Area Section

The Area section of the Edit Style dialog's Edit Layer tab defines where the currently selected layer's effect will be applied.

Edit Style Dialog Area Section

While the Effect section is responsible for what effect is created (wrinkled

gold), the Area section is responsible for where the effect is applied, such as

filling the shape (left) or a distorted outline surrounding the shape (right).

The properties available in this section are arranged into three main branches, Use Shape, Use Gradient, and Use Noise. To reveal the properties belonging to one of these branches the branch must be activated by selecting "Yes."

Use Shape Property Branch

Property

Description

Use Shape

Specifies whether the area of the effect is based on the shape that the style is applied to. All the properties that follow in this table will only appear as long as this property is set to "Yes."

Shape Offset

Values other than zero will move the area of the effect away from the shape's actual position.

Shape Thickness

Values other than zero will grow or shrink the size of the shape that the effect is applied to.

Make Outline

Setting this value to "Yes" will cause the effect to be applied around the edges of the shape rather than filling the shape.

Outline Thickness

This option will only appear if the Make Outline property above is set to "Yes." It controls the thickness of the outline.

Hard Feather

Feathers or softens the edges of the area so that the effect blends smoothly into its surroundings instead of ending abruptly. This effect is quicker to calculate than the Soft Feather option below, so it should be used instead of Soft Feather wherever its result is acceptable.

Soft Feather

Feathers or softens the edges of the area so that the effect blends smoothly into its surroundings instead of ending abruptly. This effect produces smoother results than the Hard Feather option above, but takes longer to calculate so it should be used only in situations where it has a visible advantage.

Remap Feather

Optionally uses a tone curve to remap the feather gradient. The default upward linear ramp will leave the feather unchanged. Clicking this property's "Edit..." button will open the Edit Curve dialog.

Shadow

Specifies whether the area should assume the shape of a shadow cast by the shape. The options are:

None	The Shadow option is inactive.
Outer	An outer shadow is created as if the shape is hovering over a surface and casting a shadow onto it.
Inner	An inner shadow is created as if the shape is cut out of a surface and the rim of the hole is casting a shadow onto a second surface further in.

If an option other than "None" is selected then some additional properties will appear below this one as described in the Shadow Sub-Branch section below.

Shadow Sub-Branch

These options will only appear as long as the Shadow property described above is set to an option other than "None."

Property	Description
Shadow Offset	Used to specify the direction and distance that the shadow is cast.
Hard Feather	Specifies the degree to which the shadow edge is feathered or softened using a hard feather algorithm. Hard Feather is less computationally intensive than the Soft Feather option below, but may not give sufficiently soft results for a realistic shadow.
Soft Feather	Specifies the degree to which the shadow edge is feathered or softened using a soft feather algorithm. This property may give more realistic results than the Hard Feather property above, but takes longer to render.
Remap Feather	Optionally uses a tone curve to remap the feather gradient. The default upward linear ramp will leave the feather unchanged. Clicking this property's "Edit..." button will open the Edit Curve dialog.

Use Gradient Property Branch

Property	Description
Use Gradient	Specifies whether the area of the effect should be modified by a gradient. All the properties that follow in this table will only appear as long as this property is set to "Yes."
Gradient Type	Designates the type of gradient that is used. Additional options may appear depending on the type of gradient that is selected.
Remap Gradient	Optionally uses a tone curve to remap the gradient. The default upward linear ramp will leave the gradient unchanged. Clicking this property's "Edit..." button will open the Edit Curve dialog.
Blur Gradient	Values greater than zero will soften the gradient by blurring it. This property can help make a non-seamless gradient seamless.

Use Noise Property Branch

Property

Description

Use Noise

Specifies whether the area of the effect should be modified by a noise. All the properties that follow in this table will only appear as long as this property is set to "Yes."

Noise

Designates the noise that is used. Clicking this property's "Edit..." button will open a Noise Lab.

Apply To

Specifies how the noise is applied to the area:

Shape	The noise is used to distort the boundaries of the area.
Opacity	The noise is used to fade the area in certain locations.

Noise Strength

Controls the extent to which the noise influences the area. This property must be set to a value greater than zero for the Use Noise property branch to have an effect.