How to Create a Drop Shadow in Photoshop CS4
One of the strongest visual effects available to the graphic artist is the drop shadow. A drop shadow is a virtual shadow that falls behind an isolated subject in a picture, providing a sense of virtual depth. The drop shadow, usually partially transparent, highlights the subject and provides an almost imaginary separation from the rest of the graphic or photograph. A drop shadow makes the subject pop out of the picture. The drop shadow works equally well with text. For all this wealth of visual effect, the drop shadow is perhaps the easiest effect to produce in Photoshop CS4.
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Instructions
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Start with a new file. Set the dimensions to 7 inches by 7 inches with a white background.
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Select the "Elliptical Marquee Tool" from the tool toolbar. Ascertain that the "Feather" option at the top of the window is set to "0," and the "Style" is set at "Normal." Hold down the "Shift" key while dragging a circle shape to fill approximately half of the workspace.
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Release the mouse and select the menu item "Edit" and choose "Copy" from the dropdown menu, and then "Paste." Select the menu item "Select" and choose "Deselect." You should now be looking at a white box with nothing special showing.
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Select the menu item "Layer" and choose "Layer Style" and click on "Drop Shadow."
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In the "Drop Shadow" pop-up box that appears ensure that "Blend Mode" is set to "Multiply." Click on the color box to the right of "Blend Mode" and set the color to a very deep blue. True shadows always have more color to them than we perceive, and a nice deep blue makes for a much more dynamic visual punch than a flat black.
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In the "Drop Shadow" pop-up box set "Opacity" to "77." Set "Angle" to "126." Ensure that the "Global Light" box is checked. Set "Distance" to "14." Set "Spread" to "28." Set "Size" to "35." Click "OK."
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Zoom in close and observe the drop shadow you created. Notice, from a plain, blank picture, with a white object set on a white background, a very dynamic effect is created with a simple drop shadow.
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Tips & Warnings
With some experimentation, some truly amazing effects can be added to photographs by employing this simple technique. The drop shadow style works equally well with text, and photographic images placed as layers. Try this technique when creating posters that contain both text and images. Create the first drop shadow, then copy the layer style, and paste the same layer style to all objects in the poster.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Ciaran Griffin/Lifesize/Getty Images
