{"id":11978,"date":"2025-10-14T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/?p=11978"},"modified":"2025-10-14T07:01:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T11:01:11","slug":"tricky-shadows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/tricky-shadows\/","title":{"rendered":"Tricky Shadows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the past two years in countless posts, I\u2019ve talked about the importance of proper shadows. This goes all the way back to one of my first real technique driven posts, \u201cDon\u2019t Let Your Pages Look Flat<\/a><\/strong>\u201d from April of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between April of 2023 and a recent post about creating folds<\/a><\/strong> in July of this year, I\u2019ve talked about shadowing countless types of elements from buttons and bows to complex things like hot air balloons<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oddly enough, I\u2019ve never specifically talked about how to properly (and easily) add a shadow to transparent elements. I have no idea why I\u2019ve never talked about this before. But I\u2019m going to take care of that today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s high time I share my technique for shadowing glass or other translucent images. It doesn\u2019t involve any special filters and can be accomplished in just a few steps. And I\u2019m not kidding\u2026I promise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shadowing Glass<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"Glass<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Before I get started here\u2019s a quick reminder, I use Photoshop Elements (PSE) 2024. If you use a different version, some of my screen shots may not look the same as what you see on your screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last August in my \u201cStitching Realism<\/a><\/strong>\u201d post I showed you how to create a shadow on its own layer. Knowing how to do that is one of the keys to successfully shadowing transparent objects. But today I\u2019m going to show you a quicker and easier way to put a shadow on its own layer.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Duh!\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I know, you\u2019re wondering why I didn\u2019t do that last year. You\u2019re not alone, I\u2019m wondering the same thing right about now<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is one thing about shadowing glass that I won\u2019t get into today\u2026creating a cast shadow!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glass can cast a shadow. If you read my \u201cShadows Flying High<\/a><\/strong>\u201d post you already know about Cast Shadows! But I\u2019m guessing you didn\u2019t think an empty glass would cast a shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Glass<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Well, it can and here\u2019s why. No material is 100% transparent; glass interacts with light through reflection and refraction, which are processes that deflect light rays. The edges of the glass or any curved surfaces, like lenses, can bend light and create darker areas (shadows) where light is blocked, and brighter areas where light is focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This bending of light rays can redirect some of the light away from the area directly behind the glass. The areas where light is deflected or blocked by the glass become darker, creating a shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m going to keep our shadows simple today. Mostly because I\u2019m going to be working with relatively flat elements and I\u2019ve already covered creating Cast shadows. Just keep that concept in mind if you\u2019re going to be trying to create a shadow for an element that is tall, like a bottle or vase.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Science<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Okay\u2026that\u2019s enough science for today. Let\u2019s create a reasonably proper shadow for most “flat” glass\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create Glass Shadow<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m just going to open a blank 12×12 file in PSE and pull in a nice background from \u201cOver The Moon<\/a><\/strong>\u201d by Art Addicts Designs:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Base\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: If you\u2019re following along, you can use any paper that you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I\u2019m going to pull in a cute fish bowl element from that same kit:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Fish<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: If you\u2019re following along, you can use any glass element that you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, just for fun I\u2019m going to add a fish (again from the same kit) and layer it beneath the fish bowl in the Layers Panel. Then I add a drop shadow:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Fish<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: If you\u2019re following along using the fish bowl, you can skip adding the fish if you only want to work on the fish bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because this fish is inside a round fish bowl that would, in reality, be lifted fairly high off the paper, I created the shadow for the fish so it too would appear to be floating off the paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The settings I used for that shadow are: Lighting Angle=120 degrees, Color=medium-dark grey (#696258), Size=50, Distance=40px and Opacity=85%. You can use whatever settings fit the element you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, I duplicate the fish bowl and add a drop shadow to the original fish bowl:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Bowl<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Again, this is a round fish bowl that would, in reality, be lifted fairly high off the paper. So, I created the shadow with these settings: Lighting Angle=120 degrees, Color=medium-dark grey (#696258), Size=50, Distance=40px and Opacity=85%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: If you\u2019re using a flat element, you\u2019ll want to use whatever settings fit the dimension of the element you\u2019re using. For example, if you\u2019re using a flat glass button your settings should be something like this: Lighting Angle=120 degrees (or whatever is appropriate for your project), Color=medium-dark grey (#696258), Size=18, Distance=10px and Opacity=60%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly (well maybe not so clear \ud83d\ude09), the shadow has darkened the \u201cwater\u201d in the fish bowl! I certainly don\u2019t want a shadow filling the space that should be clear. This is where putting the shadow on its own layer is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s the easy way to get that shadow on its own layer\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Separate The Shadow<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m actually going to duplicate the original fish bowl layer that now has the shadow. I\u2019m doing this so I can preserve the shadow settings in the event I need to make changes to the shadow later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hide the \u201coriginal\u201d shadowed layer and rename the duplicate layer to Bowl Shadow. Then I also rename the first duplicate fish bowl layer (should be the top layer in the Layers Panel) to Fish Bowl. I know this might be getting confusing so here is what my Layers Panel looks like right now:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Layers<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Next, I simplify the Bowl Shadow layer. Sometimes PSE isn\u2019t always cooperative when simplifying a layer that has a style applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your layer still shows the fx<\/em><\/strong> (style) icon on the far right in the Layers Panel after having simplified the layer, just simplify the layer a second time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to delete everything except the shadow on the Bowl Shadow layer. So with the Bowl Shadow layer active, I Ctrl-Click on the thumbnail of the Fish Bowl layer:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Bowl<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

At first glance, it looks like the marching ants are around everything except the shadow around the bowl. Which, on the surface, looks to be true. But in actuality\u2026the shadow within the bowl is not part of the selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For just a moment I\u2019m going to hide the Fish Bowl layer so I can better illustrate what is happening. At this point if I were to press the Delete key, PSE would in fact delete the actual element leaving only the shadow:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Partial<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But having the shadow inside the bowl is still problematic. So, I\u2019m going to undo this (Ctrl-Z) and get back to the original selection that you saw above with the Fish Bowl layer unhidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Bowl Shadow layer still active and the selection still around the element, all I have to do is grab the Magic Wand tool and click the Add to selection icon, set the Tolerance to 32px and check Contiguous. Now I can simply select the remaining portions of the shadow inside the fish bowl:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Bowl<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: Depending on the element you\u2019re using, sometimes the Magic Wand tool isn\u2019t the best option when trying to add to the selection. If you\u2019re having trouble with that try using the Selection Brush tool instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point when I press the Delete key, hide the Fish Bowl layer again and cancel the selection (Ctrl-D or Esc) I see this:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Shadow<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This created a shadow on its own layer without any part of the fish bowl remaining and no \u201cinside\u201d shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I can unhide the Fish Bowl layer which contains the original fish bowl (no shadow):<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Fish<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I now have a shadow around my fish bowl, but not behind\/inside it. I can also clearly see my cute fish inside the transparent glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That really was pretty easy, right?!? And it works on just about any element when you want the shadow to be on a separate layer. But it is particularly effective when dealing with transparent\/translucent images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s a layout where I used that finished fish bowl:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Man<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like to see more details about this layout you can find it in my 2025 Gallery<\/a><\/strong>. The title of the layout is \u201cMan In The Moon\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I let you go, here\u2019s an example of some translucent water splashes: one with a \u201cregular\u201d shadow and one with a shadow on its own layer:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Water<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Note<\/strong>: Those water splashes were provided to participants in a challenge back several years ago. Consequently, I cannot give you a link for these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you enjoyed learning a quick way to shadow a transparent image! And if you feel really brave maybe you can try to create a Cast shadow on a tall glass of water. Please give it a try and let me know how it goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Few Tips<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"Tips<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When simplifying a layer always ensure that it is truly simplified. Just double-check to see if the fx<\/strong><\/em> icon is still showing. If so, just simplify the layer again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experiment with changing the shadow layer’s blending mode to Multiply. This makes the shadow blend more realistically with the color(s) beneath it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try adjusting the shadow layer’s overall opacity to control its intensity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t forget, this \u201ceasy\u201d way to get a shadow on its own layer will work with most any elements, transparent or not!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember\u2026Inspiration exists but it has to find you working. \u2013 Pablo Picasso<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading this week\u2019s Tuesday Tip. Remember, if you have any suggestions or questions please don\u2019t hesitate to “Message Me<\/a><\/strong>“. Check back next week for yet another tip about grunge. Click \u201cFollow Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d to stay in touch. I hope you have a wonderful week!<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Keep<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over the past two years in countless posts, I\u2019ve talked about the importance of proper shadows. This goes all the way back to one of my first real technique driven posts, \u201cDon\u2019t Let Your Pages Look Flat\u201d from April of 2023. Between April of 2023 and a recent post about creating folds in July of this year, I\u2019ve talked about shadowing countless types of elements from buttons and bows to complex things like hot air balloons. Oddly enough, I\u2019ve never…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"0","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tuesday-tip-day"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}