Add shadow (recessed text effect) to Cocoa label w

Question

I'd like to create statusbar with text effect like in Safari or iTunes, i.e. recessed text.

However, if I simply add shadow in Interface Builder using Core Animation panel, OS X's worst text rendering kicks in:

What's the trick to get recessed text on a label and keep proper subpixel rendering?

Answer 1

There is a built-in way to do this:

[[yourTextField cell] setBackgroundStyle:NSBackgroundStyleRaised];

Answer 2

It's a cheap old trick: You draw the text in white at an offset and then draw the black text on top of it.

There is a hook for shadows in the text-drawing system, NSAttributedString's NSShadowAttributeName. But testing this out, it appears to kill the subpixel antialiasing as well.