Creating realistic drop shadows in Photoshop

Creating drop shadows its tricky. If you do it wrong, it can look very fake and throw the feeling of the image off. If done right, it can add that touch of realism to an object that compliments the overall look of the product.

The two filters I use in creating drop shadows are Gaussian Blur and Motion Blur.

First, put the object that is to have a drop shadow on a separate layer. In this example I will use a block. The object must be by itself, so you might need to clip it out of a background (see tutorial on clipping out objects.) Create another layer below the object. This is where the first drop shadow will go. With the lasso tool create a shape of the bottom of the object. In other words, where the object lays on the ground. It will need to be “flat” and not run up the side of the object, because in the real world, shadows don’t work like that.(figure 1)

When you have your selection, fill it with black. Set the layer to multiply and give it a opacity of 80%. Go to FILTER-BLUR- and select Gaussian Blur. Give it a setting of about 3. This setting will depend on the resolution of the image. The higher the resolution, the higher the setting. You will want this shadow to have a very soft edge. (figure 2).

Now copy this layer and hide the first layer. Go to FILTER-BLUR- and select Motion Blur. The angle setting will depend on what type of object you are using, and how it is positioned. For instance, the block I’m using has straight sides and is at a 3/4 angle, so I will set the angle so that the shadow stretches perpendicular with the sides of the box. (figure 3) You might want to set the DISTANCE setting a little high right now to help you see which way the shadow is moving. TIP: by highlighting the angle, you can use the up and down buttons to change the angle in single increments. Some ojects, such as a ball, can have any angle setting. But this will visually determine where the horizon is. Once you have the angle set, adjust the DISTANCE of the shadow to give it the “movement” you want. Too much and the shadow will be over powering and too little will not give enough “movement”.

When you have both shadows created, turn the first layer back on and adjust the opacity on each to get the effect you want. (figure 4)

If you need more help with creating drop shadows, please contact me at jaugustine@rubberspark.com.