mum2gnt
30-06-2011, 09:07 AM
DROP SHADOW: Making the item “sit” on the page. (apparently this works in PSP too)
http://i55.tinypic.com/24d58v8.jpg http://i55.tinypic.com/ma85n6.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/9i9uo6.jpg
I am going to show you such a simple easy peasy lemon squeezy way to make an item look like it is sitting on the page. I use Photoshop CS3 but I am sure you can figure out how to use this method using your own program once you see how simple it is.
I think everyone knows how to add a drop shadow to the item. Make sure you change to the colour you want (ie. Dark brown) but don’t worry about the blur at this stage.
http://i53.tinypic.com/2ijkimu.jpg
You can see that the shell does not look like it is sitting on the page – in fact it looks flat.
Once you have added the basic shadow, you will need to make its own layer so you can work with it. To do this, right click on the drop shadow and click “create layer” from the drop down – as indicated here in red.
http://i56.tinypic.com/15ea7b8.jpg
It will say “Some aspects of the Effects can not be reproduced with layers!” (meaning you won’t see some of the detail – which is fine!) So click OK. Voila! New drop shadow layer. Click on this layer.
Logically, if an item is sitting on a paper then no matter which direction the light is coming from, the shadow will always be underneath. See how there is shadow at the top left side of the shell - so shadow should be all at the base. Now here is the fun easy peasy bit! Control/command T will bring up the transform corner squares. Now drag the top middle square down to about half way (depending on the item and the shadow)
http://i51.tinypic.com/73cb2d.jpg
Now you’ll need to tweak the shadow. You might want to change the blend mode of the shadow to LINEAR BURN. Now we need to tweak the blur. You can select portions of the shadow – but be careful with this. You don’t want a straight line with sharp on one side and blur on the other!!
To blur the shadow, simply go to FILTER>BLUR>GAUSSIAN BLUR and change accordingly. I blurred the left half more as the distance is greater than the right side. I also lightened the shadow (opacity) and lengthened it slightly – also using transform.
http://i56.tinypic.com/av1xyf.jpg
It does take a bit of time but the end result is so much more realistic and pops your page! The more you do it, the more quicker you will get.
Some other important notes about shadow: The closer the object, the darker the shadow. As an object gets further away from the paper, the shadow gets more blurred. It is very common to see blurred shadows on items on our pages which make things look like they are floating! Imagine a butterfly. If it sits on the page the shadow should be dark and crisp. If it is flying away from the paper the shadow should be blurred and light – the further away the shadow, the further the butterfly is and the more blurrier and lighter the shadow.
Thanks for reading this and I hope it will make a difference to the way you put shadows on your pages.
http://i55.tinypic.com/24d58v8.jpg http://i55.tinypic.com/ma85n6.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/9i9uo6.jpg
I am going to show you such a simple easy peasy lemon squeezy way to make an item look like it is sitting on the page. I use Photoshop CS3 but I am sure you can figure out how to use this method using your own program once you see how simple it is.
I think everyone knows how to add a drop shadow to the item. Make sure you change to the colour you want (ie. Dark brown) but don’t worry about the blur at this stage.
http://i53.tinypic.com/2ijkimu.jpg
You can see that the shell does not look like it is sitting on the page – in fact it looks flat.
Once you have added the basic shadow, you will need to make its own layer so you can work with it. To do this, right click on the drop shadow and click “create layer” from the drop down – as indicated here in red.
http://i56.tinypic.com/15ea7b8.jpg
It will say “Some aspects of the Effects can not be reproduced with layers!” (meaning you won’t see some of the detail – which is fine!) So click OK. Voila! New drop shadow layer. Click on this layer.
Logically, if an item is sitting on a paper then no matter which direction the light is coming from, the shadow will always be underneath. See how there is shadow at the top left side of the shell - so shadow should be all at the base. Now here is the fun easy peasy bit! Control/command T will bring up the transform corner squares. Now drag the top middle square down to about half way (depending on the item and the shadow)
http://i51.tinypic.com/73cb2d.jpg
Now you’ll need to tweak the shadow. You might want to change the blend mode of the shadow to LINEAR BURN. Now we need to tweak the blur. You can select portions of the shadow – but be careful with this. You don’t want a straight line with sharp on one side and blur on the other!!
To blur the shadow, simply go to FILTER>BLUR>GAUSSIAN BLUR and change accordingly. I blurred the left half more as the distance is greater than the right side. I also lightened the shadow (opacity) and lengthened it slightly – also using transform.
http://i56.tinypic.com/av1xyf.jpg
It does take a bit of time but the end result is so much more realistic and pops your page! The more you do it, the more quicker you will get.
Some other important notes about shadow: The closer the object, the darker the shadow. As an object gets further away from the paper, the shadow gets more blurred. It is very common to see blurred shadows on items on our pages which make things look like they are floating! Imagine a butterfly. If it sits on the page the shadow should be dark and crisp. If it is flying away from the paper the shadow should be blurred and light – the further away the shadow, the further the butterfly is and the more blurrier and lighter the shadow.
Thanks for reading this and I hope it will make a difference to the way you put shadows on your pages.