Drop Shadow
Adds a configurable drop shadow behind the image content, with offset, blur, color, and opacity control.
The shadow is cast by the image’s alpha channel: wherever the image is opaque, a shadow appears behind it, so the node needs content on a transparent background to show anything. Inner Shadow renders the shadow inside the content boundary instead.
While the node is selected, an arrow in the Preview runs from the center of the shape to where its shadow lands, with Inner Shadow too and when Expand Canvas grows the frame. Drag its tip to set Offset X and Offset Y together, each in its own unit, pixels or percent; hold Shift to snap the direction to steps of 15 degrees (the length stays where you drag it), and double-click it to reset. See Canvas handles.
Parameters
Section titled “Parameters”Pins
Shadow
Horizontal shadow offset. Positive = right, negative = left
Vertical shadow offset. Positive = down, negative = up
Size of the shadow blur. Higher values spread the shadow over a larger area
Controls feather width of the shadow. 0 = fully soft, 1 = hard edge with antialiasing. Use with a large Blur Radius for a wide but sharp-edged shadow
Color
Shadow color
Overall shadow opacity. 0 = invisible, 1 = fully opaque
Options
Render shadow inside the subject boundary instead of behind it
Output only the rendered shadow without the original image
Auto-expand the output canvas so the shadow is not clipped at the edges.
Turn this off to keep the original canvas size.
Usage Tips
Section titled “Usage Tips”- Expand Canvas (on by default) grows the output so the shadow is not clipped; turn it off to keep the original canvas size.
- Shadow Only outputs just the shadow, to composite on a separate layer.
- Inner Shadow with a low Blur Radius gives a subtle inset look.
- Pair a large Blur Radius with a high Sharpness for a wide shadow that still has a crisp edge.
- A colored shadow suits stylized or neon looks.