#46. Applying EffectsOne feature that defines InDesign as a truly modern page layout tool is its built-in ability to apply raster-based effects and have other objects interact with them. There's no need to enlist Photoshop or a third-party plug-in to apply a drop shadow or feather the edges of an object. You can even apply transparency effects to an object as you would in Photoshop and Illustrator.
Before applying an effect, it's a good idea to temporarily increase your display preview to high quality (View > Display Performance > High Quality Display) so that you have a truer preview of the effect. To apply a drop shadow to a selected object, choose Object > Drop Shadow (Figure 46a). Select the Drop Shadow and Preview check boxes. You can then adjust the blend mode, opacity, offset, blur, spread, and noise to your liking. Choose a color from your list of swatches or select a different option from the Color menu to use a new color. Figure 46a. The Drop Shadow dialog provides many of the options you're used to seeing in Photoshop.![]() The feather effect softens the edges of an object by fading them to transparent. To feather a selected object, choose Object > Feather (Figure 46b). Select the Feather and Preview check boxes and set feather width. This is the distance over which the feather fades from opaque to transparent. Then choose a corner option and optionally add noise. Figure 46b. The Feather dialog makes it easy to apply a feather effect onto images or other artwork without having to leave InDesign. Here are a few other points to keep in mind when working with effects:
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