Draw Mode includes powerful raster effects that process your vector artwork pixel-by-pixel. These effects create results that aren't possible with pure vector operations.
Applying Effects
- Select an element or group
- Open the Effects panel (Window → Effects or in Properties Panel)
- Click the + button to add an effect
- Choose the effect type
- Adjust parameters in the panel
Blur Effects
Gaussian Blur
Creates a soft, uniform blur. The most common blur type for shadows and glows.
- Radius - Blur amount (0-100px)
Radial Blur
Creates a circular blur radiating from a center point. Good for motion and focus effects.
- Amount - Blur intensity
- Method - Spin or zoom blur
- Center - Origin point of the blur
Motion Blur
Simulates camera motion blur. Creates a sense of speed and movement.
- Angle - Direction of blur (0-360°)
- Distance - Length of blur trail
Stylize Effects
Drop Shadow
Adds a shadow behind the element. Essential for depth and elevation.
- Color - Shadow color
- Opacity - Shadow transparency
- X/Y Offset - Shadow position
- Blur - Shadow softness
- Spread - Shadow size expansion
Inner Shadow
Creates a shadow inside the element. Good for pressed or inset effects.
- Color - Shadow color
- Opacity - Shadow transparency
- X/Y Offset - Shadow position
- Blur - Shadow softness
Outer Glow
Adds a glowing aura around the element. Great for highlights and emphasis.
- Color - Glow color
- Opacity - Glow transparency
- Blur - Glow softness
- Spread - Glow size
Inner Glow
Creates a glow effect inside the element's edges.
- Color - Glow color
- Opacity - Glow transparency
- Blur - Glow softness
- Source - Center or edge
Stack multiple shadows with different settings for more realistic depth. Use a large, soft shadow for ambient occlusion and a smaller, sharper shadow for direct light.
Distort Effects
Ripple
Creates a wave-like distortion pattern.
- Amount - Distortion intensity
- Ridges - Number of ripples
Spherize
Wraps the artwork around a spherical shape.
- Amount - Curvature amount (-100 to 100%)
- Mode - Horizontal, vertical, or normal
Texture Effects
Grain
Adds film grain or noise texture.
- Intensity - Amount of grain
- Contrast - Grain contrast
- Type - Regular, soft, contrasty, etc.
Effect Stacking
Multiple effects can be stacked on a single element:
- Effects apply in order from top to bottom
- Drag effects in the panel to reorder
- Toggle visibility with the eye icon
- Remove effects with the delete button
Performance Considerations
Raster effects are computationally intensive:
- Preview mode - Effects render at lower quality while editing
- Element size - Larger elements take longer to process
- Effect radius - Larger blur radii are slower
- Stacking - Multiple effects multiply processing time
For complex effects, consider rasterizing the result (Object → Rasterize) to improve performance. This converts the effect to a static image, which is faster to render but loses editability.
Effect Presets
Save commonly used effect combinations as presets for quick reuse:
- Save Preset - Save the current effect stack as a reusable preset
- Apply Preset - Apply a saved preset to selected elements
- Export Presets - Export your presets to a JSON file to share or backup
- Import Presets - Import presets from a JSON file (merges with existing presets)
Access preset management from the Effects panel menu.
Expand Appearance
Convert effects to editable objects:
- Select the element with effects
- Choose Object → Expand Appearance
- Effects become separate rasterized elements
This is useful for exporting to formats that don't support live effects.