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Round 4: Play with Special Effects-a-Go-Go
Why just use a Bevel? Why just use a Glow? Why not use a Bevel, and an Inner Glow, an Outer Glow, Satin, and a Drop Shadow. Then you can really make a statement. Getting these effects applied in the correct order can give you a great jelly- or bubble-type effect (see Figure 6). There are significant advantages to doing such things in InDesign: You can apply these effects to live text; and you can save the effects as Object Styles, too.
So first, create a shape or object. This could be some text—in this case, we have typed a question mark and turned it to outlines by using the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+O (Windows) or Command+Shift+O (Mac). Then add some circles with the Ellipse tool, as we have done in the example. Next, select the base color for your shape. We have started with a nice sky blue.
Now get into the Effects panel. If you can't see it (to the right of your screen), choose Window > Effects. From the bottom of the Effects panel, select the pop-down menu that has a small "fx" symbol on it, and then choose Drop Shadow. The Effects dialog appears, and from there you can choose all the other effects needed to create your jelly-looking style.
It's important that the Drop Shadow be a lighter shade or variation of the base color (in this case, blue). The opacity can be around 70%, and the rest of the settings can be adjusted according to taste. See Figure 7a.
The Inner Shadow (Figure 7b) must be a darker variation on your base color; again, adjust the other settings as you like.
Make the Outer Glow (Figure 7c) a lighter version of the base color, and drop the opacity down to around 60%. The Inner Glow can be a darker version of your base color, and the Blend mode should be set to Multiply (see Figure 7d).
The Bevel and Emboss settings (Figure 7e) are the key to this jelly effect. Change the Shadow's opacity to 0%, and the Highlight to 100% to give a high-gloss appearance. Also, change the Shading angle: Click and drag the cursor in the shading angle toward the center of the circle, but just to the upper-left of center. Finally, add the Satin effect (Figure 7f), and again choose a lighter variation on the color theme.
Depending on the size and shape of the graphic you're working with, you can tweak all these settings to suit your purpose. For example, with a smaller font, you may need to reduce offset amounts.
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Figure 6 Use the Effects panel to its maximum potential and create a jelly-type effect.
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