Most of our digital elements and AlphaSets come without drop shadows so you can customize them to meet your needs. However, in a majority of kits we include some elements with realistic lifted shadows for a fun twist and to save you time. When space allows, we offer both an un-shadowed and shadowed version. In these cases we add the word Shadow to the shadowed version.

To become familiar with how light and shadows work, look at real life shadows and layer objects on top of each other to see how the shadows are affected.

A good rule of thumb is to keep the direction of the shadow the same on all elements on a page as light normally comes from one direction. We have been consistently using 120 degrees (light source coming from top left) for any shadows we create for our elements.

Anything hanging over the edge of an object with a shadow needs an even deeper shadow, as it is even higher off the page. See postcard at right.

Shadows get lighter and blurrier the further away they are from the source.

All image editors that support layers offer a quick and easy drop shadow effect. These work well for most flat objects with uniform shadows. However, adding your own shadow on a separate layer allows the ability to get very creative and give the illusion of objects lifted away from the page.

Add Drop Shadow Layer Style (in PSE)

To save time and still achieve a satisfactory uniform drop shadow, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements' Drop Shadow Layer Style works well. If you look at paper pieced pages, most elements and papers lie very close to what they are lying above, making this type of shadow quite acceptable. It's also great for beginners and those with little time to fuss. Sample at right and instructions use Photoshop Elements 6.

In the Layer Palette, click on the object you want shadowed.

In Effects Palette (defaults to top right of screen) select Drop Shadows. Click on the shadow of your choice. The top right shadow, Low, is a good place to start. As you may see at right, it's a bit too high. So, to customize this shadow, click on the fx on the object's layer in the Layer Palette to bring up the Style Settings dialog. A small, realistic shadow is Size: 4, Distance: 4, Opacity 40. However, you can set to your preference.

Note: 2009 trends are moving towards larger shadows giving the appearance of more depth, so you may want to experiment with sizes up to 15. Remember to decrease opacity as size increases.
 

In Photoshop, you can access the Drop Shadow dialog by selecting Layer>Layer Style>Drop Shadow. Follow steps above for adjusting shadow to your preference. Photoshop offers you more flexibility in your shadow settings, but the standard settings function in the same manner.

The sample below right has the following settings:

Angle: 120, Size: 12, Distance: 12, Opacity 40

Custom Lifted Drop Shadow

There are instances when a flat shadow just won't do the trick, so here are steps to make your own lifted drop shadow. This works well for curled papers and mats, as well as ribbons with folds, etc.

1. Duplicate object's layer

2. Change color of lower layer to black (this is the shadow layer). Select Adjust Hue & Saturation and move Lightness slider all the way left.

3. Blur black layer - I like between 4-6 pixels on a 300 dpi object. The larger the object the more blur you need to make the same effect. Select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.

4. Click the Move Tool to be able to transform the shadow layer's shape. While holding the Ctrl key down (Mac-Cmd key), grab the lower right handle of the selection box and drag shape left and down. Bring top right side down and right. Click enter to transform. See Step 4 image for example.

5. Since my light source is coming from top left, move the entire shadow over to the right with the right arrow key a tad (so no shadow appears on left edge).

6. Take smudge tool to push shadow down and inward at lower left edge and upward a bit in middle of the bottom to get the lifted look.

7. Adjust opacity of black shadow layer to around 30%.

8. Use the Dodge and Burn Tools (at about 10% opacity set to Midtones) to further define the object to look lifted as shown at right. Burn areas with less shadow and dodge lifted areas.

9. Link two layers together so the shadow stays with the object, or merge into one layer (select both layers in layer palette, right click and choose Merge Layers or Link Layers).

With Adobe Photoshop you can use the amazing Warp tool to perform steps 5 and 6. Select Edit > Transform > Warp.

Step 2

Step 4

Step 6

Step 7


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Custom Perspective Shadows

Perspective pages are those in which appear 3D, as if the paper was a room with a floor and walls. These creative pieces take a great deal of time to execute properly, however, are wonderfully challenging and stunning to look upon when done well. The steps for creating perspective shadows are the same as for a lifted shadow, except for the transformation of the shadow shape (step 4).

1. Duplicate object's layer

2. Change color of lower layer to black (this is the shadow layer). Select Adjust Hue & Saturation and move Lightness slider all the way left.

3. Blur black layer - I like between 4-6 pixels on a 300 dpi object. The larger the object the more blur you need to make the same effect. Select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur

4. My light source is coming from top left as shown on the mushroom. Click the Move Tool to be able to transform the shadow layer's shape. While holding the Ctrl key down (Mac-Cmd key), grab the top right handle of the selection box and drag shape down and right as if lying on the ground.

5. Adjust opacity of black layer to around 30%.

6. Take a large soft edge eraser, set it to 10% opacity and erase a touch of the shadow furthest away. Decrease opacity to 5% and erase a bit from the center. The reason for this step is that shadows become less dense the further away they are from the object.

7. Link two layers together so the shadow stays with the object, or merge into one layer (select both layers in layer palette, right click and choose Merge Layers or Link Layers).

Happy Creating!

Michelle Shefveland and Team