How to Do a Drop Shadow on Illustrator

Illustrator is a vector-drawing program included in the Adobe Creative Suite of software. Charts, diagrams, logos, art and illustrations are easily drawn in a format that makes infinite scaling possible without losing resolution as with a bitmapped image. A drop-shadow effect on an image adds depth and dimension to what might otherwise be a flat piece of artwork. Illustrator's drop-shadow effect can be customized to create the depth and distance that suits your artwork.

Instructions

1. Open a new or existing Illustrator document from the "File" menu. Select "Show Tools" from the "Window" menu.

2. Select an image on the artboard or draw a shape with one of the drawing tools from the Tool palette.

3. Click the "Direct Selection" tool in the Tool palette. Select the image you want to apply a drop shadow to.

4. Select "Effect," then scroll down to "Stylize." Select the "Drop Shadow" submenu.

5. Customize your drop-shadow effect in the "Drop Shadow" dialog box. Choose "Normal" from the "Mode" pull-down menu. Select the darkness of the drop shadow with the "Opacity" slider.

6. Choose the distance of the drop shadow from the original element by selecting the "X" and "Y" offsets in the pull-down menu. Select the drop shadow's blur effect by dragging the slider from "0" to "2" inches.

7. Click "OK" to apply the drop-shadow effect.

References

• "Adobe Illustrator 10 - Classroom in a Book"; Adobe Systems; 2002 (PDF)