What the Effect Does
"Inner Shadow" applies a shadow to the inside edge of the object, making it appear as if the object is stamped or pressed into the page. The shadow falls on the edge facing the light and fades towards the center of the object.
You can find the effect in Stylo in the dialog Shadow/Effects. Select the tab Inner Shadow, set the values, and apply them with Assign. With the eye symbol at the bottom left, you can preview it beforehand, and the arrow next to it resets the values.
The effect can be combined with other object shadows, such as a drop shadow for depth outward.
Parameters at a Glance
Seven values determine the shadow; angle, distance, and size have the strongest impact.
| Parameter | Effect | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Filling method with which the shadow is applied over the object. Multiply naturally darkens, Normal covers with the shadow color. | mostly Multiply |
| Opacity | How strong the shadow is. | 30–90 % |
| Angle | From which direction the light comes. The shadow is positioned inside the edge towards the light source (0° = top, 90° = right). | 90–150° for light from the top left |
| Distance | How far the shadow is offset from the edge inward. 0 mm results in an even edge all around. | 0–3 mm |
| Size | Softening of the shadow edge. Small = hard edge, large = soft gradient. | 1–5 mm |
| Underfill | Compresses the shadow at the edge before it is softened. High values result in a narrower, harder shadow zone. | 0–50 % |
| Color | Color of the shadow. Black is neutral; a dark variant of the object color appears more vibrant. |
Angle
The shadow moves with the direction of the light around the object. If the light falls from above on the object, 0° should be entered here.
Distance
At 0 mm, there is an even edge all around, and the object appears slightly curved. With increasing distance, a distinct edge forms on the light side, making the object appear deeper.
Size
Small values result in a hard, stamped edge. Large values turn the shadow into a soft vignette, which is also visible on the side away from the light.
Underfill
Shown with a size of 3 mm to make the difference visible. The underfill pulls a rich core to the edge and shortens the soft gradient; from about 50 %, the shadow appears like a frame.
Opacity
Opacity only controls the strength, not the shape. For subtle display elements, 30–50 % is usually sufficient.
Color and Mode
A dark variant of the object color appears richer than black, which dulls the area gray. In the Normal mode, the shadow color covers the area instead of darkening it.
1: Normal
2: Multiply
3: Negative multiply (shadow color is white here)
Recipes and Tips
These combinations are a good starting point; fine-tuning is usually done only with opacity and size.
| Effect | Opacity | Angle | Distance | Size | Underfill | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamped, e.g., price field | 60 % | 120° | 1 mm | 1 mm | 0 % | Black |
| Indented, e.g., coupon | 50 % | 120° | 2 mm | 3 mm | 0 % | dark object color |
| Soft vignette, e.g., image box | 40 % | 90° | 0 mm | 5 mm | 0 % | Black |
| Frame look, e.g., distractor | 70 % | 120° | 0.5 mm | 2 mm | 40 % | dark object color |
Tips:
- Keep the angle of all objects in a display the same; otherwise, the light directions will contradict each other.
- Distance and size do not scale with the object: Small objects need smaller values.
- On dark surfaces, black is hardly visible; there, it is better to increase opacity or use Inner Glow with a light color.
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