Shadows are visual objects and as such are subject to preference rules for segmenting the visual scene (such as Gestalt laws). These rules govern shadows along two dimensions: their general unity and individuation (eg they describe a certain area as a unitary shadow as opposed to a set of two distinct shadows), and their being the of a given object, as opposed to being the shadow of any other object in the scene (the shadow correspondence problem—Mamassian, 2004 Perception33 1279–1290). I describe a few phenomena that indicate the interplay of preferences in determining the final visual aspect of scenes in which shadows are present.