The Process Manual

Drop shadows Drop shadows can add depth and visual interest to your page desgin, especially when you are working with images with clipping paths. 1. Use the Selection tool to select the page element to which you want to apply the drop shadow, whether it is text, an image or a page element. If you are selecting text, select the frame, not the text itself. 2. Go to Object > Drop Shadow, and check the Drop Shadow box in the dialog. Make sure the Preview box is checked so you can see your drop shadow as it is created. 3. Use the drop-down menu to choose the blending mode you wish to use. If you are working with a white background, leave the blending mode at Normal. 4. Click on the Opacity field to set the transparency of the drop shadow. The higher the percentage, the denser the shadow will be. 5. Set the X and Y offset to the appropriate measurement, depending on how far away from the actual item you wish the drop shadow to appear. 6. Blur affects the spread of the drop shadow, or how far out it extends. Enter the blur you want your drop shadow to have. 7. Finally, you can apply any color that is currently in your Swatches palette to the drop shadow, or you can create your own color. If you will be creating a color, be sure to select CMYK as the color type. 8. Click OK to finish your drop shadow. Transparent text or image 1. To apply a transparent effect to any page element, first open the Transparency palette by selecting Window > Transparency. 2. Use the Selection tool to select the item you would like to make transparent, and use the slider in the Transparency palette to adjust the opacity of the item.

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