Use symbol effects

Symbol effects are components of symbols that dynamically alter feature geometry for symbol purposes only. Effects are added to symbols to produce enhanced symbol depictions. Effects can be global, applied to the symbol as a whole and affecting all symbol layers in the symbol, or applied to a single symbol layer only.

See the list of all available symbol effects

Symbol effects are part of the structure of a symbol. You add and remove effects along with symbol layers from the Structure tab from the Format Symbol mode in the Symbology pane.

Configure the properties of symbol effects to customize the appearance and behavior of the symbol. Effects added globally under the Symbol heading become part of the basic properties of the symbol. Configure them on the Symbol tab . Effects added to individual layers are listed as separate groups in the corresponding symbol layer on the Layers tab .

When multiple geometric effects are added to a symbol, they are applied in sequence so that the output geometry of the first effect is used by the next effect as its input, and so on. New effects are always added to the end of the list of effects and are the last to be applied. Add effects in the order that they should apply, because they cannot be reordered. Remove and add effects again as necessary to achieve the proper order.

Most effects only alter the symbolized display of features, but some switch the geometry type as it is symbolized. For example, a line symbol can include an Offset effect, which still results in line geometry that gets drawn with stroke symbology. A line symbol that includes a Buffer effect has dynamic polygon geometry (the buffered line) that can draw with a fill symbol layer.

Add a global effect to an entire symbol

Complete the following steps to add a global effect to the entire symbol:

1. Access symbol properties by clicking a symbol in the Contents pane of a map or scene, or by opening a symbol directly in an editable style.
2. In the Symbology pane, on the Properties tab, click the Structure tab .

   Alternatively, in a catalog view, on the View tab, in the Options group, click the Details Panel button to see the symbol properties in the Details pane.

3. Under the Symbol heading, click Add effect to add a global effect that applies to the entire symbol.
4. Choose an effect from the list. The effects preceded by a warning symbol indicate those that will put the symbol into a state of inconsistent geometry logic. This might be expected if you are iteratively building a complex symbol and you will add more symbol effects or subsequently adjust marker placements. Learn more about symbol geometry logic.
5. Click the Symbol tab to adjust the properties of the global effect as necessary.
6. Click Apply to save the changes.

Add an effect to one symbol layer

Complete the following steps to add a symbol effect to only one symbol layer in a symbol:

1. Use layer effects only when you need to dynamically alter individual symbol layers independently. Access symbol properties by clicking a symbol in the Contents pane of a map or scene, or by opening a symbol directly in an editable style.
2. In the Symbology pane, on the Properties tab, click the Structure tab .

   Alternatively, in a catalog view, on the View tab, in the Options group, click the Details Panel button to see the symbol properties in the Details pane.

3. Click Add effect under one of the layers under the Layers heading to add an effect to that layer. If you're not sure, add the effect as a global effect under the Symbol heading. This results in a simpler symbol than one with effects at the layer level. Use layer effects only when you need to dynamically alter individual symbol layers independently.
4. Choose an effect from the list. The effects preceded by a warning symbol indicate those that will put the symbol into a state of inconsistent geometry logic. This might be expected if you are iteratively building a complex symbol and you will add more symbol effects or subsequently adjust marker placements. Learn more about symbol geometry logic.
5. Click the Layers tab to adjust the properties of the effect as necessary.
6. Click Apply to save the changes.

Remove an effect from a symbol or symbol layer

Remove symbol effects when they are no longer necessary, or to reorder effects. New effects are always added to the bottom of the list, so they are the last to be applied.

1. Access symbol properties by clicking a symbol in the Contents pane of a map or scene, or by opening a symbol directly in an editable style.
2. In the Symbology pane, on the Properties tab, click the Structure tab .

   Alternatively, in a catalog view, on the View tab, in the Options group, click the Details Panel button to see the symbol properties in the Details pane.

3. Locate the effect under the Symbol or Layers heading and click the Delete button next to the effect to remove it.