You can add a drop shadow in Adobe Animate by using the Filters section of the Property inspector. Here's how:
- Select the object: Choose the object to which you want to apply the drop shadow (e.g., a shape, text, or symbol instance) on the stage.
- Open the Property Inspector: If the Property inspector isn't visible, go to Window > Properties > Properties.
- Access Filters: In the Property inspector, locate the "Filters" section. If you don't see "Filters", make sure the object you selected is a type that supports filters (e.g., movie clip instance, button instance, text).
- Add a Drop Shadow: Click the "+" button within the Filters section. A dropdown menu will appear.
- Choose Drop Shadow: Select "Drop Shadow" from the dropdown menu.
After adding the drop shadow, you'll see a series of parameters you can adjust to customize its appearance. These typically include:
- Distance: How far the shadow is offset from the object.
- Angle: The direction of the shadow relative to the object.
- Strength/Intensity/Blur: The softness and intensity of the shadow. This is often represented as Blur X and Blur Y.
- Color: The color of the shadow.
- Knockout: (Often a checkbox) Determines whether the object itself casts a shadow or if only the shadow appears.
- Quality: (Often a dropdown) Affects the performance vs. quality of the shadow rendering. Lower qualities render faster but may have visual artifacts.
Experiment with these parameters to achieve the desired drop shadow effect. Keep in mind that excessive or poorly optimized filters can impact performance, especially on animations with many elements.
