Shadow Maker is a very simple but very useful graphics utility that can be used to create simple shadow effects for web page graphics.
Most of Shadow Maker should be very familar to the average Macintosh user, so we shall only need to cover a quick example of the unique features by going through the following example.
To start, we need a graphic on which to place our shadows. To select your base graphic, you first select New... from the File menu, as in the following image:
This will cause a standard get file dialog to appear, which you can use to find your base graphic - which in this case is called "neuron.PICT", and which is shown in the following image:
As an important note, it should be pointed out that Shadow Maker only works with PICT format graphic files. If you wish to latter use your graphics on a web site, you shall first need to convert the PICT files into a gif or jpeg format that web browsers can read.
All going well, your image should appear in a window as in the following image:
Something to notice is that Shadow Maker is only for creating small images. If your graphic is larger than your monitor's screen area, then you shall have problems using Shadow Maker as the present version doesn't use scroll bars.
So far we haven't done anything interesting, and it is only through adding graphics with shadows do we create something of interest. The first step that we must do is to select the Open New Addition... menu item from the Graphics menu, as is shown in the following image:
Doing this brings up the familar get file dialog which we can use to locate our PICT file that we wish to use to make shadows with. In the following image, the new graphic goes by the name of "text.PICT" because I wish to use some text as the item to be shaded; but had I wanted to shade some other image type then I would be free to do that as well. This new graphic shall be refered to as the "floating" image as it shall be thought of as floating above the base image.
On opening the image to be shaded, it shall appear on the window with the familar marching ants about it to mark that it can be now dragged and dropped about the window area, as is shown in the following image:
To drag the "floating" image you move the mouse within the marching ants region and click down with the mouse. Then while holding the mouse down you can move the cursor to move the marching ants rectangle about the window until you are happy with its new location. The effect of dragging the "floating' graphic can be seen in the following image:
Something that doesn't look too appealling is that horrid pinkish colour that I use to designate what my transparent colour shall be. A transparent colour is simply the colour of the "floating" image that you are about to add to the base image that doesn't get copied onto the base image - thus you are meant to see through the pinkisk colour that I have in the example.
To set what colour you want to be the transparent colour, you need to select the Set Transparent RGB... menu item from the Graphics menu item as is shown in the following image:
This bring up the following dialog in which I've already made the changes needed to make my pinkish colour to be the transparent colour:
When we click on the OK button, the window updates and the pink colour is now transparent as it should be and the base image appears through the shadow image as is shown in the following image:
To do the final step of adding a "floating" image to the base image, we need to tell Shadow Maker to do the relevant calculations by selecting the Merge Addition menu item from the Graphics menu. When we merge a "floating" graphic it no longer floats, having become one with the base graphic.
After a little think, Shadow Maker will place the shadow of the small "floating" image and the "floating" image itself onto the base image, as is shown in the following graphic:
How the shadow of the "floating" image is placed can be altered by changing a few parameters. To get access to these parameters you need to select the Set Shadow Characteristics... in the Graphics menu, as is shown in the following image:
This brings up the following dialog in which I've made a few changes to see what effects that are caused:
Clicking OK in the previous dialog won't do anything in itself, I must first merge a "floating" graphic with the base image. To do this you again need to open up a new "floating" graphic and drag it about the window until it is placed where you want it. If you then do the merging of the graphics you will get something like the following image:
Notice what effect the various parameters have had. In reducing the Amount Of Shadow Blur the shadow has become much more sharper. In placing a negative number into the Offset To The Right field, the shadow is now to the left of the "floating" image. In increasing the Offset Downwards parameter the shadow is now a lot further down from the "floating" graphic. In changing the Percentage Of Effect parameter to half of its possible value has resulted in a shadow that is much more fainter.
27 October 1999
Shadow Maker begins its existance.
2 November 1999
Added the Percentage Of Effect parameter to the shadow calculations.