hylskrik

Doesn't RadeonPro hook into DX9 the same way ENBs and injectors do? Might be worth a google :) I run skse through MO and the Steam overlay works here...

It was probably the first thing you checked but did you verify that Skyrim has the Steam overlay enabled in properties? :) No SweetFX either?

I'm not close to the limit myself, but I like reducing anything I can so I combined the bug fix ESPs that didn't have scripts in them -- that would free up some ESP slots.

Are you using the SMAA injector? It has a steam overlay bug fix option in the ini that needs to be active. [misc] ;set to 1 to improve steam overlay compatibility weird_steam_hack = 1

Does it still happen after a restart? It might be worth asking in the Mod Organizer thread or on the Nexus and see if Tannin can help. If you edit the MO apps, do the file paths for BOSS, etc go to the correct locations? I also believe MO has a log file, might be something in there.

BFS doesn't have any vanilla records, they're all custom and specific to that mod. Have you edited papyrus settings in any way? Or tried activating the papyrus log to see if something shows up there?

I tried getting into Wrye Bash but it honestly confused me -- it seems like it's made for people who are well-versed with Elder Scrolls modding and maybe not so much for the rest of us :) My biased opinion is this: use Mod Organizer instead. It's much easier to get your head around, has a built-in tutorial, helps you fix badly structured mod files and, best of all, doesn't actually touch the Skyrim directory at all. It makes its own virtual Skyrim data folder. I'd suggest looking at Neovalen's Skyrim Revisited on the STEP wiki -- it's more in-depth than regular STEP and might seem daunting but it'll explain the modding "procedure" in better detail than STEP currently does. Quoting Neo's guide:

Did you happen to turn off depth of field in your config? That would make underwater transparent.

I don't know very much about Wrye Bash, but isn't this what bash tags are for? See https://tesfans.org/guides/wrye%20bash/docs/Wrye%20Bash%20Advanced%20Readme.html#patch-tags

I made a short guide on the basics of compatibility patches for someone a while ago, maybe that could help a little? https://imgur.com/a/kCky3#0

The shadow dithering can be fixed by increasing iBlurDeferredShadowMask to 5 in SkyrimPrefs.ini; the DoF is usually decided by the center point of the screen (possibly a radius setting, don't really know), so when something is deemed to be in the way, as it would be on horseback, it goes haywire. Might be worth checking the STEP ini edit suggestions for changing where the camera is while on horseback.

That warning in Skyrim.ini isn't a warning for you per se, it's just for setting that line to be output in the event that something is missing ;)

MVABasic is More Village Animals. As for whether the HR DLC is responsible for CTDs? I doubt that very much -- if a texture is messed up it'll either be wonky looking or not show up at all (purple item). What shield from IA was having issues? One using vanilla texture resources or a custom one? I've been using IA for a good while and never seen anything like that but it almost sounds like a (missing) mip-map issue. The actors folder is in the HR DLC #3 and if I remember correctly #1 doesn't have any rogue text files.

Oh christ, he updated the mod, adding more NPCs. I swear half of them are just tint layers and... weird stuff. Inventories changed, perks removed... x|

Hm, I've been trying out some of these mystery modder textures lately and I've come to realize that all the ones I've tried are upscaled versions of vanilla textures with photoshop filters applied to "mask" the pixelation. I'd steer clear.