Illustrator

Create a drop shadow

  1. Select an object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).
  2. Choose Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow or Filter > Stylize > Drop Shadow.
  3. Set options for the drop shadow, and click OK:
    Mode
    Specifies a blending mode for the drop shadow.

    Opacity
    Specifies the percentage of opacity you want for the drop shadow.

    X Offset and Y Offset
    Specifies the distance you want the drop shadow to be offset from the object.

    Blur
    Specifies the distance from the edge of the shadow where you want any blurring to occur. Illustrator creates a transparent raster object to simulate the blur.

    Color
    Specifies a color for the shadow.

    Darkness
    Specifies the percentage of black you want added for the drop shadow. In a CMYK document, a value of 100%, used with a selected object that contains a fill or stroke color other than black, creates a multicolored black shadow. A value of 100% used with a selected object that contains only a black fill or stroke creates a 100% black shadow. A value of 0% creates a drop shadow the color of the selected object.

    Create Separate Shadows (Drop Shadow filter only)
    Places each shadow directly behind the object to which the shadow is applied. Otherwise, the shadows are all placed together behind the bottommost selected object.