Drop Shadow Control

A drop shadow is an offset shadow of an object in an image that makes the object appear suspended above the background. Drop Shadow controls let you specify the direction of the offset, the magnitude of the offset, the transparency of the drop shadow and the softness of the drop shadow. Drop shadows are a commonly used text effect (see the Text and Layout transformations) and can also be used on objects of arbitrary shape via the Drop Shadow transformation.

Preview -- the preview area in the upper left corner of the dialog box lets you visualize the drop shadow effect by applying it to a black disk against a checkerboard background.

Angle -- this compass control lets you set the offset angle, thus simulating the presence of an imaginary light source located in the opposite direction. By convetion, the light source is normally place in the upper left as illustrated above.

Color -- this color control lets you set the color of the drop shadow.

Offset -- this slider lets you adjust the magnitude of the offset. Higher values make the object appear higher above the background.

Transparency -- this slider lets you adjust the transparency of the drop shadow. Higher values make the shadow fainter.

Softness -- this slider lets you adjust the softness of the drop shadow. Some amount of softening makes the drop shadow look more realistic.