Image drop shadow leaves white border (example included) - HELP!

[R***@adobeforums.com]

I have an image (.gif) that I want to give a drop shadow in Illustrator CS3.

The .gif was exported with a transparent background (white matte) from Photoshop, the background in Illustrator is white as well.

When I select the 'Drop Shadow' effect from the Stylize filter/effect group, it creates a drop shadow around the white border/background of the image. I want it to create the drop shadow around the actual image object, not around its border.

Example here:
<http://www.greyhat.nl/drop-shadow/>

Could anyone please tell me how to correct this problem?

Kind regards,
Ro Achterberg

[D***@adobeforums.com]

If you have the original PS file just export it as a PSD. It's easier than messing around. If you don't have the original file get it back in PS and re-save it as a PSD or you may have to cut it out if you haven't actually saved the GIF with any alpha transparancy.

I must admit to never having imported gifs, exported yes, but never the other way around.

Are you opening the file, then copying the contents over to a new illy page? Or are applying the drop shaddow to the opened gif? Or are you just dragging it into an open Illy document?

Either way I would go back to the PSD if you have, it will probably be better quality than having a GIF anyway.

Regards
Paul

[D***@adobeforums.com]

Sorry just re-read what you said, unless I am understanding this wrongly, you didn't export it with a transparant background. PS only has a transparant background if it looks like a transparant background, it sounds like you had a white background set and not transparant. Illy is the other way round, it's white, but transparant, unless you put something behind it thats a solid colour, or you don't export to a format that has alpha channels.

Regards
Paul

[D***@adobeforums.com]

Just had another idea, you could draw a shape around your GIF in illy, it's not complicated so would take about a minute to do, and then fill it and turn it into a clipping mask. Then apply the drop shaddow to to your GIF then.

Regards
Paul

[R***@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for your quick response!

I think I didn't realise that the background of the .GIF (eventually tried with .PNG) was *NOT* transparent after all.

The option 'transparency' was set in the export window, and the matte was set to white, so I assumed that it automatically made all white transparent. This was not the case.

I used the Magic Wand tool in PS to remove all the white background, then saved as .PNG, imported (Open from menu) into AI and applied drop shadow without any problem. Well, that's not entirely true as I think my efforts were in vain and it actually looks like shit ;)

Thanks for your help,
Ro