How to make a shadow in Photoshop?

The shadow is a very interesting thing. The brain determines the location of the object, the trajectory of its movement, its volume, and much more. With the help of it, it is easy to deceive, creating the effect of voluminous objects or supplementing the overall composition of the image with different lighting conditions. Between the little men there is no difference, it is only in their shadow (see the picture). But your brain on the basis of shadows just dorisovyvaet them a different environment. Create a shadow in Photoshop very easily. This program is a wonderful master of illusions.

Shadows are different - some simple, others more complicated. Since you can make any shadow in Photoshop, we will consider both options. The choice depends on your needs and the desired result. If you want to create the illusion of the volume or flight of a small object, it's quite simple, and if you need to turn the afternoon into a sunset, then you'll have to "sweat" a little.

How to make a shadow in Photoshop by adding a layer effect?

Select the layer with the desired object. Go to the "Layers" menu, in the "Layer Styles" select "Shadow". Now it remains only to fine-tune the shadow. For convenience, in this menu, check the "preview" checkbox. So it is very easy for you to track changes and choose what you need (in the course of the action). In the shadow options window, the slider "offset" shows how far the object casts a shadow. If you want to create the illusion of flying above the plane, put on if you just need to emphasize the volume of the figure - closer. Layer effects are the easiest way to make a shadow in Photoshop.

How to make a shadow in Photoshop by upgrading the layer?

When you need to play with lighting and create a complex shadow, all operations are just a little more complicated. First, separate the object from the background and duplicate the layer. Select the bottom layer from two layers. Then go to the "Edit" tab, the "Transform" menu and select the "Perspective" tool.
For the upper central square, set the right perspective. Then in the same menu, select the "free transform" tool and for the same square, flatten the shadow vertically. We have already received the form of our future shadow, but so far this is only an unrealistic form without color and a smooth transition of tones. Play with these tools until you get the desired result in shape and perspective. By the way, here's a riddle for attentiveness: in the shadow of the soldier, an error has been made, according to which you can immediately understand that this is a montage. Look at it more closely and find the defect (the answer at the end of the article).

Now we decolorize the shadow with the "saturation" tool (called through the "Image" tab, the "Correction" menu). Put the brightness of the layer on the number 0. In the "Filter" tab, the "Blur" menu, add softness to the "Gaussian blur" tool. The best blur value lies between 3 and 6 pixels, but you are always free to experiment. How to make the shadow in Photoshop more realistic? Place the layer with the shadow pattern between the object and the background and set the transparency of the shadow layer to 60%.

It remains only to determine the values of the parameters of the instruments, if you want to improve your results.

Undoubtedly, the second way of creating shadows is much more difficult than the first, but it gives much more freedom of action and creative manifestations.

The answer to the riddle: judging by the shadow, the light source is in front of the soldier, as well as the machine gun. And this means that the shadow automaton can not give in this perspective, because it is closed by the soldier's back from the plane on which the shadow lies. Looking at this discrepancy, the professional will immediately understand that this is just a layer modified in Photoshop. Be extremely careful when working with shadows!