Adding a Drop Shadow to Type

Place a drop shadow behind text to make it appear to “pop” out from the background so that it's more readable. This is particularly handy when the background has both light and dark areas and you can't find a solid area to serve as a background for the text that gives enough contrast.

Choose the Move tool, or press V.

Click the text to which the drop shadow will be added (Auto Select Layer must be checked).

From the Styles and Effects palette's Layer Styles section, choose Drop Shadows from the pop-up menu.

Choose a drop shadow effect, such as Hard Edge.