Here’s how you can create an inner shadow effect for your area of interest in ArcGIS Pro. Push the area down into the landscape with realistic lighting, using some gradient stroke hacks and an invisibility cloak. And, for giggles, the world’s fasted demo showing how to invert the effect to make the area of interest elevated from the map. Give either a whirl!
0:00 Demystifying a cartographic invisibility cloak
0:30 Creating a crispy edge and hacking an inner shadow
1:00 Nudging the shadow over in the name of realism
1:24 Our friend Global Background arrives on the scene
1:42 Masking, blending, and invisibility
2:24 Reversing the stream for an elevated effect
There are lots of ways to make your area of interest visually prominent without interfering with data symbology. These are just two. Have fun styling your area of interest so it appears visually prominent while still allowing for the context of outside areas. And think deviously about blend modes, they’re a fast and friendly tool to create visual effects that give life to your cartographic imagination! See you on the next one!
Love, John
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