Shadows & Effects

Add depth and visual interest to your diagrams with drop shadows, inner shadows, opacity, and corner effects.

Shadows

Adding a Drop Shadow

1. Select a shape
2. In the Inspector's Style tab, select the shape's Colour Fill in the Style section
3. Turn on Shadow
4. Adjust the shadow controls that appear

You can also toggle Shadow from the Shape Style button in the floating shape toolbar.

Shadow Controls

Inner Shadow

An inner shadow is drawn inside the shape's edge, making it look pressed in or embossed.

1. Select a vector shape
2. In the Inspector's Style tab, select its Colour Fill (solid or gradient)
3. Turn on Inner Shadow

New inner shadows start from a "pressed" preset: black at 45% opacity, falling downward, distance 3, blur 6.

The Shape Style button in the floating shape toolbar also has an Inner Shadow checkbox with Distance, Blur, Spread, and Color controls.

Tips for Shadows

• Keep shadow direction consistent across your diagram
• Use subtle shadows for professional documents
• Combine a soft drop shadow with a light inner shadow for a glossy, tactile look
• Consider your export format (shadows may render differently)

Opacity

Adjusting Transparency

Make an element semi-transparent with its Opacity slider (shown with a percentage readout):

• Notation symbols and images — Inspector Style tab → Element Color Components section
• Vector shapes — Inspector Style tab → at the bottom of the Style section

Use Cases for Opacity

• Layering: Show overlapping areas
• Backgrounds: Watermarks or subtle fills
• Focus: Fade non-essential elements
• Annotations: Semi-transparent callouts

Fill vs Element Opacity

• Element opacity (the Opacity slider) makes the whole element — fill, stroke, and text — transparent
• Fill or stroke only — lower the alpha (opacity) of the fill or stroke colour in the colour picker instead

Corner Radius

Rounding Corners

For shapes drawn with the Rounded Rectangle tool:

1. Select the shape
2. In the Inspector's Style tab, find the Shape group in the Style section
3. Drag the Corner Radius slider (0–100%) — higher values round the corners more

Connectors have their own Corner Radius (0–60) for rounding their bends — see Connectors.

Combining Effects

Create depth and visual hierarchy:

1. Background shapes: Lower opacity, no shadow
2. Main elements: Full opacity, subtle shadow
3. Focus elements: Full opacity, prominent shadow, rounded corners

Performance Considerations

Effects may impact performance on complex diagrams:

• Shadows require additional rendering
• Many transparent shapes can slow scrolling
• Consider simplifying effects before exporting

Tips

• Less is more: Subtle effects look more professional
• Consistency: Use the same shadow settings throughout
• Test exports: Effects may appear differently in PDF vs PNG
• Accessibility: Ensure sufficient contrast when using transparency