Effects add depth, atmosphere, and movement to your layers. You can use Glass, Fade, Layer blur, Background blur, Motion blur, and Zoom blur — each with different results and controls.
Adding an effect
Click 
next to Effects in the Inspector and choose an effect type from the menu. You can apply effects to any shape (including vector shapes), image, text, frame or graphic — but not to Symbol instances or groups. You can stack effects on the same layer in the order you add them — though some effects limit which others are available.
The Effects menu lists every effect type — pick one to add it to the selected layer
Effect types
Glass 
gives a layer the look of frosted glass, blurring and tinting the content behind it. Use it for overlays, cards, and macOS or iOS UI designs.
Fade 
applies progressive transparency to a layer, fading it from opaque to transparent. Choose Linear (in a direction) or Radial (from a central point). Useful for blending layers into a background or creating soft edges.
Layer blur 
blurs the layer’s own content.
Background blur 
blurs everything behind a layer without affecting the layer itself. Useful for panes, sheets, and overlays.
Motion and Zoom blur 
Motion blur streaks a layer in one direction, creating the impression of movement. Zoom blur spreads outward from a point, creating a focus or zoom effect.
Applying multiple or large blurs can slow down the Mac app, as they require more memory and processing power to render.
