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I keep seeing designers use way too much drop shadow on text
It makes things look muddy, not modern. I had to redo a whole menu design for a cafe because the owner said it looked blurry from across the room. What's a better way to add depth without just cranking up the shadow distance?
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linda_ward6mo ago
That "muddy" look is exactly right. I've had to fix so many files where someone just maxed out the blur and distance. Try a much tighter, darker shadow with almost no blur, just a 1 or 2 pixel offset. It gives a crisp, stamped look. A subtle second color for the text itself can also add way more depth than a shadow ever will.
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lily_dixon276mo ago
Okay the "subtle second color for the text itself" part is something I never tried before. I always just stacked more shadows thinking that was the only way. @linda_ward you're totally right, it makes a huge difference. I tried it on a header and using a slightly darker shade for the bottom half of the letters added way more depth than my old messy shadow. It looks clean now, not muddy at all. I used to think shadows were the only tool for this.
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max3306mo ago
Wait, so are you doing a gradient fill on the text itself then? I've only ever used solid colors and then added the shadow on top. That sounds way more controlled.
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