Add noise with InDesign CS2’s drop shadow feature

If you’ve upgraded to InDesign CS2, and you use drop shadows, you have have noticed a new feature in the drop shadow dialog box. It’s called Noise. To understand how valuable this addition is, take a look at a piece you’ve done with drop shadows on a white background, or a solid color background. Notice any banding? Does the shadow not “blend” with the background? Does it ever look like the drop shadow is simply another colored object? Enter Noise. What adding Noise does to your drop shadow is it breaks up the drop shadow color into random dots, rather than a smooth gradient of color. Between using Multiply and adding Noise, your drop shadows should look much more natural, and blend much better with background colors.

In the screenshot above, I have purposely exaggerated the Noise amount to illustrate the results. Notice the randomness of the color dots, once printed they will actually appear smoother and more natural if you use the right amount. I recommend that you use nothing darker than 20-25% black on a white background for a nice natural soft shadow, but adding noise will allow you to go a bit darker if you wish. Experiment with the settings, I’m sure you will be quite happy with the results.