I wrote this tutorial like a year and a half ago as a web article for Digital Scrapbooking Magazine and when people asked for it I just would link them to it. But now all the old content is gone from the website for the time being, so they’ve given me permission post it here. Thanks DSM! Here it is, and hopefully not as wonky as it looks when I preview it: (ETA it indeed is as wonky as it looks – trying to fix it)
Creating Realistic Cast Shadows
As digital scrappers, one of the best compliments we can receive is “your page looks so real – I would never have guessed it was digi!” Many digital scrappers enjoy the challenge of making their layouts look as realistic as possible, and Photoshop offers many tricks to make this easier.
In the sample layout here, there are a few elements that appear to be popping off the page, thanks to some carefully placed shadows. Creating realistic shadows is an important part of any digital scrapbookers repertoire, as they help give papers and embellishments that desired 3D effect.
For two-dimensional objects (such as paper or stickers) that should lay flat on the page, Photoshop’s built-in drop shadow feature is perfect for adding that tiny touch of dimension. But what about objects that are more 3D? Those flowers that have petals curling out at all angles? That ribbon with its ends popping out from a buttoned-down center? That twisting piece of twine? The problem with relying solely on Photoshop’s drop-shadow function to add realistic shadows is the fact that they are just that – drop shadows. Their function is to make an object appear as if it’s floating above the page. Undoubtedly Adobe did not have the digital scrapper’s needs in mind when developing this tool. We generally like to have our embellishments to appear attached to the page! What we need is a type of shadow called a cast shadow, which is not a preset function in Photoshop.
Fortunately, with version CS2, Adobe has given us a few tools to make creating realistic cast shadows with very little effort. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can create the kind of realism previously achieved only with some very careful and time-consuming brushwork.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of a flower that has a drop shadow applied, and the same flower with a cast shadow I created in just a few simple steps. This is the green flower from the sample layout, but I’ve replaced the background with white in this example for easier viewing:
For any embellishment that is thicker than a piece of paper or has pieces that should appear to pop up, a drop shadow just doesn’t cut it. Shadows should appear attached to the object at the point where the object touches the page, as in the buttoned-down center of this flower, and then appear to grow further away from the object as the object pops out from the page, as the flower’s petals do. Photoshop’s built-in drop shadows can only be at one constant distance from the entire object. But there is a very simple trick to get those shadows to do exactly what you want.
Introduced in Photoshop CS, we now have the option to take that built-in drop shadow and put it on its own layer. Once you do that, you can manipulate it as you would any other object – you can erase parts of it, blur it, change its color – and, my favorite, you can apply the warp tool (CS2 and higher) to create some great-looking cast shadows. Here’s how:
1. Apply a drop shadow to your object using Photoshop’s built-in Layer Style. (Double click the object’s layer in the layer palette to bring up the Layer Style dialogue box.) Give your shadow a good start by adjusting the settings – you will want to adjust the opacity, distance and size, and change the shadow color just as you normally would. For a bit more realism, set the color of your shadow to a darker version of the color of the paper your shadow is sitting on. If your shadow falls across several colors, as does the flower in the figure below, a safe bet is to choose a dark blue-gray for your shadow color.
2. Once you’ve set your shadow, the layer effects icon will appear on your layer. Right click this icon to bring up a menu of options. Choose Create Layer. Your drop shadow is now on its own layer and ready to be manipulated.
3. With the shadow layer active, choose Edit>Transform>Warp. Click and drag your mouse to pull at the grid until you see the shadow appear from under the object. Be sure to consider your light source, so the direction of the shadow stays consistent with the highlights and shadows within the object. Once you have a shadow that looks pretty good, press ENTER. We will tweak the shadow in the next step.
4. You may find it useful to warp each petal’s shadow separately, so each one will appear to be radiating from the flower’s buttoned down center. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use the Lasso Tool to draw a selection around one petal’s shadow. Again, choose Edit>Transform>Warp to get a more precise placement of the shadow. Almost done!
5. As a final step, I like to use a soft Eraser set at an opacity of about 50% to erase the very edges of some of the shadows. Shadows should appear darkest where they touch the object, and grow lighter as they move away.
The Create Layer option is not limited to drop shadows. You can create layers from any of the Layer Style options, including Bevel/Emboss and Outer Glow. Creating layers from these effects gives you much more control over their placement on your object. With a little bit of practice you’ll be creating layouts that people will want to reach out and touch.
Materials List:
For sample layout: Paper from “Needful Things” paper pack; button, number sticker, brad from “Daydream Believer” kit by Danielle Catalano-Titus (somethingbluestudios.com) + paper from “Seasons and Holidays” CD (digitalscrapbookmemories.com) + flowers from “Louise” kit by Catrine (CatScrap.com) + stitching from “Boheme” by Zoe Pearn (sweetshoppedesigns.com) +Bookman Old Style font
For visuals of flower: Flower from “Louise” kit by Catrine (CatScrap.com)
For Fig.2: Bow from “Daydream Believer” kit, tag from “Size Stickers”, twine from “Provence” kit by me(somethingbluestudios.com)
