#ADD A DROP SHADOW IN AFTER EFFECTS HOW TO#

You can fine-tune the opacity of the shadow, alter its direction, increase and decrease its distance from the source or change its color to make the effect look more convincing.Īdding the Drop Down Shadow to Text in After Effects Once you apply the effect a soft-edged outline will appear behind the layer, which makes it a great choice if you want to create an outline around an object. You can then just drag and drop the effect to a layer on the timeline and proceed to adjust its settings in the Effect Controls panel. The Perspective folder in the Effects & Presets menu contains the Drop Shadow effect, and the only thing you have to do to access it is to type its name in the Effects Browser. If a shot contains one or two objects against a solid background, then applying drop shadow can be effective, but if the background contains a lot of details you might want to consider other methods of creating shadows in AE.

#ADD A DROP SHADOW IN AFTER EFFECTS HOW TO#

How to Apply the Drop Shadow Effect in AE?Īdding a drop shadow to the footage you’ve chosen randomly won’t necessarily produce the results you want, because how visually pleasing the effect is going to be depends on how the shot is composed. Read on if you would like to find out more about the process of creating the Drop Shadow effect in Adobe After Effects.

The Drop Shadow effect is commonly used to add depth to static and animated text, but there are lots of creative ways you can use this effect to enhance the footage you’re editing. Learning how to control the shadows in the footage you’re editing, will enable you to improve its quality, which is why you also need to know how to add artificial shadows to images or text layers you use in your projects. Capturing the play between the light and shadow is what makes cinematography an art.

Add a drop shadow in after effects