Layer styles are a fixed set of eight decorations that follow the layer's shape. Unlike effects, their order is fixed (After Effects' order), and each slot is either on or off. They come across from PSD and Figma imports.
How to open them
- Click the ƒ icon on a layer's row in the Layers panel.
- Click the Styles button in the Layers panel toolbar.
- Right-click a layer and use Layer Styles ▸. Picking a style there opens the popup with that style turned on.
The popup is titled "Layer Styles — layer name". Press Escape or click outside it to close.
- The switch in the popup header mutes every style without touching their own switches, so turning it back on restores the same set.
- Each style has its own switch and a twirl. Turning a style on opens it.
- Color swatches open the color picker, which includes an eyedropper for picking from the viewer.
- Blend menus preview as you hover and commit on click.
- The ƒ badge on the layer row shows that the layer has styles.
Drop Shadow
| Name | What it does | Default |
|---|
| Blend | Blend mode. | Multiply |
| Offset | X and Y offset, px. | 8, 8 |
| Blur | Softness, px (0–2048). | 12 |
| Opacity | | 75% |
| Color | | Black |
| Shadow Only | Hides the layer and keeps just its shadow. | Off |
Inner Shadow
| Name | What it does | Default |
|---|
| Blend | Blend mode. | Multiply |
| Offset | X and Y offset, px. | 0, 6 |
| Blur | Softness, px (0–2048). | 10 |
| Opacity | | 75% |
| Color | | Black |
Outer Glow and Inner Glow
| Name | What it does | Default (Outer / Inner) |
|---|
| Blend | Blend mode. | Screen / Screen |
| Technique | Classic is one blur. Bloom uses the Bloom effect's light falloff: a bright core with a long tail. | Classic |
| Radius | Size of the glow, px (0–2048). | 20 / 12 |
| Intensity | Strength, % (up to 10000%). | 80% / 75% |
| Color | | Warm white |
Bevel & Emboss
| Name | What it does | Default |
|---|
| Size | Width of the bevel, px (0–250). | 8 |
| Depth | Strength of the bevel, % (up to 1000%). | 100% |
| Soften | Smooths the bevel, px (0–64). | 0 |
| Direction | Up or Down. | Up |
| Angle | Light direction, degrees. | 120° |
| Altitude | Light height, degrees (0–90). | 30° |
| Highlight | Highlight color. | White |
| Hl. Blend | Highlight blend mode. | Screen |
| Hl. Opacity | Highlight opacity. | 75% |
| Shadow | Shadow color. | Black |
| Sh. Blend | Shadow blend mode. | Multiply |
| Sh. Opacity | Shadow opacity. | 75% |
Color (Color Overlay)
| Name | What it does | Default |
|---|
| Blend | Blend mode. | Normal |
| Opacity | | 100% |
| Color | Fill color. | Red |
Gradient (Gradient Overlay)
| Name | What it does | Default |
|---|
| Blend | Blend mode. | Normal |
| Stops | Each stop has a position (%) and a color. + Add Stop adds one at the midpoint; × removes one (at least two remain). | Black to white |
| Type | Linear or Radial. | Linear |
| Ramp | Smooth (perceptual) or Light (linear light) interpolation. | Smooth |
| Angle | Gradient direction, degrees. | 90° |
| Scale | Gradient size, %. | 100% |
| Offset | X and Y shift, % (−100 to 100). | 0, 0 |
| Reverse | Flips the gradient. | Off |
| Opacity | | 100% |
Stroke
| Name | What it does | Default |
|---|
| Blend | Blend mode. | Normal |
| Size | Stroke width, px (0–250). | 4 |
| Position | Outside, Inside or Center of the edge. | Outside |
| Opacity | | 100% |
| Color | | White |