Drop shadow
For Template Designers: understand what drop shadows are, why they matter, and how they affect object appearance in GraFx Studio.
What it is
A drop shadow is a shadow that appears behind an object or frame. It gives visual depth, separates content from the background, and can be styled to be subtle or dramatic.
Why use drop shadows
In self-service or data-driven design, you don’t always know how content will appear:
- Maintain readability
Text may be placed over variable images or backgrounds. A drop shadow improves contrast, ensuring text remains legible even on light or busy images.
- Consistency across variations
When campaigns generate thousands of output variants, you cannot manually adjust each one. Drop shadows provide a safeguard for readability and design integrity.
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Visual hierarchy
Shadows help foreground elements stand out, drawing attention to important text or graphics. -
Depth and realism
Adding a shadow gives flat objects a sense of separation and spatial layering, making layouts feel less flat. -
Brand expression
A subtle shadow style can be part of a brand’s visual identity, ensuring consistency across different channels and media.
Key settings
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Blend mode
Determines how the frame contents and shadow interacts with the object and its background.
See Blend modes -
Color
Define the shadow color from custom or saved swatches. Opacity can be set from 0–100%.
See Swatches -
Angle
Defines the shadow direction, in degrees (e.g.,135°places the shadow bottom-left). -
Distance
How far the shadow is offset from the object. The unit follows the layout’s current measurement unit (px, mm, in, …) linked to the intent. -
Blur
Softens the shadow edges. Range: 1–500. - Low values = sharp edges.
- High values = diffused, natural look.
Good to know
- Drop shadows apply per object/frame.
- Units adapt automatically to the layout’s configured intent and units.
- Only one drop shadow effect can be applied at a time.