Inspiring

Answered

InDesign 2026: Drop Shadows graphical glitch

Forum|Forum|6 months ago
November 4, 2025
22 replies
2092 views

After the most recent update I had to create a document using assets from older indesign files that previously never gave any issues. Now the dropshadows from multiple (different objects) move all over the place (away from the object as if theres a fixed lightsource) when I move these objects. When I turn off the dropshadow of the object, move the object and then turn the shadow back on it will have the shadow in it's correct position. When I move the object around multiple times it will start glitching the entire page until I move my cursor over it again. When I change the path of the object the displaced shadow will snap back into it's correct position, making me think this is a graphical display issue.

In the example below you can see how the dropshadows moved. (left one moved up when moving the object down and to the left. Right one stayed closer to it's original position but offset, middle is the original position before copying and moving).

i'm working on a Macbook Pro m2MAx Sequoia Version 15.6.

Bug

Correct answer Trancilian

[temporary one click workaround below, RGB users read the important note first]

Hi Everyone,

5 months later and still no official fix. I’m very disappointed in Adobe. At this point adobe should consider giving discounts for the inconvenience of having a broken product.

Here’s a quick trick to reset all the glitched shadows in a document at once.

Go to View and choose Proof Colours. Every time you turn it off/on, it will update all the shadows to their correct position. In RGB (web etc.) documents be sure to set the colour profile to sRGB or Adobe RGB, else it can make your objects invisible.

Now assign a hotkey to it so you can quickly fix the shadows while working:

You can find the hotkeys at the bottom of the edit menu.
then choose View in the Product Area.
Choose Proof Colours
add the new hotkey (I picked: command + control + v)
click assign. If it prompts you to make a new set just press ok.

Hope this helps and a real fix will be patched soon.

IMPORTANT Be aware that ‘proof colours’ may change the way you see the colours, depending on how your document is setup. In an RGB document with a CMYK proof setup it can make objects invisible when Proof Colours is turned on. To fix this go to View > Proof Setup, choose Custom and assign the correct Colour Profile, like sRGB or adobe RGB for RGB/Digital use. For print use whatever colour profile your printer recommends.

[edit] It seems my thread has been mixed with a different issue regarding png exports which I haven’t encountered yet myself. I exported my design to both 300 and 92 dpi and saw no shadow problems in the result. Can anyone tell me what steps I need to take to replicate that issue?

K

kloughlin

Participant

Thank goodness for this thread because I thought I was losing my mind! Converting Spanish text into English and the Spanish shadow stays behind -- seen in presentation and all modes. I exported it to PDF and it appeared OK, but this is a very odd bug that Adobe needs to fix ASAP. Impossible to design around this...

A

A Nova

Known Participant

For the past few months, I’ve been able to work around this issue, but it has now reached a ridiculous point. When exporting PNG files in Adobe InDesign, the drop shadows shift position during export. The shadows appear correctly within InDesign, but once the PNG is exported, the shadows are visibly displaced from their original placement. I am currently using Adobe InDesign version 21.3

I created a new forum specifically addressing the exporting issue some of us have been experiencing recently - the issue seems to be getting worse.

Here’s an example:

Inside Indesign, the shadows are where they’re supposed to be.

Flattened .png files placed as assets in Animate. The shadows moved.

I’ve gone back into InDesign multiple times to correct the shadow placement and re-export the files, but the shadows continue to export incorrectly, which has become a major issue in my workflow.

I’ve been dealing with this bug daily for months, often having to resize assets in InDesign just to temporarily work around the problem. I’m hoping to bring more attention to this issue so it can hopefully be investigated and resolved.

Thank you - hopefully Adobe fixes this soon. It’s been months and I see this as a pretty big issue and everyone in my office is having this problem.

parksite_karl

Participant

This problem is not fixed yet. Whenever I move an item, I have to turn off the drop shadow and then turn it back on. Extremely frustrating.

T

turner111

Inspiring

Just found this thread due to shadows moving on -some- grouped objects within the document… I don’t know what’s causing it only with certain objects. Never seen anything like this before - I thought it might have been a new feature.

Needs a fix asap.

T

TrancilianAuthor

Inspiring

It happens to objects that are rotated and have drop shadows. If you remove the rotation it will stop glitching. They really need to fix this asap

T

TrancilianAuthor

Inspiring

Here's a short video showing the 1-click workaround that I use. If you need to reposition an object a lot I recommend adding the shadows using illustrator or photoshop and importing that into InDesign. Not great and far from a fix, but better than jumpy shadows.

paulhalupka

Participant

Who the heck marked this as answered? This is nothing but workarounds, Adobe please fix this thing. Unbelievable! It’s like one of the oldest features in the suite, to have drop shadows. Divert some of the AI spending that will destroy our careers and make it so humans can use their actual fricking tools that they pay for.

T

TrancilianAuthorCorrect answer

Inspiring

[temporary one click workaround below, RGB users read the important note first]

Hi Everyone,

5 months later and still no official fix. I’m very disappointed in Adobe. At this point adobe should consider giving discounts for the inconvenience of having a broken product.

Here’s a quick trick to reset all the glitched shadows in a document at once.

Go to View and choose Proof Colours. Every time you turn it off/on, it will update all the shadows to their correct position. In RGB (web etc.) documents be sure to set the colour profile to sRGB or Adobe RGB, else it can make your objects invisible.

Now assign a hotkey to it so you can quickly fix the shadows while working:

You can find the hotkeys at the bottom of the edit menu.
then choose View in the Product Area.
Choose Proof Colours
add the new hotkey (I picked: command + control + v)
click assign. If it prompts you to make a new set just press ok.

Hope this helps and a real fix will be patched soon.

IMPORTANT Be aware that ‘proof colours’ may change the way you see the colours, depending on how your document is setup. In an RGB document with a CMYK proof setup it can make objects invisible when Proof Colours is turned on. To fix this go to View > Proof Setup, choose Custom and assign the correct Colour Profile, like sRGB or adobe RGB for RGB/Digital use. For print use whatever colour profile your printer recommends.

[edit] It seems my thread has been mixed with a different issue regarding png exports which I haven’t encountered yet myself. I exported my design to both 300 and 92 dpi and saw no shadow problems in the result. Can anyone tell me what steps I need to take to replicate that issue?

N

Noel5E47

Participant

Nice work around 🤖. Still very frustrating that this very simple feature:

A: was broken. And

B: Adobe don’t seem capable of fixing

amy.e

Participant

I have finally found a fairly easy work around. My issue has been with the drop shadow effect being spaced way off the object/text.

Export to .png by writing in 300.dpi. and follow through by creating the document. Then do the same at 200, 150, then you can successfully make your export at 100 and even 72. You have to work it down and always write it in manually.

troyjack

Inspiring

Where is the fix, please?

I prefer solid workflow over “workarounds.”

Just updated to 21.3 and this bug still persists.

K

katrinam5558823

Participant

Same with me. After the update it let’s me export at 96 dpi pngs now without distorting drop shadows but still not 72 dpi.

squarecloudsD

Participant

for me → if i export my PNGs at 300 dpi the shadows are shown correctly, but if if i change to lets say 72 dpi then the gap between element and shadow becomes huge.

K

katrinam5558823

Participant

Thank you for that tip! At least there is a work around for now to save at 300 dpi. Super annoying though. I have had this problem for a few months and have just been avoiding drop shadows. I can’t believe they haven’t fixed it yet!!

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