How to Give Text Shadows in Illustration

Use shadows to create text that stands out in your illustrations.

Adding shadows to text is a common design element as a way to give the text some depth. Although Adobe Illustrator is a great tool for creating illustrations, manipulating text may not be as obvious as other programs such as Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign or even Photoshop. There is not an obvious shadow button in the character or paragraph panel; however, you can still add shadows to text in an illustrator illustration the same way you would add shadows to any element in the illustration -- using the Effects menu.

Things You'll Need

• Adobe Illustrator

Instructions

1. Open Adobe Illustrator. Select the text.

2. Click on the "Effects" menu. Hover over "Stylize" in the "Illustrator Effects" section. Select "Drop Shadow."

3. Click on the "Preview" check box to view the drop-shadow.

4. Adjust the "Opacity" slider to change the visibility of the shadow.

5. Adjust the X and Y "Offset" boxes to change the position of the drop-shadow.

6. Adjust the "Blur" slider to change the amount of blur.

7. Click on the "Color" box and select the desired shadow color. Click on the "Darkness" circle if you want to use a shade of gray for the shadow. Change the percentage to the desired gray scale.

References

• Layers Magazine; Create Fun, Eye-catching Text with Adobe Illustrator; Corey Barker; March 2009