Worth1000.com | Photoshop Contests | Are you Worthy™ | tutorial
We’re pretty near being done at this point. The droplets have had some shadows added. Again, this was done with the brush tool, at a small, soft setting and opacity at 10%. Build up the density of the shadows slowly so you can evaluate the results more critically. The larger drops cast a slightly darker shadow than the smaller ones. A proper stem was added with some final inspection and cleanup and shaping of edges and shapes.
This is the final step. A necessary shadow was added to “sit” the cherry down. This shadow was added freehand on three different layers. The brush tool with soft edge applied black at 10% opacity. On one layer the basic shape was formed with lighter softer edges as the shadow recedes from the object. On a second layer the darker tone closer to the cherry was added. Both built up by repetitive strokes. On the third layer some dilute color picked up from the cherry was added since most strong colored objects reflect some of their color into shadows. Remember that shadows are darker and sharper close to the object and get softer edged and lighter as they recede. Trying to draw them this way is a bit difficult so I usually finish by touching them up with the eraser and smudge tool. I hope this was of some help to you. While I realize that this method can only be used on objects with a relatively smooth surface like cherries, peppers, plums etc., the idea of using a brush technique to solve other problems is something to consider. The use of the brush tool here is so simple it doesn’t require great artistic skill. A bit of trial and error and you’ve got it.
file:///C|/Worth1000/28.htm (3 van 3)13-6-2006 23:17:45