AFTER EFFECTS PLUGIN · SHADOW

ASheng
Shadow

Six shadows,
one effect does it all.

Drop, long, cast, inner, elevation and gobo, all switched within one effect. Shadows blur with distance; output the shadow alone, composite it onto a background, color it with a gradient or the layer’s own colors, or draw it in halftone dots, hatching, donuts, crosshatch, grid or CMY dots.

Apple Silicon · M seriesmacOS 14 or laterAfter Effects 2026Apple-notarized installer

1 USDC · 365-day license · 1 MacUSD card US$2 (excl. tax, not yet available)

Buy license ↗Download for MacAlready licensed? Activate

Output is watermarked until a license is activated. The license runs from the time of purchase and does not auto-renew; buy another to keep using it after it expires. Prices follow the live plan on the purchase page.

Drop“AS” with a drop shadow, actual render
Click above to switch type · rendered by the plugin’s shadow core

Six shadows

One effect —
just change the type.

Choose one under “Type” in the effect panel; light direction, distance, softness and density are adjustable. The shadow blurs the farther it gets from the object, like real light.

Drop: a soft shadow at the lower right of the text
DropThe everyday shadow, falling away from the light.
Long: the text trails a long shadow
LongA long band stretching from the text, with an optional fade.
Cast: the text’s shadow lies on the ground
CastThe shadow lies on the ground, as if the text really stood there.
Inner: a recessed shadow inside the text
InnerShadow inside the letters for an embossed, recessed feel.
Elevation: a diffuse shadow under floating text
ElevationLike a floating card, with a soft, spread shadow.
Gobo: window-pane light falling on a poster printed with AS
GoboWindow panes, blinds or leaves falling on the layer, softer farther from the light.

More looks

A shadow isn’t only gray.

Shadow composited onto a wood-grain background
Composite onto backgroundPick a background layer and the shadow falls straight onto it.
Leaf shadows falling on a poster printed with AS
LeavesA gobo variant: leaf shadows on the layer, with optional automatic sway.
Venetian-blind light falling on a poster printed with AS
BlindsSlat by slat; angle and count adjustable.
Pop-art halftone long shadow: dots shrink with distance
Pop halftoneThe shadow is drawn in dots that shrink with distance, like comic print.
Hatched long shadow: woodcut-style diagonal lines
HatchingDrawn in diagonal lines like a woodcut or pen illustration; spacing and angle adjustable.
Donut long shadow: rings of hollow dots
DonutsDrawn in hollow rings that thin with distance; retro and cute.
Crosshatch long shadow: lines in two directions
CrosshatchLines in two directions, denser near the text, like a pen sketch.
Grid long shadow: pixel blocks shrinking with distance
GridDrawn in small squares, like a pixel game or LED board.
CMY long shadow: cyan, magenta and yellow dots offset
CMY dotsThe shadow color splits into cyan, magenta and yellow halftone plates, like old color comics.
Halftone long shadow pulsing on its own
⏩ Moving dotsChoose “Pulse, Flow, Rotate” and the dots move on their own, no keyframes.
Long shadow drawn in the layer’s own colors
Source tintThe shadow carries the layer’s own colors, like light through glass.

Getting started

Three steps
to get started.

Requires an Apple Silicon (M-series) Mac, macOS 14 or later and After Effects 2026. No Intel Mac or Windows version yet.

  1. Download the installer

    Click “Download for Mac”, get the latest version from the download page and unzip it. The installer is Apple-notarized.

  2. Quit AE, then install

    Save your project, quit After Effects completely with Cmd+Q, then open the installer.

  3. Add it to a layer

    Reopen AE, find ASheng_Shadow under “Effect → ASheng - Perspective”, add it to text or a layer, and choose a shadow under “Type”.

Good to know

Can I try it without a license?

Yes. Once installed you can apply it and experiment; output is watermarked until a license is activated.

What does the price include?

A 365-day license, activatable on 1 Mac: card purchases receive a license key, and USDC purchases receive an NFT in your paying wallet. Software updates during the license period are free.

What happens after the year is up?

No automatic charge. When it expires the plugin returns to trial mode (watermarked); to keep going, buy another.

Which layers can I use it on?

A text layer, or the content of a single layer (a cut-out image, a shape, a precomp). Chinese, English and numerals all work.

How do I update later?

Come back to this page and click “Download for Mac” for the latest version, or click “Check for Updates” in the plugin’s license helper.

Buy license ↗Download for Mac