactive things, but the process is harder and may be slower.