How to Make a Realistic Shadow in Photoshop

You have a digital image of an object that you want to place on a background, and you need a shadow that has the crisp realistic shape of the object rather than a blurry cast shadow. Use this trick with layers in Photoshop to add realism to your composition.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Adobe Photoshop
• Computer with Graphics Software capability
• Basic working knowledge of Photoshop or similar digital editing software
• A cut-out foreground digital image of an object
• A background to place the object on

How to Make a Realistic Shadow in Photoshop

1. 
    
   Windmill cutout placed on landscape background

   Copy and paste your cutout image over the background on a new layer. Position it in a spot that looks correct for the lighting and perspective.

2. 
    
   Cutout copied to a new layer

   Select the layer with the cutout. Copy and paste the cutout to a new layer.

3. 
    
   Cutout with 0% Brightness and Contrast

   Follow these actions to make the copied cutout completely black: On the menu bar at top, select "Image", then "Adjust", then "Brightness and Contrast". Move the sliders for both Brightness and Contrast all the way to the left for values of 0%. Move the layer with the black cutout under the layer with the full-color cutout. Place the black cutout directly under the color cutout.

4. 
    
   Distorting the shadow

   Distort the black cutout so that it appears to lie flat and follows perspective as it recedes in the distance. Orient the shadow opposite the light source that illuminates the scene; in this case, the Sun. Select the image and distort it by pressing and holding the "Cntrl" key ("Option" key on a Mac) as you click and drag a corner of the bounding box.

5. 
    
   Reducing Opacity

   Select the layer with the black cutout, which is now the shadow, and reduce the opacity to about 75% by moving the slider on the layers palette.

6. 
    
   Adding the Gaussian Blur

   Add a slight blur to the shadow by selecting "Filter" from the menu bar at top, then "Blur" and then "Gaussian Blur". In the dialog box, move the slider to set the Radius value to 0.5 pixels as shown.

7. 
    
   Finished image

   Make any final adjustments by eye. The stronger the light source, the darker the shadow, and vice-versa, so adjust the opacity accordingly. You now have a realistic dimensional shadow and a convincing composite image!

Tips & Warnings

• Try to select images where the direction of the light source will match between the foreground and background layers. Also try to match the color and intensity of light if possible.