# Effects

> 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 visual results and controls.

**URL:** https://www.sketch.com/docs/symbols-and-styles/styling/effects/ | **Last updated:** 2026-04-07

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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.

![An image showing the add button next to Effects in the Inspector](https://cdn.sketch.com/docs/styling/effect-add.jpg)
*The Effects menu lists every effect type — pick one to add it to the selected layer*

## Effect types

**[Glass](/docs/symbols-and-styles/styling/effects/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](/docs/symbols-and-styles/styling/effects/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](/docs/symbols-and-styles/styling/effects/layer-and-background)** blurs the layer’s own content.

**[Background blur](/docs/symbols-and-styles/styling/effects/layer-and-background)** blurs everything behind a layer without affecting the layer itself. Useful for panes, sheets, and overlays.

**[Motion and Zoom blur](/docs/symbols-and-styles/styling/effects/motion-and-zoom)** 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.

> **Note:** Applying multiple or large blurs can slow down the Mac app, as they require more memory and processing power to render.