The creation of a drop shadow is a process that should accompany your clipping as this effect will make your image look more realistic. This small visual detail can genuinely make a huge difference by making the object far more readable. In this tutorial, discover how to create a drop shadow using Photoshop.
The tools you will need for a drop shadow
Pen
You will use the Pen (shortcut P) to select the object to which you intend to add the shadow. If you are not familiar with Photoshop’s Pen tool, you can also use other selection tools, depending on the characteristics of your image: Color Range, Magic Wand, Lasso, etc.
Feather
This function helps make the drop shadow more natural-looking by fine-tuning the selection. To use it, go to the Select menu, then click on Feather.
Drop Shadow
This is a configurable style that allows you to add a drop shadow to your object. To use it, you have to go into the Layers menu, then click on “Layer Style”, and finally select “Drop Shadow”. You can also, directly in the Layers panel, click on the Fx key at the bottom.
The steps to creating a drop shadow
Before all else, note that there are an abundance of ways to add a drop shadow to your object, all yielding different results. In this tutorial, we have therefore decided to present one of the simplest methods, but bear in mind that it is just one method out of many. ·
- First of all, select the Pen (P) tool. ·
- Next, use the Pen to very carefully define a path around the object to which you wish to add the drop shadow.
- We advise you to plot your points marginally inside the object’s outline – this will produce better results when you add the drop shadow. Don’t hesitate to consult our tutorial on clipping with the Pen tool.
- When the path is completed, transform it into a selection. To do this, open the Paths window, select the corresponding path and right-click, then choose “Make Selection”. ·
- You have the option of fine-tuning your selection by using the Feather tool. This will result in a dissolve effect between your object and the image’s background.
- While the selection is still active, go to the “Drop Shadow” style, either by clicking on fx in the Layers panel, or via the menu, choosing Layer > Styles > Drop Shadow.
- All that is left to do is configuring the type of drop shadow you want. You can select the Blend Mode (we advise you to leave it in the “Multiply” mode), the colour, adjust the opacity, the angle, the distance, the size, etc.
To obtain drop shadows of professional quality, don’t hesitate to call on a specialised service such as ours. You can use our contact form to send us your request. Drop shadows are among our services most sought-after by our e-commerce clients.
