Adding Shadows
Shadows create an appearance of depth. An object’s shadow appears on any
object behind it. You can create a variety of shadow effects, or remove the shadow
from an object.
To quickly add or remove a shadow, select the object and then select or deselect
Shadow in the format bar. The Graphic inspector gives you more control over shadow
formatting.
To add a shadow using the Graphic inspector:
1
Select the object or text.
2
Click Inspector in the toolbar, and then click the Graphic button.
3
Select Shadow to add a shadow to the object. Deselect Shadow to make a shadow
go away.
Change the shadow
color in the color well.
Change the angle of
the shadow with the
Angle wheel.
Offset, Blur, and Opacity
values change the look
of the shadow.
Select the checkbox
to add a shadow to a
selected object.
4
Set the angle for the shadow using the Angle controls.
5
To set how far the shadow is from the object, use the Offset controls.
A high shadow offset value makes an object’s shadow appear longer and slightly
separated from the object.
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Chapter 7
Working with Images, Shapes, and Other Objects
Chapter 7
Working with Images, Shapes, and Other Objects
169
6
To adjust the softness of the shadow’s edge, use the Blur controls.
A high blur value makes the object’s shadow appear more diffuse; a low value gives
the shadow more sharply defined edges.
7
To change the shadow’s transparency, set a percentage in the Opacity field. Don’t use
the Opacity slider at the bottom of the Graphic inspector, which changes the opacity
of the object (not the object’s shadow).
8
To change the color for the shadow, click the Shadow color well and select a color.
This object has the default
shadow properties.
This object’s shadow is set
to a different angle.
This object’s shadow has
a high offset value.
This object’s shadow has
the lowest blur factor.
This object has a different
shadow color.
This object’s shadow has
a high blur factor.