Going several steps beyond most word processors that simply offer a shadow feature, Premiere lets you define your shadows' characteristics to the n th degree.
The Shadow tools are in the bottom drop-down menu within the Object Style window. I've highlighted them in Figure 8.17. Here they are, in order:
Opacity Usually shadows are less opaque (more transparent) than the text "throwing" the shadows.
Color Intuitively shadows are black or dark gray, but in real life shadows falling on grass have a green hue. You can mimic that by the selection of the shadow's color.
Angle The shadow's direction is relative to the text in degrees. You'd think that 0 (or 360) degrees would throw the shadow above the text, and 90 degrees would mean the shadow would fall perpendicularly to the right. But Premiere takes a different view. Not only do the angles move counterclockwise but 0 degrees is to the right (at what most of us would consider 90 degreeseast of the text), 90 degrees is up (go figure), 180 is left (west), and 270 is down (south).
Distance This is how far the shadow falls from the text. A setting of 10 is a good starting point.
Size Self-explanatory. A setting of 0 equals the size of the original text. Each unit of 10 about doubles the width of the shadow.
Spread This helps you replicate soft lighting. Sharply focused light sources create clearly defined shadows. Soft lighting throws less distinct shadows. Increasing the spread softens the shadow by diffusing it. It also gives the illusion that it's falling a bit farther back from the text.
Start by turning off the Show Video button. This makes it easier to see the shadows. By step 7, your text should look like Figure 8.18. Here are the steps for this task:
