# Add a shadow

Shadows create an appearance of depth. An element's shadow appears on any element behind it. You can create a variety of shadow effects, or remove the shadow from an element.

1. Select the element or elements.
2. In the Format Inspector, click the Style tab.
3. Select Shadow to add a shadow to the object. Deselect Shadow to make the go away.
4. To set how far the shadow is from the element, use the offset control.

   The further the shadow is from the element the higher the element appears.

5. To adjust the softness of the shadow's edge, use the Blur controls.

   A high blur value makes the element's shadow appear more diffuse; a low value gives the shadow a more sharply defined edge which more common in comic lettering.

6. To change the shadow's transparency, set a percentage in the Opacity field.

   Note: Don't use the Opacity slider at the bottom of the Graphic inspector, which changes the opacity of the entire element (not the element's shadow).

7. To change the color for the shadow, click the Shadow color well and select a color.