Re: FLASH: making traditional drop shadows in Flash????

[Helen Triolo]

Joshua [dot] Sutherlandpearsoned [dot] com

 wrote:

> 

> Hello all,

> 

> I was wondering what everyone has been doing when they've encounter the need to create a non circular drop shadow ????  (you know the one you used to make in Photoshop with the feather and fill tool, then moving it down and over a few pixels_)  I've been able to create them fine using a circular shape but what if I wanted to make a drop shadow that covers two edges of a rectangle????  Has anyone figured out a good way to do this,(without importing bitmaps that is_)  Well just curious what this list has come up with.

> 

>From a search on "drop shadow" at

http://i-technica.com/flashlist/nofrills.html --


Q: Any ideas on how to make blurry drop shadows in

Flash vector art?

A: [Karin Christensen:] I just discovered a way to make kind of blurry

text drop shadows.  I copy the text, paste it underneath, make the new

text black and convert it to a symbol. Then I displace it down and right

a few pixels (so it looks like a drop shadow).  Then I paste underneath

that one another copy of the just made symbol and move it down and right

a few pixels.  Then I do this again underneath that symbol and displace

this one up and to the left.  So you have one black one in the middle,

and one down and to the right and one up and to the left.  Then I

convert those three symbols into another symbol which I called shadow. 

Then I modify the shadow which consists of the three displaced black

texts to an alpha setting.  The outside symbols will be a little lighter

than the inside because the three are overlapping.  The overlapping area

is darker so you get kind of a fuzzy appearance.  Modify curves, soften

edges causes big files on text so this works pretty well.


[from Mary Brzys:]

Take your vectored art, copy it, and if it's a complex (a lot of

different shapes put together to make of the 3D object) break it, select

all and fill it in with your desired shade of shadow. Now convert that

into an object called shadow. Depending on how complex your animation or

still is, determines how you will create the fade out. If it's small, I

would suggest, copying it and using an alpha shade to lighten up this

shade just a touch, and repeating this process, until it turns almost

invisible on each succession of the value of the shade. I would also put

them in at an angle, moving away from the 3D object as it fades.

Preferably in the opposite direction of the face of the 3D object. If

it's a large file already, copy the object, break it apart and create a

series of shades in lighter values as they fade out.

A different option for shading would be to create the shadow in the

complimentary color of 3D object. You can experiment with this idea. See

what you come up with, using the compliment or the adjacent color to the

compliment. i.e.: red and green, try green yellow, or reddish purple

(maroon).

It all depends on what you want to show-- if you want to pop it, or make

it subtle, should determine on which colors to use.  Warm colors pull

you forward, cool colors make you recede. A blending of the two allows

the artist to achieve both on their terms.


[from Cheri Harder:]

Check out "Modify...Curves...Soften Edges"... I've used it to create

kind of a glow around things...


[from Dustin Krysak:]

Make an object (text or shape or whatever)...

then "break it apart" (> modify > Break Apart)

then choose modify > curves > soften edges


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