Set the opacity of an object – Adobe InDesign CS3 User Manual
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INDESIGN CS3
User Guide
399
Spread
Determines the transparency of the blur within the shadow or glow effect as established by the Size setting.
A higher percentage makes the blur more opaque. Used by the Drop Shadow and Outer Glow.
Technique
These settings determine how the edge of a transparency effect interacts with background colors. Softer
and Precise are available for the Outer Glow and Inner Glow effects:
•
Softer
Applies a blur to the edge of the effect. At larger sizes, doesn’t preserve detailed features.
•
Precise
Preserves the edge of the effect, including its corners and other sharp details. Preserves features better
than the Softer technique.
Use Global Light
Applies the global light setting to the shadow. Used by the Drop Shadow, Bevel and Emboss, and
Inner Shadow effects.
X Offset and Y Offset
Offsets the shadow on the x- or y-axis by the amount you specify. Used by the Drop Shadow
and Inner Shadow effects.
Use Global Light
You can apply a uniform lighting angle to transparency effects in which shading is a factor: Drop Shadow, Inner
Shadow, and Bevel and Emboss. When you choose Use Global Light with these effects, lighting is determined by the
global setting in the Global Light dialog box.
1
Do any of the following to open the Global Light dialog box:
•
Choose Global Light from the Effects panel menu.
•
Choose Object > Effects > Global Light.
2
Enter a value or drag the angle radius to set the Angle and Altitude, and click OK.
Set the opacity of an object
You can apply transparency to a single object or selected objects (including graphics and text frames), but not to
individual text characters or layers. However, imported graphics with those types of transparency effects will appear
and print correctly.
For videos on adding opacity, see
d
1
Select the object or objects.
The word mixed appears in the Effects panel if you select multiple objects and their opacity settings conflict. For
example, if the Fill opacity setting is different in objects you selected, the Transparency palette reads, “Fill: Opacity
(mixed).”
2
Choose Object, Stroke, Fill, or Text with any of these techniques:
•
Click the Apply Effects button
on the Control panel and choose an option.
•
Click an option on the Effects panel (click the triangle next to the word Object, if necessary, to see the options).
3
On the Control panel or Effects panel, type a value for Opacity or click the arrow next to the Opacity setting and
drag the slider. As the opacity value of objects is reduced, the transparency increases.
Note: If you direct-select and cut or copy an object from a transparent group in InDesign, and then paste the object
somewhere else in the document, the pasted object won’t be transparent unless it was previously selected individually and
had transparency applied.