Realistic Cast Shadow

  1. Duplicate Layer [ctrl + J]
  2. Free Transform [ctrl + T]
    • hold ctrl key while transforming and drag a little longer and down to the left or right, be creative this is just a tip. Try shorter for a light that is more directly above.
  3. On the Layers Pallet click the “Lock: ‘checkerboard’” (Lock Transparency), the first one.
  4. Fill the Layer with Black.
  5. Gradient To0l with black to white and drag from the bottom of the object to the top of the shadow object.
  6. Unlock the Transparency Lock.
  7. Filter > Gaussian Blurr [low res: ~1.5px]
    • slight blurring effect
  8. Select back half of the shadow
  9. Select > Feather [low res: ~20px]
    • larger number so there is a slow transition
  10. Filter > Gaussian Blurr [low res: ~3.3px]
    • higher amount of blurr so that the definition in the shadow becomes less evident.
  11. Lower the Opacity [~56%]
  12. Creative idea: try adding multiple shadows at different opacities.

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