What the Effect Does
"Outer Glow" creates a soft light halo around the object, without offset and without light direction. This makes the object appear highlighted, glowing, or cut out.
Technically, Stylo draws a copy of the object shape in the glow color beneath the object, widens it by the spread, softens it, and blends it with the background in the chosen mode. Therefore, the effect depends more on the background than any other effect.
You can find the effect in the Object Shadow/Effects dialog: select Outer Glow at the top right, check Active, set values, and apply with Assign. Once you change a value, Active is automatically set. The eye symbol at the bottom left shows a preview, and the arrow next to it resets the values.
The glow can be combined with a drop shadow; the drop shadow is at the bottom, the glow above, and the object on top.
Parameters at a Glance
Five values determine the glow; mode and color decide whether it is visible against the background, size and spread determine its shape.
| Parameter | Effect | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Filling method against the background. Normal covers with the glow color, Multiply darkens (invisible on black), Screen lightens (invisible on white). | Normal on light, Screen on dark backgrounds |
| Opacity | How strong the glow is. Multiplied by the fill opacity of the object. | 50–100 % |
| Size | Total range of the glow beyond the object edge. | 2–6 mm |
| Spread | Proportion of the size that remains solid; the rest is softened. 0 % = only gradient, 100 % = hard contour. | 0–40 % |
| Color | Color of the glow; without its own transparency, which regulates the opacity. | vivid color, white on dark, object color |
Default Setting
The dialog values are designed for light backgrounds, where most displays are: Mode Normal, Opacity 75 %, Size 3 mm, Spread 15 %, Color Yellow #FFCC00. Those who check Active will see the glow immediately.
On white and light gray, a clear yellow halo is created; the 15 % spread gives it a solid core so that it does not fade away. On dark backgrounds, the yellow mixes with the background in the gradient and appears slightly olive green at the edges. There, switch the mode to Screen to make the glow shine cleanly.
Mode
Normal is visible on both halves, with a slightly olive green edge on dark. Multiply becomes a shadow on dark and is hardly suitable for a glow. Screen disappears on white and only glows on dark, but there it is the purest.
Size
Up to 2 mm, the glow appears like a hem, from 4 mm like a halo; the default setting of 3 mm is in between. The larger it is, the fainter it becomes, as the same amount of color is spread over a larger area.
Spread
Shown with size 4 mm; the default setting of 15 % is between the first two images. The spread gives the glow a solid core; from about 50 %, it becomes a soft contour, at 80 % almost a frame.
Opacity
Opacity only regulates the strength, not the shape. On white, the glow needs more opacity than a shadow; below 50 %, it is hardly visible.
Color and Use
From left: Orange #F39200 as an accent color instead of yellow, otherwise default setting. Neon: glow in the object color, Screen, 4 mm, 90 %. Black Multiply 35 %, 4 mm: a floating shadow without light direction, good for white cards on white. Text: Yellow, 3 mm, spread 20 %, 90 % behind white text. The glow on text is not yet released in Stylo; the image shows how it will look.
Recipes and Tips
The first line is the default setting, the others deviate from it; all are a good starting point; fine-tuning is usually done only with size and opacity. The column background is crucial.
| Effect | Background | Mode | Opacity | Size | Spread | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default: highlight, e.g., button or distractor | light | Normal | 75 % | 3 mm | 15 % | Yellow #FFCC00 (or accent color) |
| Neon, e.g., price or logo | dark | Screen | 90 % | 4 mm | 0–10 % | Object color |
| Light halo, e.g., product photo cut out | dark | Screen | 60 % | 6 mm | 0 % | White |
| Floating, e.g., white card | light | Multiply | 35 % | 4 mm | 0 % | Black |
| Readability: light text on busy image (text glow, not yet released) | Photo | Multiply | 60 % | 2.5 mm | 20 % | Black |
| Readability: dark text on busy image (text glow, not yet released) | Photo | Normal | 80 % | 2.5 mm | 30 % | White |
| Sticker contour | Photo | Normal | 100 % | 2 mm | 80 % | White |
Tips:
- Text only receives the glow if the option Shadow also for Text is set in the Drop Shadow tab; it applies to the glow as well. This option is not yet released.
- An object without fill only glows along its contour.
- The fill opacity of the object also affects it: An object with 50 % fill only gets half the glow.
- Size does not scale with the object. For banners in pixels: 3 mm is about 8.5 pt or 11 px.
- The glow extends beyond the object by the size; leave at least that much distance to the display edge.
- Use glow and drop shadow sparingly together; usually, one of the two is sufficient.
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