> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tessact.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Shadows

> Stack, tune, and animate multiple shadows on supported visual layers.

Shadows are supported on captions, frames, GIFs, images, solids, text, and video. A layer can carry multiple ordered shadow records.

<Frame caption="An enabled shadow entry on a selected layer">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/tessact/vfxW-9CCvO3MqPNT/images/editor/screenshots/editor-inspector-shadows.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=vfxW-9CCvO3MqPNT&q=85&s=1f25101c827b3ee637a49a2b51aa66e2" alt="Tessact Shadows inspector showing an enabled Shadow 1 entry on the selected forest video" width="1440" height="900" data-path="images/editor/screenshots/editor-inspector-shadows.png" />
</Frame>

## Shadow fields

| Field   | Meaning                         | Animation                     |
| ------- | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Enabled | Includes or excludes the shadow | Static toggle                 |
| Color   | Shadow color and alpha          | Static in the current control |
| X       | Horizontal pixel offset         | Keyframeable                  |
| Y       | Vertical pixel offset           | Keyframeable                  |
| Blur    | Non-negative softness radius    | Keyframeable                  |

## Build a layered shadow

Use one tight, dark shadow for separation and a second larger, low-alpha shadow for depth. For glowing text, use a colored shadow with near-zero offsets and a larger blur. Always inspect against the actual moving background.

## Animation addressing

Shadow animation properties use the shadow's array index, for example:

```text theme={null}
shadows.0.offsetX
shadows.0.offsetY
shadows.0.blur
```

Numeric changes at the current frame upsert keyframes when the corresponding track exists. This makes ordering important: removing a shadow changes the index of later shadows, and cleanup must preserve coherent tracks.

<Warning>
  The current Remove action deletes only the shadow array entry. It does not delete that index's `shadows.<index>.*` keyframe tracks or reindex tracks belonging to later shadows. Removing an animated shadow can leave orphaned lanes or make a later shadow inherit animation addressed to its old index. Before removal, delete or record the affected shadow keyframes; afterward, inspect every shadow lane and rebuild animation deliberately.
</Warning>

## Legacy normalization

The editor resolves older single-shadow data into the current shadow array for editing. Committing a shadow change writes the array form and clears the legacy field, creating one consistent representation.

<Tip>
  Shadows expand visible pixels beyond the layer box. Leave room around cropped or tightly framed content so a soft shadow is not clipped unexpectedly.
</Tip>

See [keyframe editing](/editor/animation/edit-keyframes) and [layer order](/editor/editing/alignment-layer-order).