Realistic Shadows may sound like a very minor thing to a person who is just starting his online store but what most entrepreneurs forget is one of the secrets behind a booming business is to focus on every single detail.

According to multiple statistics, shadows can indeed leave a huge impact on your online business. Prominent online markets use this unique feature on their product images since long and experts suggest the newbies of the industry to apply this on their startups too.

There are three basic types of shadows that can be added to your product images –

• Natural Shadow
• Drop Shadow
• Reflection Shadow

Today, we will discuss these three shadows in detail. Also, you will get the tutorials on how to add these effects on your images from this article.

Tutorial: How to Add a Natural Shadow in Photoshop

Natural shadow is what we get as the natural reflection of light. There is no artificial touch in it. Keeping the real shadow in your product images are always wise.

Natural shadow goes with any kind of products. It may be glass bottles, models and any other products.

Here is a step by step tutorial of creating the natural shadow on your product or e-commerce images with Photoshop –

Step 1: Open your image

Open your image with Photoshop

Step 2: Copy background layer

Copy the background layer from the layer panel

Step 3: Select path

Select path (shortcut: Ctrl+Path)

Step 4: Select feather

Select feather (shortcut: Ctrl=Alt+D) keep the radiation at 0.3

Step 5: Add mask

Add mask

Step 6: Put a solid color

Select the background layer and put a solid color in it

Step 7: White color

Select white

Step 8: Background 2 layer

Copy the background again and create background 2 layer

Step 9: Use solid color

Put background copy 2 on a solid color

Step 10: Turn off

Turn off the background copy

Step 11: Go to channel

Go to channel and choose a darker color from the RGB color panel (in this tutorial it’s green)

Step 12: Copy a layer

Copy the green layer

Step 13: Adjust the shadow

Now adjust the shadow from the level layer (shortcut: Ctrl+L)

Step 14: Inverse the level layer

Inverse the level layer (shortcut: Ctrl+I)

Step 15: Select shadow

Select shadow with Lasso Tool of Photoshop

Step 16: Inverse the selection

Inverse the selection (shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+I)

Step 17: Select color

Keep the default color black

Step 18: Delete the rest of the image

Delete the rest of the parts of your image leaving a shadow behind

Step 19: Deselect image

Now deselect the whole image (shortcut: Ctrl+D)

Step 20: Delete layer from channels

Select and delete the green copy layer

Step 21: Select the vector mask

Select the vector mask on the background copy layer

Step 22: Turn on the background copy

Turn on the background copy

Step 23: Set feather

Set feather at 5 (shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+D)

Step 24: Use brush tool

Select Brush Tool

Step 25: Increase shadow

Use the tool on the shadow area and increase shadow visibility

Step 26: Adjust layer

Adjust layer (Black and White)

Step 27: Cross the flyout menu

Cross the flyout menu

Step 28: Save the file

Save the file and you’re good to go …

 

Video Tutorial: How to Create a Natural Shadow on Product Image

Tutorial: How to Add a Drop Shadow in Photoshop

Drop shadow is an artificial shadow that gets fixed in Photoshop. The main difference between natural and drop shadow is the layers of shadows. Most of the natural shadows have multiple layers which go darker to lighter as the shadow goes far from the source. However, a drop shadow is created with Photoshop and does not have multiple layers of shadow in it.

Drop shadow services mostly goes with product images.

Here is a step-by-step tutorial of Drop Shadow:

Step 1: Open image

Open your file first

Step 2: Copy the background layer

Copy the background layer of your file, select layer and go to Feather Radiation at 0.3% (Shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+D)

Step 3: Background Copy layer

Mask the Background Copy layer

Step 4: Color Picker

Go to Color Picker and select a solid color in the background

Step 5: Fresh layer

Create a fresh layer

Step 6: Do path

Do path on the part of the image you want to add a shadow on the fresh layer

Step 7: Add Feather Radius

Copy the path and add Feather Radius at 20

Step 8: Set the background color

Select the path and set the background color black (Shortcut: Ctrl+Backspace)

Step 9: Select the mask

Select the mask on the layer. Then select the Gradient Tool from the left toolbar (marked on the image) and fix the shadow

Step 10: Select the Brush Tool

Select the Brush Tool from the left toolbar and give the shadow a proper finishing

Step 11: Save the file

Save the file and you are good to go …

There are many alternatives to this technique. If you are interested in knowing one more technique then please read: how to add drop shadow in Photoshop.

Video Tutorial: How to create realistic drop shadow in Photoshop

Photoshop Tutorial: How to Create a Reflection Shadow

Reflection shadow is a kind of shadow that reflects the main material of your images. For example, if you send an image of glass made nail polish bottle for post-production work and want it to have reflection shadow on it then you would see a reflected bottle on your images.

Interestingly, reflection shadow goes with almost all kind of images. May it be model retouch, may it be apparel products or may it be wedding pictures. Depending on clients’ requirement, this can be applied to any image you have in your hands.

Here is how you can add reflection shadow to your images:

Step 1: Open your image

Open your image with Photoshop

Step 2: Create a background copy

Create a background copy

Step 3: Select Path

Select Path and set the feather at 0.3 pixels (shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+D)

Step 4: Mask

Add mask

Step 5: Fill the background

Fill the background with a solid color (white preferred for product images)

Step 6: Copy the layer

Copy the layer with a mask

Step 7: Apply a layer mask

Apply layer mask

Step 8: Middle mark

Select the product (shortcut: Ctrl+T) and put the middle mark at the bottom of the product

Step 9: Flip Verticle

Click right button of your mouse on the mark and add Flip Verticle

Step 10: Mask Layer

Take a Mask Layer of the layer you were working on

Step 11: Reflection of your product

Select the Gradient Tool and apply it to the reflection of your product

Step 12: New layer

Create a new layer

Step 13: Merges with reflection

Take the Pen Tool and select the part where your main product merges with reflection and Path

Step 14: Set the feather

Select the Path and set the feather at 5 (shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+T)

Step 15: Set default color

Set black as default color then press Ctrl+Backspace

Step 16: Blend the shadow

Blend the shadow when the path is selected. To blend the shadow go to Filter>Blur> Motion Blur

Step 17: Set the angle

Set the angle at 0 and distance at a relevant number

Step 18: Blend in the gradient

Now go to Filter>Blur>Gradient Blur to blend in the gradient

Step 19: Set opacity

Set the opacity at a relevant ratio

Step 20: Remove extra shadow

Create a mask layer and remove the extra shadow from it

Step 21: Save the file

And, you’re good to go … Your file is finished and you have a perfectly edited reflection shadow on your product image

I hope this would help you to create any kind of shadow on your product images.

Video Tutorial: How to Make Reflection Shadow of a Car Image

It is always better to get help from experts like Offshore Clipping for best possible results. However, if you want to do it by yourself then the way of adding shadow to your product images are mentioned above.

Please share this article so that more people see it and get benefited.

As always, please feel free to leave your questions in the comment section. I would love to answer them as early as possible. Besides, you may ask if you have any difficulty while editing your images.

Cheers!