Shadow is a very interesting thing. The brain determines by it the position of the object, the trajectory of its movement, volume and much more. Using it, it is easy to deceive it, creating the effect of three-dimensional objects or complementing the overall composition of the image with various lighting conditions. There is no difference between the little men, it is only in their shadow (see image).
But your brain based on the shadows just draws a different environment for them. Creating a shadow in Photoshop is very easy. This program is a wonderful master of illusions.
Shadows are different - some are simple, others are more complicated. Since you can make any shadow in Photoshop, 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, then this is quite simple, but if you need to turn it into a sunset at noon, then you will 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, check the “Preview” box in this menu. So it will be very easy for you to track changes and choose what you need (as you go). In the shadow options window, the “offset” slider shows how far the object casts a shadow. If you want to create the illusion of flying above a plane, place it further, if you just need to emphasize the volume of the figure, it’s 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 only a little complicated. First, separate the object from the background and duplicate the layer. Of the two layers with the object, select the bottom. Then go to the “Editing” tab, the “Transform” menu and select the “perspective” tool.
For the upper central square, set the desired perspective.
Then, in the same menu, select the “free transform” tool and flatten the shadow vertically for the same square.
We have already received the shape of our future shadow, but so far it is only an unrealistic form without color and a smooth transition of tones. Play with these tools until you get the desired result in form and perspective. By the way, here’s the mystery of attentiveness: a mistake was made in the shadow of a soldier, by which you can immediately understand that this is an installation. Look at it closely and find the defect (answer at the end of the article).
Now bleach the shadow with the “saturation” tool (called through the “Image” tab, the “Correction” menu). Set the layer brightness to the number 0. In the Filter tab, the Blur menu, we add softness with the Gaussian Blur tool. The best blur value is between 3 and 6 pixels, but you are always free to experiment. How to make the shadow in Photoshop more realistic? We place the layer with the shadow pattern between the object and the background and set the transparency of the layer with the shadow to 60%.
It remains only to determine the values of the parameters of the tools, if you want to improve your result.
Undoubtedly, the second way to create shadows is much more complicated 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 is the machine gun. And this means that the automatic machine of shadow cannot give in this perspective, because it is closed by the back of the soldier 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!