Masters Academy

Natural Shadows

In this lesson you’ll see how you can slide the background out from under a natural shadow so you can move the image onto a new background and end up with a natural-looking result. We’ll then discuss how to get the color of the shadow to match other shadows in an image. You’ll also learn how to reproduce a shadow based on the original for those times when the background cannot be separated from the shadow. You’ll then see how to make a shadow truly transparent so it only needs a single layer and can be used on web sites. We’ll finish up talking about creating shadows that only print with black ink, which help to prevent color shifts when reproducing an image on a printing press. In the process, you’ll also learn about some nice features related to layer masks that are found in the Properties panel.