Are you frustrated by drop shadows? I know a lot of the time they drive me nuts trying to get them just right. So this tutorial will help you to set up some shadows that you can use over and over. Okay, let’s get started....
Select the image you wish to add a drop shadow to. For this example I am using the Ladybug edge I created for the N4D 1st Birthday Mega Kit.
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Let’s open our layer styles window in Photoshop and choose Drop Shadow from the menu. I have added a white layer to the image so that you can see the shadow.
Make sure you double click on the layer that you wish to add the drop shadow to.
Now, the trick is to play around with your layer settings. Don’t be afraid to alter the settings. If you don’t like the way the shadow looks, simply click cancel in the window. Easy.
Now, the secret to a good drop shadow, is to make it subtle.
Here are a couple of examples of playing with the settings. Notice that I ALWAYS set the anti-alias to on:
Image 1:
In this image, I have only changed the settings slightly.
I have changed the settings to:
Opacity - 20%
Size - 3
This gives the Ladybugs a subtle lift off the page.
[center] Image 2:
Again, i’ve only changed the settings slightly.
This time though, i’ve changed the settings as follows:
Angle - -60° (minus)
Distance - 4,
Opacity - 10%[/center]
Don’t feel that you are limited by colour either. You can change the colour of the drop shadow to match your page.
Here are a couple of examples of how you can match the drop shadow to the background colour:
Image 3:
As you can see, i’ve changed the colour of my drop shadow to match my paper.
I have used the eyedropper tool to select a colour from the paper, and then made it slightly darker.
My setting have been changed to:
Blend Mode - normal
Opacity - 45%
Angle - 0°
Distance - 4px
Size - 7px
Image 4:
I’ve changed the background paper for this example.
The settings are as follows:
Opacity - 50%
Distance - 8px
Size - 2px
As you can see, the combinations for your drop shadows are endless. It’s just a matter of playing until you have a setting you think looks good.
The last thing I want to show you is how to save your drop shadows as styles. This will save you so much time when doing layouts, as all you have to do is click a button and your drop shadow is there.
I hope that this tut has helped you feel comfortable with changing your drop shadow settings.
Creating Realistic Drop Shadows in Photoshop CS2
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