Sure, everyone loves a good raised area-of-interest effect. But what about a peeled edge area of interest?
![Area of interest with a peeled edge effect. Click to embiggen. Area of interest with a peeled edge effect. Click to embiggen.](https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PeeledEdge.jpg)
It’s a snazzy trick and maybe just the sort of flair that your map needs! And it’s simpler than maybe you’d guess. To give your area of interest a peeled edge effect, you just combine a dark gradient stroke that looks like a shadow with a light gradient fill that covers some of the shadow, then group them and apply a darkening blend mode.
Cheat sheet! White fill with a giant shadowy gradient stroke dragged beneath it.
![Step 1: white fill with shadowy gradient stroke Step 1: white fill with shadowy gradient stroke](https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PeeledEdgeStep1.jpg)
Then add a layer with an offset effect so it covers the shadow, and give it a linear gradient fill.
![Step 2: Cover shadow with a white linear gradient Step 2: Cover shadow with a white linear gradient](https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PeeledEdgeStep2.jpg)
Then group these layers and give the group a darkening blend mode like Multiply (or Color Burn). The result shows only dark content, so the shadow appears to fade in at one edge.
![Step 3: darkening blend mode to eliminate the lightness Step 3: darkening blend mode to eliminate the lightness](https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PeeledEdgeStep3.jpg)
That’s it! If you’d like this sequence to be narrated by a nasally Midwesterner, then I have you covered…
0:00 Rapturous intro
0:12 Unrelated, but making a quick basemap with Living Atlas layers
0:18 Adding polygon layer, and isolating the area of interest
0:31 Faking a shadow effect with a gradient stroke
1:20 Pay no attention to the livestock
1:43 Fading out the shadow to only one edge of the polygon
2:44 Blending the faded shadow into the map
Happy edge-peeling!
Love, John
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