What It Does
LongShadow 2 generates directional and soft drop shadows in After Effects using GPU acceleration. It creates the long, angled shadow effect common in flat design and motion graphics, with controls for shadow texture, softness, and anti-aliasing quality.
Key Features
Shadow texturing. Map an external layer onto your shadow using 1D or 2D texture modes to control color and transparency gradients along the shadow’s length.
Brute-Force Directional mode. Preserves the original layer’s semi-transparency and anti-aliasing when generating shadows, maintaining visual fidelity from the source.
Soft Shadow feature. Adds blur and feathering to shadow edges. A dedicated SoftShadow plugin is included for simpler workflows when you just need a solid color shadow with soft edges.
Post-smoothing algorithm. Refines shadow edges after generation to reduce stepping artifacts in directional shadows.
Advanced anti-aliasing. Multiple quality settings for shadow edge rendering, balancing performance with visual smoothness.
Who It’s For
Useful for title animations, kinetic typography, and flat motion graphics where long directional shadows add depth. The texture mapping works for stylized effects where shadows need custom color gradients or patterns. The Brute-Force mode handles layers with transparency better than standard shadow generation.
Pricing
Pay-what-you-want pricing model (labeled as “Name Your Own Price” on the site). The plugin is available as freemium, allowing users to choose their price point.
If you purchased LongShadow 1 after October 1, 2021, the upgrade is free. Earlier purchases qualify for a $25 upgrade (higher for floating licenses). Upgrade pricing appears automatically when logged into your account.