Placing multiple light sources to the top, bottom, left and right of an element actually casts no shadow at all!Ī light source can be projected in any direction you choose. Placing a light source to the left of an element will cast a shadow to the right. A light source positioned above an element will cast a shadow below the element. The trick is to consistently add shadows relative to the light source. Remember, shadows go hand-in-hand with light, so defining a light source - even though there technically isn’t one - is the way to create impressive shadow effects. If you’d like to see explicit examples of what shadows are cast based on different light sources, this guide to drawing shadows for comics is instructive. The physics behind light is a complex topic, I have just lightly touched on some of it here. These are the most valuable facets of light to understand for web design. Bright surfaces reflect light, dark surfaces absorb light. Light may also be reflected from sides of an object or another surface. This is stuff we encounter every day, whether you realize it or not. This is not some abstract scientific stuff. If a surface is further away, the shadow will be fainter.

If a surface is close to an object, the shadow will be sharper. The umbra is where light is obstructed and penumbra is where light is cast off. In some cases, we get two distinct shadows for directional light. The softer the light, the fainter and softer the shadow is. The stronger the light, the darker and sharper the shadow is. The appearance of a shadow depends on the direction of light, the intensity of light, and the distance between the object and the surface where the shadow is cast. Form shadows illustrate the volume and depth of an object. A form shadow has softer, less defined edges than a drop shadow. Form shadowsĪ form shadow, on the other hand, is the side of an object facing away from the light source. In the web design world, these facets of color are intrinsic to the color picker UI. Value is a big deal in painting as it is how the artist translates light and object relationships to color. Value describes the overall lightness or darkness of a color. Color terminology can be dense and confusing, so let’s talk about tone and value for a moment. A drop shadow can vary in tone and value. Drop shadowsĪ drop shadow is cast when an object blocks a light source. There are two kinds of shadows that occur when a light shines on an object, a drop shadow and a form shadow. But there’s a lot to say about the way light affects the direction and color of shadows. We’ve already seen how the strength of light produces shadows at different depths. Now that we understand the relationship between light and shadows, we ought to dig in a little deeper to see how light affects shadows. Either way, you can see how light influences the visual perception of depth. Again, it’s is a design choice to employ this in your interface. In this case, light is still an influential factor, as it allows elements to either blend into the desktop, or even into other panels in the UI. You’ve certainly encountered Material Design’s aesthetics because Google employs it on nearly all of its products. Google’s Material Design design system is a good example of employing light and shadows effectively. It controls the direction of a shadow as well as how deep or shallow the shadow appears. It’s impossible to talk about shadow without getting into light. Light and shadowsĪs we just saw, depth can enhance content. Using shadows and depth is a design choice they should support the theme and the message you want the content to convey. You can appreciate the differences between these approaches. The absence of depth and realism allows the bike to stand out on its own. In this case, the bike itself is the focal point. Credit: Kate HahuĬompare that with this next example. It feels dynamic and immediate, which is perfect for the theme of adventure. Notice the embellished drop shadow of the cyclist and how it creates the perception that they are flying above not only the content on the page, but the page itself, as though they are “popping” over the screen. In web design, using light and shadow can add physical realism and can be used to make rich, tactile interfaces. Shadows add texture, perspective, and emphasize the dimensions of objects.

Create 3d drop shadow in after effects