Live Shadow creates drop shadows below a selected object. The Shade, Offset, Light Angle, and Transparency settings can be adjusted using the pop-up list, the up and down arrows, or by entering a number in the fields.
Original object can be edited, and the effect will automatically update.
This effect is compatible with Illustrator’s “Action.”Example:
From sample file live_shadow_01.ai
- Create a new document (set Units as Points) from “Illustrator > File > New…” menu.
- Select “Illustrator > Window > FILTERiT5 > Live Shadow” menu. “FILTERiT5: Live Shadow” panel will open.
- Type “FILTERiT5” and put text object in the middle of the rectangle. Set font style to Bold, font size as 72 pt, Fill Color to Orange (R:255, G:128, B:0), and Stroke to none.
- Select the text object.
- From the panel menu (located on the upper right corner), select “Default Settings.”
- Click “Apply” button on the panel.
- Try to move “Transparency” slider.
- Change text object on the artboard.
- Change settings on the panel by referring to the following paragraph.
Setting items:
Shade
Shade, measured in percent, determines the darkness of the shadow. 100% is black, 0% is white.Offset
Offset is measured in points. The distance between the object and its shadow can range from zero to 4000 points, or the equivalent in the unit of measure specified in the Preferences.Light Angle
Light Angle determines the direction of the shadow from the object, in degrees. In addition to the three methods of assigning a value described above, you can use the mouse to drag the indicator in the Light Angle indicator circle.Transparency
The transparency of the object is measured in percent. The change in opacity affects the object in relationship to its shadow, but does not change the transparency of the shadow. In addition to the three methods of assigning a value described above, you can change the object's opacity using the slider.Live Update
When checked, Live Update applies changes in the palette to the object automatically. This allows you to observe changes as you make them. When unchecked, you can make changes to the Live Shadow settings and then click the Apply button. Screen redraw times may be substantially faster.Expand/Release/Apply
The Expand button creates a separate object from the shadow. It is grouped with the original object. The Release button removes the effect. Any selected object or objects will be updated with the current Live Shadow settings when the Apply button is clicked.Note: When applied to a group, the objects' shadows all fall below the group. When applied to two or more ungrouped objects, each shadow appears directly below its object.
When an object has an opacity of less than 100% in Illustrator's Transparency palette, the Live Shadow effect depends upon the relative stacking order of the object's fill and stroke. Illustrator's Appearances palette allows you to rearrange the fill and stroke of a selected object, moving one above or below the other.
Panel Menu
The Panel menu is accessed by clicking the icon in the upper right corner of the panel.
You can reset the panel setting to 'Default Settings' or name the current settings and save as the preset menu.
For how to use the preset menu, please refer to 'Preset Menu.’