How to make shadows in PS CS5? - DPChallenge Forums

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

04/20/2012 01:59:04 PM · #1

Hey all

I am putting together a composite image (gawd my eyes are still dancing from using that marvelous Select Refine tool) and need some help. Mostly with casting realistic shadows but also really basic stuff (for most of you PS-literate types, for me this is untrod ground) like:

1) I saved the Refined images as psds, full-size...should I have saved them as a Layer? Should I size them down, sharpen them etc before placing them?
2) Once the images are placed atop the bg, how am I able to continue to fix the images as needed? Currently I can resize them and rotate them, which is fun, but all I can do. But hands, feet etc need to be fixed up. And of course how to *make* shadows under the figures to add realism.

I have a very rough version in my workshop. Is there anyone here who can fire me off a PM telling me what I need to do?

Thanks much!!

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

04/20/2012 02:57:09 PM · #2

1. Keep everything on separate layers in the PSD file until aboslutely necessary to combine/flatten.

2. With "data" (parts of the image pasted in from another source) on a separate layer, you can edit it as usual. You can also apply adjustment layers (e.g. curves) which are linked to an individual layer/element. and won't affect the rest of the image -- this is useful for evening-out/matching colors and tonal ranges among placed components.

3. For the fake shadows, I'd try:
� select the image you're shadowing
� create a new layer
� fill with black
� flip vertically if shadow is to be cast towards the viewer
� skew and scale to match lighting conditions/direction
� line up shadow with base of image
� reduce opacity of shadow layer to desired degree

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

04/20/2012 04:35:16 PM · #3

Thanks much Paul, will give it a go! :-)

raish

Olympus C-2500L

04/20/2012 04:46:35 PM · #4

Originally posted by GeneralE:

You can also apply adjustment layers (e.g. curves) which are linked to an individual layer/element. and won't affect the rest of the image

You can?

tanguera

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

04/20/2012 04:57:43 PM · #5

Susan, there's actually a drop shadow function that does all this work for you. I'm not in front of my program, so I may not get everything right, but underneath the layers area on the bottom right, there are several buttons. One of them is Fx. Click on that. The dropdown list includes something called drop shadow. Click on that. While the dialogue box is open, you can use the cursor to move the shadow away slightly from the subject (it creates the shadow behind it, and moving it over a bit helps edit it). One of the sliders on in the dialogue box (towards the top) makes the shadow fuzzier/sharper. I can't remember what it's called but seems counterintuitive to me.

Once you've got the fuzziness to the level you want, click ok. The resulting layer will be underneath the parent layer. Right click on that and click Create Layer to separate the two, then Ctl+T to get the transform function on that layer. Holding down the control key will turn your cursor into an arrow, which you can use to "grab" the little boxes on the shadow, and move it around so that it falls as you'd like it.

Beetle

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

04/20/2012 05:29:31 PM · #6

I totally agree with Johanna - the drop shadow function is super easy and quick, and quite often does exactly what you want it to do.

However, there have been times where I just couldn't get the shadow to look right that way. For those times, when you need more control over it, check out this tutorial.

If you want any other help, feel free to give me a buzz. I'm no expert, but I'm happy to share what I know.

tanguera

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

04/20/2012 05:36:58 PM · #7

Yup, that's the one. Different way of getting there, same result.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

04/20/2012 05:50:59 PM · #8

Originally posted by raish:

Originally posted by GeneralE:
You can also apply adjustment layers (e.g. curves) which are linked to an individual layer/element. and won't affect the rest of the image

You can?

Yeah, there's a little chain-link thingy that toggles the exclusivity on and off, down there by the fx icon, the mask icon, all those little goodies.

raish

Olympus C-2500L

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

04/20/2012 05:53:59 PM · #9

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by raish:

Originally posted by GeneralE:
You can also apply adjustment layers (e.g. curves) which are linked to an individual layer/element. and won't affect the rest of the image

You can?

Yeah, there's a little chain-link thingy that toggles the exclusivity on and off, down there by the fx icon, the mask icon, all those little goodies.

All those little goodies. Mr & Mrs Photoshop should be in line for canonisation. Much obliged, Bear.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

04/20/2012 05:56:03 PM · #10

Originally posted by raish:

Much obliged, Bear.

De nada, hermano...

R.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

04/20/2012 07:19:31 PM · #11

Thank gawd fer DPC, though I'm still a bit lost! I watched about 4 different videos on how to do this online, then would go to my PS computer and...nothing I had would look at all like what they had. I'm still muddling along. What i did was place the figures on the bg individually, then took a really crappy screenshot. Now I'm going through, working only on the bg layer, putting in shadows etc as seems they would fall, and doing basic cleanup on the figures so the fall of light on them looks fairly realistic.

*sigh*...all I can say is, I sure as hell hope voters remember that this challenges is meant to cheer up a badly injured little boy, and NOT be a display of PS wizardry!!! He is my audience, not the DPC vox populi.

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

04/20/2012 08:07:55 PM · #12

My favorite way of making shadows is to take a color sample of the existing shadows, and make a new layer copy and hue shift the entire image to match the sample. Then make a mask and paint in where you want your new shadow with the right feather to match the light, and invert the mask. Tada color correct shadows that reflect the terrain that exists in your image.

If the thing you want to have the shadow is on a flat plain, the drop shadow function is much easier.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

04/20/2012 08:37:54 PM · #13

Hmmm, my subjects are definitely not on a flat surface! Frankly (and sadly) all the PS-speak is just confusing the crap out of me. What I really need is an extremely patient, in-person PS tutor, as though I were learning a foreign language. Hell I even have PS CS5 for DUMMIES and still can't *get it*. Reading it, watching videos online, reading your helpful hints...I dunno....I just don't get it. :-(

I very much appreciate everyone's efforts to educate me, but will have do my best in my own typically awkward way...

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

04/20/2012 11:52:36 PM · #14

Can you do a layer mask and paint it in and out? Best tool in PS, hands down. Quick tutorial here rather than composting other images, I mostly use it to bring up variants of a single image like multiply or a color shifts, like adding in a shadow.

Totally irrelevant tip: To copy all layers below the selection and see how the blend looks without flattening hit Control, alt, shift, E. You get a new layer composite image and keep all the steps so far.

adigitalromance

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

04/21/2012 07:49:52 AM · #15

I added some tips about blending and shadowing in the tutorial I wrote up on my mushroom picture. One thing I'd suggest is studying the layer stack of these images (that's why I made sure to include the full size images in the tutorial). While this tutorial is far from exhaustive, it might give you some ideas about ways to compose your layers and adjustments.

Moreover, it's important to use shadows that have a similar hue as the rest of the image/background, so Multiply mode is a really good mode to use for your drop shadows.

Still, it's hard to know what might work best in your situation without seeing the image. Photoshop definitely has multiple ways to do any one task. If you send me a PM with a hint of an image I might be able to give some more specific advice?

Message edited by author 2012-04-21 07:51:32.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

04/21/2012 07:59:18 AM · #16

Originally posted by BrennanOB:

Totally irrelevant tip: To copy all layers below the selection and see how the blend looks without flattening hit Control, alt, shift, E. You get a new layer composite image and keep all the steps so far.

Whoa! Who knew? That's a MAJOR asset for my workflow :-)