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When to use drop shadows
There are three basic applications for drop shadows: text,
objects, and Web page backgrounds.
Text-
Text shadows best against a flat background, although a
shadow can also be used to make text more readable against
a photo or complex texture. Its usually a good idea to offset
the shadow close to the text itself, which makes the text
more legible and makes the shadow less distracting.
Objects-
There are two approaches for shadowing objects. One is to
silhouette the object against a flat background or texture.
This is similar to the text treatment mentioned above. The
other approach is to integrate the object seamlessly into
another image. This compositing approach is addressed as
an advanced technique later in this column.
When silhouetting an object against a flat background, soften
the edges with a selection feather. It also makes sense
to paste the object onto a light or dark background before
reselecting and feathering the edges. This makes the feather
light or dark, and helps integrate it into the background
as it is placed on the page.
Background tiles- A good
use of drop shadows is in horizontal or vertical background
tiles. This can add a real sense of depth to your page,
with just a few steps. Simply create a horizontal/vertical
file, create a column section, and add the shadow as shown
to create a shadowed row or column.
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