Adding a drop shadow to a button


    Drop shadows add depth to a menu. You can apply the drop shadow effect to any objects in the menu, be it text, buttons, or other graphic elements. Adobe Encore DVD gives you extensive control over the look of the shadow, letting you specify its color, opacity, angle, offset, size, and spread. You apply drop shadows to individual elements or to layer sets. Because the effect is applied to the element, when you move or resize the element, or edit the text, the drop shadow moves, resizes, or changes shape accordingly. If you apply a drop shadow to a layer set, Adobe Encore DVD applies it to the bottommost layer.

To add a drop shadow to a button or object:

  1. Open the menu containing the buttons you want to modify.
  2. Click the Layers tab to activate it (or choose Window > Layers).
  3. Click the layer of the element to which you want to add a drop shadow. If the element is in a layer set, you may need to open the layer set first.
  4. Choose Object > Drop Shadow, and select Drop Shadow in the Drop Shadow dialog box.
  5. To change the color, click the color swatch.
  6. To limit your color selection to NTSC-safe colors, click NTSC Colors Only in the Color Picker dialog box.
  7. Adjust the color using one of the following methods. The color you select appears in the top half of the color swatch. The original color remains in the bottom half.
    • Locate the color range you want using the triangle sliders on the color spectrum bar, then click the desired color in the color field.
    • Change the numeric values for Hue, Saturation, Brightness, Red, Green, or Blue.
  8. Click OK. The new color replaces the original color in the Drop Shadow dialog box.
  9. Type new values or use the up or down arrows to set the desired values for the following options:
    • Opacity to set the opacity of the shadow.
    • Angle to specify the lighting angle of the shadow.
    • Distance to specify the how far the shadow should be offset from the object.
    • Size to set the size of the shadow.
    • Spread to expand the boundaries of the shadow.
  10. Click OK.