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vancey31007647
Participant
January 30, 2026
Answered

Drop Shadows Export Incorrectly in PNG from InDesign 21.2

  • January 30, 2026
  • 8 replies
  • 363 views

Ever since the last updated, drop shadows aren't displaying properly when exporting PNGs from Indesign. There are a couple of threads, but no solutions, It's becoming annoying, as the workaround is to close the app completely and reopen the file. Totally messes the workflow.

    Correct answer Abhishek Rao

    Hi everyone,

     

    Thanks for reaching out, and I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing this issue. Could you please check this thread and confirm if the behavior, you’re seeing matches what is described there?
    https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/indesign-2026-drop-shadows-graphical-glitch-898121?postid=898121#post898121

    If it appears to be the same issue, a bug has already been logged and the product team is working on a fix.

    I’ll keep you posted here as soon as I have any updates from the team.

     

    Thanks for your patience.

    Abhishek

     

    <Marking the response as correct for better visibility on the thread>

    8 replies

    Rodney5E36
    Rodney5E36
    Participant
    April 2, 2026

    Same issue.  I was able to resolve it by saving my InDesign doc out as an IDML file.  Then I opened that IDML file and followed the same export… and the PNG export @ 72dpi worked for me.  Hope this works for others.

    Rodney5E36
    Rodney5E36
    Participant
    April 2, 2026

    FYI - Once I resaved the IDML as a file and made any additional edits in my doc (like moving a box around that had the drop shadow), the issue started all over again on those elements only for future PNG exports @ 72dpi.  I had to resave again as an IDML to solve.

      Abhishek Rao
      Community Manager
      Abhishek RaoCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
      Community Manager
      March 9, 2026

      Hi everyone,

       

      Thanks for reaching out, and I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing this issue. Could you please check this thread and confirm if the behavior, you’re seeing matches what is described there?
      https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/indesign-2026-drop-shadows-graphical-glitch-898121?postid=898121#post898121

      If it appears to be the same issue, a bug has already been logged and the product team is working on a fix.

      I’ll keep you posted here as soon as I have any updates from the team.

       

      Thanks for your patience.

      Abhishek

       

      <Marking the response as correct for better visibility on the thread>

        Jagubim
        Jagubim
        Participant
        March 12, 2026

        I believe the issue is still on, I need to export as a PDF file and then open on Photoshop to export the correct PNG file. I will follow up everyday here, thanks

        Jagubim
        Jagubim
        Participant
        March 12, 2026

        On time, maybe it's been said already, but, with JPEG export it's fine. It's a matter of PNG Exporting.

        P
        prdh67
        Inspiring
        February 25, 2026

        I can confirm this bug in InDesign 21.2 on a mac M4 Max. It can be easily reproduced by creating an object or a text frame with a drop shadow, rotating the object, then moving the object around the page. The drop shadow offset will start moving erratically (it takes between 1-10 moves to trigger it). Once triggered, you can see the correct drop shadow by toggling on Overprint Preview, but with it off, the incorrect drop shadow is shown. If you export to PDF, the correct drop shadow will be in the PDF. If you export to PNG, the incorrect drop shadow is in the export. I have a screen recording that I’m not able to attach here, if needed. 

        This is a significant bug. 

        SYBILRHODES27
        SYBILRHODES27
        Participant
        February 20, 2026

        Having the same issue with 21.2 build. Even the jpg export does the same thing. Been making screenshots to get by. Maddening!

        rob day
        Community Expert
        rob dayCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        January 31, 2026

        Hi ​@vancey31007647 ,  Does the drop shadow problem happen if you Export a PDF/X-4, open the PDF in Photoshop, and Save As a PNG

        0194212rkws
        0194212rkws
        Participant
        January 30, 2026

        Also experiencing this issue, but the workaround of closing out Indesign and reopening did nothing. Operating on 21.2 update, but the issue was also noted on 21.1. And its not consistent on how the drop shadow appears on the object, even though its the same object repeated. Exported these exact files only a few months ago with no issues.
         

        EDIT: Issue resolved by uninstalling 2026 Indesign and using 2025 instead. Which is another problem in an ongoing list of issues I’ve had with the newest release. Maybe in a few months the bugs will be resolved. 🙃

        Dave Creamer of IDEAS
        Community Expert
        Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        January 30, 2026

        First, make sure you are using the latest 21.2 update that came out recently.

        I’m not seeing the problem on my system, but I only did a simple test. 

        If you cannot solve the problem, a workaround would be to export to PDF and export to PNG from Acrobat.

         

        David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
        V
        vancey31007647Author
        Participant
        January 30, 2026

        Yes. It is the 21.2 Update. It happens 80% of the time. My workaround is closing InDesign, reopening the file, then exporting the PNG. The other workaround is to export it as a JPEG. Unfortunately, there will be an instance when I will need a PNG.

        Abhishek Rao
        Community Manager
        Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        January 30, 2026

        Hi ​@vancey31007647,

         

        Thanks for the confirmation. To help us better understand what’s happening on your end, could you please share a screenshot showing the difference between how the drop shadow appears in the INDD file versus the exported PNG, or a short screen recording demonstrating your workflow up to the point where the issue occurs? 

         

        Looking forward to your update.

        Abhishek

        Abhishek Rao
        Community Manager
        Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        January 30, 2026

        Hi ​@vancey31007647, 

         

        I understand how disruptive this can be. Could you please confirm if you are on the latest InDesign 21.2 build and share your OS details as well? Also, let me know if this happens with every file or only a specific document. It would really help if you could share a quick screenshot showing how the drop shadow looks in the INDD compared to the exported PNG for better reference. In the meantime, please try the suggestion shared in this similar community thread and let me know if that helps: https://community.adobe.com/questions-671/problems-exporting-a-file-with-drop-shadows-to-png-898234?postid=898234#post898234.

         

        Looking forward to your update.

        Abhishek

        P
        prdh67
        Inspiring
        March 3, 2026

        I’m experiencing this issue on 21.2 on Sequoia. It’s reproducible:

        1. Create a text box or an object and add a drop shadow
        2. Rotate the object or text box.
        3. Move the object or text frame around the page with the selection tool (takes between 1-10 moves to trigger)

        The drop shadow will appear incorrectly in InDesign, but correct if you turn on Overprint Preview. A PDF exported from the file will have the correct drop shadow; a PNG export will have the incorrect drop shadow.

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