topic Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow! in Create Products

New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

JessicaAmber — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 02:10:59 GMT

I know people have been asking for this one for a long time, and I just saw it appear in my editor screen today - the ability to add a drop shadow to our text! We can control the shadow color, direction, and offset.

What will you folks use this effect for? I personally see it could be very helpful in making text stand out on multicolored photo backgrounds.

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

ColsCreations — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 04:08:06 GMT

Ohh, thanks for the heads-up, can't wait to try this out! I don't do many text designs but the ones I do, I often make my own "drop shadow" to make it stand out by duplicating the text layer, This will be great, easier for us and means we don't have to worry about the customer entering the design tool and moving one layer but not the other.

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

NigelSutherland — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 07:22:18 GMT

Hopefully it has a degree of blur too.

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

MOM — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 07:53:38 GMT

Now this absolutely rocks!! Yeah!!

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

BKMuir — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 18:36:28 GMT

Just tested this out - seems to be very smooth and easy to configure. Yeah Zazzle!!!

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

Zorinda — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 20:46:22 GMT

Very cool!

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

Marcia — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 02:01:44 GMT

I used this today for the 1st time – I love it!

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

Barbara — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 14:02:18 GMT

I tripped across the drop shadow the other day and didn't mention it because I figured I'd missed the announcement. Since over the years so many have asked for this ability, I wonder why Zazzle didn't announce it to us.

Colorwash's Home

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

ColsCreations — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 17:04:49 GMT

At first I thought 'huh?' as I couldn't see anything until I moved the offset slider far to the right, but this is awesome.
As a test, I applied a drop shadow to an existing layer of text on an existing postcard that has sold and did "replace product", to see if this is one of the edits that will be allowed.
*Note to self: did "replace product" 1pm on 9-1.

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

Jadendreamer13 — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:37:40 GMT

The minute I hear “Replace Product” I get fired up because that feature is only available to a select few. Grrrr!

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

Barbara — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 02:29:52 GMT

The replace-product thing began, if I'm remembering correctly, as one of those A/B kinds of tests to see how well it worked, and some of us requested to be added to those who had access to it. That's how I ended up with it, but I thought they were going to end up giving it to everyone. The only thing I can figure is that they don't have enough staff right now to attend to all the regular reviews and so have held off on making it standard for all designers.

I think I've used it no more than three or four times, and you'd probably find it would be the same for you once you used it. I've used it only for older products where I'd failed to make text templates.

Colorwash's Home

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

ColsCreations — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 06:26:04 GMT

I'm sorry. 😟 I don't know why I have it. But if it makes you feel any better I've only used it a couple of times. I didn't mention it here to upset anyone, just thought that for those who do happen to have the feature this would be a question that might as well be answered. And the answer seems to be that yes, you can use it to add a drop shadow to existing text. My test postcard from this morning, it did indeed go through as checking now approx 13 hrs after submitting the edit, the published product as an anon user shows the drop-shadowed text.

To reiterate, I changed NOTHING except for adding the drop-shadow to existing text. I did not add or remove any other layers, I didn't reposition anything, I didn't add any text, I didn't change any place-holder text, I didn't change any colors ...

I think if you've made your own drop-shadow by duplicating text layers and off-setting them, and then try to use Replace to remove the extra layers and just add a Drop Shadow instead, my guess is that wouldn't go through as that's too much change. And if it's just plain text (no homemade drop layers to remove) on something that's already sold as in my test, then it probably already looks fine without a drop shadow ;). (I actually liked my postcard better without the ds but wanted to test it on an inconsequential product.)

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

Barbara — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 11:29:46 GMT

@Jadendreamer13: As Col indicated, there's actually very little you can do with Replace. I tried adding text where there should have been some, but it didn't go through. The only thing I was able to do was correct the error of having put in text but failing to make it a template. When a product needed text where it had none, I had to remake the product and put it up for sale, deleting the original. The ability is very restricted.

Colorwash's Home

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

Anne — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 15:02:50 GMT

I really love the drop shadow feature! I used to offset texts, as many of you. But there will be too many products to replace. I am still working on replacing the screwed up results after Blooming Elegant font was removed, that's already keeping me off the streets as it is 🙂 (that does go through though).

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

ZAZ-TD — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:15:03 GMT

Wow thanks so much for this info. It's going to be a great help in the future.

Re: New Text Editing Feature Available: Drop Shadow!

PAZP — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 15:58:59 GMT

Oh nice! Thanks for catching that and sharing it.