Shadow effect does not appear

Symptoms

If one or more of these match what you are seeing, you are on the right page.

• •The shadow section is configured but nothing renders
• •The shadow appears only on one side
• •The shadow is visible on the canvas but not in the export
• •The shadow renders inside the shape instead of behind it

Causes and fixes

Ordered from most to least likely. Work down the list — each cause is paired with what to do about it.

1. 1

   Offset, spread and blur are all zero.

   Set Offset X and Offset Y to move the shadow out from behind the element, or raise Spread to make it larger than the element before the blur is applied.

2. 2

   Shadow opacity is at zero.

   Raise the shadow opacity. Shadow color is independent of opacity — the color does not have to be black, but a fully transparent shadow of any color renders nothing.

3. 3

   The shadow is falling behind an opaque element below.

   Shadows render behind the element they belong to, so a lower layer can cover them. Raise the element in the stack with Ctrl+] or reorder in the Layer Panel.

4. 4

   An inner shadow is configured instead of a drop shadow.

   Inner shadow casts inside the shape boundary for a pressed-in look. Add a drop shadow if you want the shadow behind the element.

5. 5

   Element opacity is suppressing it.

   Element opacity composites the fills, stroke and shadow as one unit. At low element opacity the shadow fades with everything else.

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