3 shadow types
Switch between Drop, Inner, and Long with a single Mode pop-up menu.
EssentialAlso in ProGPU
TMCShadow
Three kinds of shadow: Drop, Inner, and Long
Applies three kinds of shadow (Drop, Inner, and Long) to a layer and supports 27 blend modes. You can also apply a gradient to the shadow.
Key features
Long Shadow
Create flat-design long shadows with Length, Type (Directional, Radial, Inverse Radial), Center, Color Mode (Solid, Two-Color, Gradient), and Fade.
Turbulent Noise · Halftone
Make the shadow wobble or turn it into halftone dots with 4 Turbulent Noise types and 5 Halftone types.
Quick start
Follow these steps in order the first time.
- Apply Effect › TMC › TMC Shadow to the layer you want to give a shadow.
- Choose Drop, Inner, or Long in Mode.
- Set the direction and distance with Angle and Distance, and the blur with Size. To harden the edge, raise Choke.
- Set Fill Type to Gradient to give the shadow a gradient.
Parameter guide
Listed in the same order as the Effect Controls panel.
Effect Controls · TMC ShadowClick a group to expand it
Basic parameters4
Mode
DropInnerLong
Blend Mode
How the effect is blended with the original
NormalDissolveDarkenMultiplyColor BurnLinear BurnDarker ColorLightenScreenColor DodgeLinear Dodge (Add)Lighter ColorOverlaySoft LightHard LightVivid LightLinear LightPin LightHard MixDifferenceExclusionSubtractDivideHueSaturationColorLuminosity
Fill Type
Chooses whether the shadow is filled with a solid color or a gradient.
SolidGradient
Color
Gradient7
Start of Ramp
Where the gradient starts. Drag it in the Composition panel to move it.
End of Ramp
Where the gradient ends. Drag it in the Composition panel to move it.
Use Preset Palette
Loads one of 12 palettes into the Gradient Editor. None leaves the current color stops as they are.
12 palettes
Gradient Editor
An editor for building a gradient by adding, moving, and deleting color stops
Selected Stop Color
Edits the color of the stop selected in the Gradient Editor with the standard AE color picker, updating live.
Cycle Repetitions
Sets how many times the gradient repeats.
Phase
Shifts the repeating gradient; 360° moves it by one full cycle.
Other parameters7
Angle
Distance
Choke
Pushes the semi-transparent edge of the shadow toward full opacity to harden it. At 100% the edge is completely hard. It works like Choke in Photoshop layer styles.
Size
Noise
Master Opacity
Sets the opacity of the whole shadow, applied as the last step.
Alpha
When on, hides the original layer and outputs only the shadow.
Long Shadow12
Length
Type
DirectionalRadialInverse Radial
Center
The center of the effect. Drag it in the Composition panel to move it.
Color Mode
Chooses whether the long shadow is filled with a solid color (Solid), two colors (Two-Color), or a gradient (Gradient).
SolidTwo-ColorGradient
Far Color
In Two-Color mode, sets the color at the end of the shadow farthest from the layer. The shadow gradually changes from Color near the layer to this color.
Gradient Preset
Loads one of the same 12 palettes as Use Preset Palette into the long shadow's Gradient Editor.
12 presets
Gradient Editor
An editor for building a gradient by adding, moving, and deleting color stops
Selected Stop Color
Edits the color of the stop selected in the Gradient Editor with the standard AE color picker, updating live.
Cycle Repetitions
Sets how many times the gradient repeats.
Phase
Shifts the repeating gradient; 360° moves it by one full cycle.
Fade
Sets how much the long shadow fades out toward its end.
Fade Start
Sets where the fade begins, as a percentage of the total length.
Turbulent Noise9
Enable
Turns this group on or off.
Noise Type
Chooses the type of noise pattern.
FractalSoftWorleyRipple
Amount
Scale
Octaves
Sets the number of stacked noise layers.
Complexity
The number of detail layers stacked in the noise. Higher values give finer, more complex detail.
Evolution
The evolution stage of the noise pattern. Keyframe it to bring the pattern to life.
Noise Offset
Moves the noise pattern. Keyframe it to make the pattern flow.
Random Seed
Changes the random pattern. The same value always gives the same result.
Halftone10
Enable
Turns this group on or off.
Halftone Type
Chooses the shape of the halftone dots.
CircleSquareStarDiamondLine
Cell Size
Angle
Offset X
Offset Y
Feather
Sets how much the halftone dots shrink toward the outer edge of the shadow.
Flicker
Sets how strongly each cell's opacity is randomly lowered.
Flicker Evolution
Changes the flicker pattern. Keyframe it to make the cells flicker.
Flicker Random Seed
Changes the random pattern of the flicker.
Practical tips
- The Angle dial works the same as After Effects dials. 0 degrees is up, and as you turn it clockwise, the shadow falls in the direction of the arrow.
- To use the shadow on its own, hide the original with the Alpha checkbox.
- In Drop mode, the buffer expands so the shadow can extend beyond the layer bounds.
Where to use it
- A drop shadow that lifts a character off the background
- Long-shadow titles for flat motion graphics
- Comic-style looks made with halftone shadows
Pairs well with
Technical notes
- Processes 8 · 16 · 32 bpc in GPU kernels: OpenCL on Windows and Metal on macOS, falling back to the CPU when no GPU is available.
- Supports Multi-Frame Rendering, and applies motion blur to animated parameters.
Included in both Essential and Pro
Start with Essential for $99, or get all 25 with Pro for $199.