Page 311 - Xara Designer Pro X17

Shadows 311

2. Choose the SHADOW Tool.
3. On the SHADOW Tool InfoBar, drag either the transparency slider or type a value into
the text box on the right.

Changing the shadow profile
After applying a shadow, you can change how the shadow transparency changes across
the blur. You can have a linear transition (which is the default profile and usually gives
the most realistic results) or a profiled transition.

To change the shadow profile:
1. Create the shadow.
2. In the SHADOW Tool, click PROFILE. This opens the PROFILE dialog box.
3. You can either select a pre-defined profile from the dropdown list or drag the sliders
to create a custom profile. The top option in the dropdown list (the straight line)
creates a linear transition.

Changing the shadow color or fill effect

After applying a shadow to an object, you can change the shadow's color or fill effect.
You can apply any of Xara Designer Pro X's color effects including multi-stage fills.

How to change the shadow color:

For more on colors and the Color Line refer to Color handling (on page 189).

The easiest way is to drag & drop a color from the Color Line onto the shadow (make
sure you drop the color onto the shadow and not the object). Alternatively - this method is
slightly more complex, but you have full control over the color:

1. Select the shadow using the SELECTOR Tool (make sure you select the shadow
and not the object).
2. Use the COLOR EDITOR to edit the color.

Converting shadows to shapes

You can convert a shadow into a group containing the shadow and the object (or objects)
casting the shadow. The shadow is converted to a simple shape and, after ungrouping,
can be edited. Note that after converting a shadow to a shape, you cannot use the
SHADOW Tool to edit it, as it is no longer a shadow.

To convert a shadow to shapes: