VPA104: Workshop 2 Week 2: Shadows

In our lecture last week, we looked at the importance of light in photography. In this week’s workshop, we’re going to get you to practice moving light around by casting shadows.

There are three exercises to complete: 1. Cast a shadow from a ball 2. Cast a shadow from a bottle 3. Cast a shadow from a person

VPA104 WORKSHOP 2: LIGHT & SHADOWS

CASTING SHADOWS

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WORKSHOP 2

When you want to create a realistic shadow for something spherical, this step-by-step tutorial can really help. It utilises the Elliptical Marquee Tool, the Brush Tool, Opacity, Blend mode and a final B&W adjustment layer. Once you’ve got the hang of this one you should move on to the other shadow tasks where different methods are used for different shaped selections.

VPA104 WORKSHOP 2: LIGHT & SHADOWS

Image of soccer ball included in this folder.

(Practice table.jpg for an alternative task using this method.)

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Workshop 2 Task 1: Soccer ball shadow

When you’ve finished you can SAVE AS a Photoshop file for future edits and reference.

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We start out with a white ball on a white background intentionally to give you the opportunity of making careful selections. (Remember to enlarge your selection {command+} for viewing more easily in the window when aligning the Transform Selection to the edges of your ball.) {Command – will reduce the viewing size).

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Select the Elliptical Marquee Tool (from Tool Panel beneath Rectangular Marquee Tool). You can achieve a circular shape (as opposed to elliptical) by holding down the shift key.

Don’t worry if it’s not fitting exactly over the ball at this stage. (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1

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Open the ball.jpg file in Photoshop. Go to Menu bar at top and check Adjustments, History, and Layers from the drop-down menu. (Others below may already be checked as well which is OK).

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A box will appear around your elliptical selection. (Fig.3)

Fig. 3 Fig. 2

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Go to top menu bar >Select>Transform Selection. (Fig. 2)

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Fig. 4

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Drag the handles (outer squares) of the box to fit around the edges of your ball perfectly. (Fig. 4)

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Hit return to apply the transformation.

Fig. 5

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Be sure you have selected exactly the edges (or just a whisper inside of the outer circumference of the ball or you’ll have some original background included when it’s moved). (Fig. 5)

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Create a new canvas. File>New. (Fig.6)

Enter new pixel dimensions. (Fig 7)

Fig. 7

Fig. 6

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Open ball image selection and copy (command C) then make new canvas active and paste ball selection (command V). (Fig. 8)

Select Move Tool and move the ball to be where you’d like. (Fig. 9)

Fig. 8

Fig. 9

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Change your new layer name to Ball layer. You’re now going to create your first shadow using the brush tool. Select brush from the Tool box or hit B on your keypad. Be sure you have the correct brush tool selected from the brush options – ie it’s just called “Brush Tool”. (Fig. 10)

Right-click anywhere inside the ball with your mouse and a dialogue box pops up. Make the pixel size around 50 – 70 and set the hardness slider to 0. (Fig. 11)

Fig. 10

Fig. 11

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Create a new layer and rename it Large Shadow.

Draw a smallish shadow with your brush. Try and keep it reasonably symmetrical. (Fig. 12)

Drag this new layer beneath the Ball layer (so that the shadow will be under the actual ball and not over it). With the shadow layer still active, go to Menu > Free Transform or shortcut command T on the keyboard. (Fig 13).

Fig. 13

Fig. 12

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Fig. 14

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Start dragging the handles outwards, upwards, etc until you feel the shadow is looking right. Then lower the opacity to around 60% or whatever looks right. (Fig. 14)

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Now you need to create another New Layer and name this one Small shadow. You can turn visibility of your layers on and off if you wish by clicking on the eye icon to the L.H. side of the Layers Panel. At this stage the smaller shadow isn’t created – only the layer for it and visibility is turned off the ball layer. (Fig 15)

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Fig. 16

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Select small shadow layer, and keep visibility turned off ball layer. Create a smaller circle on the new layer. Opacity should be at 100% for this one. You can also move this layer above the Ball layer and then relocate below again when you’re ready to move on. (Fig 16)

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Fig. 17

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Hit command T again to create a Transform box around the smaller shadow. Stretch it out as you did with the larger shadow but this time making it less wide as this darker shadow will be directly under the ball. Activate your ball layer and turn visibility back on and see where your shadows all fit. You can move the ball by selecting Move Tool. The smaller darker shadow should be just visible beneath the ball. (Fig 17)

Now there are a couple of other things you can do with this: 18.

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Create a New Layer and call it Blend Layer.

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Copy and paste ball selection into Blend Layer.

Now change from Normal blend mode to Multiply.

You’ll see that the selection has darkened a little and has a more 3D appearance. (Fig 18) Fig. 18

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With ball layer active, make another selection around the ball with your elliptical marquee tool as per steps 2-5.

Now I’m going to add a B&W adjustment layer. Go to either of these two places to create a layer adjustment. (Figs 19; 20a, 20b).

From the Adjustments Panel (Already checked in Window in Photoshop Menu bar). (Fig 19).

That will give you these options when you click on the icon. (Fig 20b).

Fig. 19

Fig. 20b

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Fig. 20a

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Fig. 21

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Once you’ve created the adjustment layer, you’ll get this panel that will enable you to change the RGB sliders individually to your liking. (Fig 21)

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SAVE AS a Photoshop file. You can return to this and change the direction of the shadow effect, or create the shadow further below the ball to give the impression that the ball is in the air above the shadow etc. If wanting this effect you might like to extend the shadows, lower the opacity more and/or add a little blur to the shadow(s). (In menu bar go to Filter>Blur and select Guassian Blur.

Move the slider until it looks right for the distance from the ball to the shadow(s).

Experiment. Improve on this example!

Workshop 2 Task 2: Bottle shadow

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Open Photoshop.

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Go to Windows. Open select History & Layers.

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Open Bottle Image in Photoshop.

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Use Quick Selection tool to select around bottle.

VPA104 WORKSHOP 2: LIGHT & SHADOWS

NOTE: Shadows filter back the further away they get from their subject. They usually become lighter and more diffused and softer.

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Use the image of the bottle in the Interact 2 folder for this week 2 workshop.

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Copy (command C)

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Create a new blank canvas: File>New. Give it the settings of 1600 x 1200 dimensions and 96ppi either Horizontal or Landscape Format.

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Paste (Command V) onto new layer

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10. Make a copy of this layer (Command J)

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Select Move tool and position to a side roughly following the light source already on the bottle to make room for its shadow.

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Make the original layer active and press Command T to open your Transform tool.

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Then press return.

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Go to the top middle square and press and hold Command as you drag it down at an angle that takes into regard the position and angle of light on your subject. To reposition it, click inside the Transform box and move it.

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Just to the right of the Lock, click on the lock transparent pixels icon.

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Cick on the 3rd box which is the black to white. Be sure that the linear gradient is highlighted.

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Go to the bottom of your object and drag the line above its top.

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Click back on the icon to unlock it.

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Open the gradient tool (under Paint bucket) and click on the arrow next to the horizontal gradient bar.

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Next we’ll blur the shadow. First we’ll blur the base.

Change the blend mode from Normal to Multiply.

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Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.

Blur by 3 -5 pixels. (Depending on the size and resolution of your image you may want to adjust the number.)

Open your rectangular marquee tool and drag out a rectangle across the top half of the shadow.

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Click on Refine Edge and feather it quite liberally – around 100 pixels).

Go back to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and for the top half of the shadow blur it by 20 pixels.

Press Command D to delete the selection.

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Lastly we want to reduce the shadow’s opacity a bit so enter 80% (instead of 100%).

Workshop 2 Task 3: Shadow with an Irregular Base

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This image can be found in the Interact 2 folder for this week 2 workshop.

2. Open Figure image (in folder).

3. Select around the figure with Quick selection tool Copy (command C) 4. Paste (command V) onto new canvas 5. Select move tool and re-position to allow room for its shadow and roughly following the light source already on the figure.

6. Make a copy of this layer (Command J) 7. Make the original layer active and press Command T to open your Transform tool.

8. Go to the top middle square and press and hold Command as you drag it down at an angle that takes into regard the position and angle of light on your subject. To reposition it, click inside the Transform box and move it. Then press return.

10. Open the gradient tool (under Paint bucket) and click on the arrow next to the horizontal gradient bar.

11. Click on the 3rd box which is the black to white.

Be sure that the linear gradient is highlighted.

Go to the bottom of your object and drag the line above its top.

12. Click back on the icon to unlock it.

13. Change the blend mode from Normal to Multiply.

You’ll notice that with this subject that the shadow doesn’t match up to the subject’s base - I.E. the feet. Now we’ll correct this.

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Change to W: 1200 x H: 1600 (Vertical [or Portrait] format)

9. Just to the right of the Lock, click on the lock transparent pixels icon.

VPA104 WORKSHOP 2: LIGHT & SHADOWS

1. Create a new blank canvas – FILE>NEW

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Go to Edit>Puppet Warp.

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You can also rotate the pin by pressing and holding alt/option key and then rotate it. When you’re happy with the shadow’s position or angle press return. As an alternative to Puppet Warp you can go to Edit > Transform> Warp. Click on the bottom corner and drag it until the shadow meets the bottom of its subject. Continue to pull on areas of the warp transform until it’s positioned as close to your subject as possible.

Press Return.

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Click on the point of each shadow that you want to be matched in position with its subject and pull on the pin icon and drag it to the bottom of its source.

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Open your rectangular marquee tool and drag out a rectangle across the top half of the shadow.

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Click on Refine Edge and feather it quite liberally – around 100 pixels).

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(Depending on the size and resolution of your image you may want to adjust the number.)

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Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.

Blur by 3 pixels.

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Lastly we want to reduce the shadow’s opacity a bit so enter 80% (instead of 100%).

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Go back to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and for the top half of the shadow blur it by 20 pixels. Press Command D to delete the selection.

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