How to Add Drop Shadow in OBS Studio

Adding a drop shadow to your text and images in OBS Studio is an excellent way to make your stream overlays stand out and improve readability against dynamic backgrounds. While OBS does not feature a single-click “drop shadow” button, you can easily achieve this effect using two highly effective methods: the source duplication technique (which requires no plugins) or by installing a free shader plugin. This guide will walk you through both methods step-by-step so you can upgrade your stream’s visual quality immediately.

Method 1: The Duplication Method (No Plugins Required)

This method works for both text and images by creating a secondary, darkened layer underneath your primary source and offsetting it slightly.

For Text Sources:

  1. Add your text by clicking the + icon in the Sources dock and selecting Text (GDI+). Customize your font, size, and color.
  2. Right-click your text source in the Sources list and select Copy.
  3. Right-click in an empty space within the Sources list and select Paste (Duplicate). Note: Do not choose Paste (Reference), as changes to one will affect both.
  4. Rename this duplicate source to “Text Shadow” and drag it directly below your original text source in the list.
  5. Double-click the “Text Shadow” source to open its properties. Scroll down and change the Text Color to black (or your preferred shadow color).
  6. Select the “Text Shadow” source in your preview window and use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge it slightly down and to the right.

For Image Sources:

  1. Add your image by clicking the + icon and selecting Image.
  2. Right-click the image source, select Copy, then right-click and select Paste (Duplicate).
  3. Drag the duplicate image source below the original image in the Sources list.
  4. Right-click the duplicate image and select Filters.
  5. Click the + icon under Effect Filters and select Color Correction.
  6. Set the Brightness slider to the far left (minimum) to turn the image completely black. Reduce the Opacity slider slightly (to around 0.50 or 0.70) to make the shadow look soft and realistic. Click Close.
  7. Select the duplicate image in the preview window and use your keyboard arrow keys to offset it slightly to create the shadow effect.

Method 2: Using the OBS Shader Filter Plugin

If you want a professional, one-source solution with blur controls, you can use the community-created OBS Shader Filter plugin.

  1. Download and install the OBS Shader Filter plugin from the official OBS Resources forum.
  2. Restart OBS Studio after installation.
  3. Right-click the text or image source you want to apply a shadow to and select Filters.
  4. Click the + icon under Effect Filters and select User-defined shader.
  5. In the filter settings, check the box that says Load shader from file.
  6. Click Browse and look for the shader file named drop_shadow.effect (usually located in the plugin’s shader directory).
  7. Once loaded, you will see sliders for Shadow Offset (X and Y), Shadow Color, and Blur. Adjust these sliders to customize the angle, distance, and softness of your drop shadow.
  8. Click Close to apply the effect.