{"id":7240,"date":"2024-08-13T00:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/?p=7240"},"modified":"2025-08-30T15:18:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T19:18:14","slug":"stitching-realism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/stitching-realism\/","title":{"rendered":"Stitching Realism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I know I\u2019ve talked a lot about stitches &amp; such over the past several weeks. I also know this is a scrapbooking trend that tends to come and go in cycles. It will be very trendy for a while and then it cools off for a bit. But it never really goes away.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/CreateRealisticShadowssmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"499\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/CreateRealisticShadowssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Realistic Shadows\" class=\"wp-image-7243\" style=\"width:auto;height:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/CreateRealisticShadowssmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/CreateRealisticShadowssmaller-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/CreateRealisticShadowssmaller-216x270.jpg 216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Lately it seems we\u2019re seeing more and more stitching elements. That was one of the reasons I started this whole series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I know I already posted about <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/dont-let-your-pages-look-flat\/\" title=\"\">shadowing elements<\/a><\/strong> back in April of 2023. But today I want to specifically talk about the right time and way to add shadows to stitching elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Shadows &amp; Stitches<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchesWorkingWithShadowssmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"343\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchesWorkingWithShadowssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Working With Shadows\" class=\"wp-image-7244\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchesWorkingWithShadowssmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchesWorkingWithShadowssmaller-300x257.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchesWorkingWithShadowssmaller-315x270.jpg 315w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Let\u2019s face it we could talk about drop shadows all day and there would be close to a million different ideas, theories and opinions about what is right or wrong, what looks good and what doesn\u2019t (okay maybe not really a million \ud83d\ude0a). In life and in art shadows are a science. That\u2019s to say, the how &amp; the why, is based on real, (deep gasp) factual science. But I&#8217;m not going to get into the science, I promise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I think the majority of digital scrappers will agree that shadows can make or break a page. Shadowing is an art. And there seems to be a never-ending journey for many of us to perfect the fine art of shadowing. It\u2019s an art that I readily admit I\u2019m not necessarily proficient at. That\u2019s why I love using shadow layer styles! But I do have some tips, tricks, and observations to share about creating your own shadows, particularly on stitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Shadows Categories<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowCategoriessmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"101\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowCategoriessmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Shadow Categories\" class=\"wp-image-7245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowCategoriessmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowCategoriessmaller-300x76.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In my opinion there are 4 basic categories for what I call \u201cnormal\u201d shadows used on digital layouts. As I mentioned above there are countless different ideas, theories and opinions on this. But I try to keep things grouped in the 4 categories you see in the image above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The category names under each of those leaves above should be self-explanatory. With perhaps one exception\u2026Custom Shadows. Again, in my opinion, the Custom category includes any shadow that is warped to give more \u201clift\u201d to the element.  Or shadows for things like translucent elements such as vellum, glass and acrylic. These kinds of elements need to be treated differently. Their shadows definitely take some customization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Today I\u2019m not going to go into a whole lot of detail about each of these categories but I will touch on all of them in some way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">No Shadows<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoShadowssmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoShadowssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"No Shadows\" class=\"wp-image-7246\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoShadowssmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoShadowssmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoShadowssmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Remember&#8230;I use the current version of Photoshop Elements (PSE \u2013 2024). Some of my screen shots may look different than what you see on your screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The layout pictured above (unfinished) is perhaps a bit out of place here since nearly everything on that layout should have shadows. Regardless, right now I\u2019m going to be talking about things in our layouts that don\u2019t require shadows. I specifically left the shadows off that layout &amp; placed it in here to emphasize how flat a layout can look without any shadows! You\u2019ll be seeing this layout a few more times as you read through this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> I created the sample layout above using products from \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalscrapbook.com\/jessica-dunn\/kits\/woolen-mill-bundle-baby-wool-sheep-knitting-needles-yarn-moon-stars-cloud-mobile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Woolen Mill<\/a><\/strong>\u201d by Jessica Dunn of The Curio Pantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">While we always need to be mindful of shadows, it is important to understand that certain things in our digital layouts should almost never be shadowed. These are things that are normally one dimensional (flat) and typically blend in with the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If it was a traditional paper scrapbook layout these are things that you wouldn\u2019t be able to reach out and touch or physically pick up off the paper. This category of elements includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Brushes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Doodles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Overlays<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paint<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Photo Masks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rub-ons<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some Scatters<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some Word Art<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stamps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As with most things, there are likely some exceptions but not many. And the above list is probably not complete but I think you get the idea. Take a look at this \u201ctransfer\u201d I created using a cluster of embellishments for a layout currently \u201cunder construction\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ATimeForPeacesmaller.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"187\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ATimeForPeacesmaller.png\" alt=\"Time for Peace\" class=\"wp-image-7247\" style=\"width:350px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ATimeForPeacesmaller.png 500w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ATimeForPeacesmaller-300x112.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">This group of embellishments falls under the category of things that you could not reach down and pick up off your page. As a whole, these things are stamped, written, or brushed right onto a surface. Adding a shadow to any of these would remove their realism &amp; believability. And in this case that would include the stitching I used!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> I created that transfer using elements from various kits by various designers. Rather than calling out each element\/kit I will credit the following designers here: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oscraps.com\/shop\/digital-art-designs-by-lynne-anzelc-designs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Lynne Anzelc<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/digital-artistry.com\/manu-scraps\/categories\/\" title=\"\">Manu Scraps<\/a><\/strong>, &amp; <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetshoppedesigns.com\/sweetshoppe\/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=63\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">River Rose<\/a><\/strong>. Clearly, I don\u2019t always work with only one kit at a time \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Bad Shadowing<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BadShadowssmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BadShadowssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Bad Shadows\" class=\"wp-image-7248\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BadShadowssmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BadShadowssmaller-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BadShadowssmaller-372x270.jpg 372w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As I said in the beginning, there are multiple categories of shadows depending on the element\/paper. I\u2019ve already talked about No Shadows. Now I want to talk about a category that wasn\u2019t on that list, Bad Shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">This is what happens if you use a really dark shadow at a very bold (and identical) setting on every single paper\/element in your layout:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutBoldShadowssmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutBoldShadowssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Very Bold Identical Shadows\" class=\"wp-image-7249\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutBoldShadowssmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutBoldShadowssmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutBoldShadowssmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">That looks very extreme and anything but realistic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">We generally should try to layer our elements and their shadows one by one, from bottom to top, so that they look like how a \u201creal\u201d paper layout would look. The basic rule of thumb is, the further away you get from the base layer the lighter and more diffuse (blurry) a shadow should become. Here are a few things to consider when working on shadows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Opacity:<\/strong> This determines how dark or light you want your shadow to be. So many things can affect the Opacity level including the color of your paper or whatever else might be beneath the item being shadowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Angle:<\/strong> I\u2019ve talked about this a lot and there really is (in my opinion) only two hard and fast rules. Rule #1\u2026Shadows should always follow the obvious lighting angle in any photo(s) on the layout. Rule #2\u2026BE CONSISTENT!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Distance:<\/strong> The Distance will determine how far off the paper your element will appear to be. If you are layering several bulky elements underneath a photo, realistically that photo would be quite a distance from the background. So, your Distance would be greater. Alternately, if a flat element is sitting directly on top of the background paper, it would have a very small Distance. You want to try and picture how it would look in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Size:<\/strong> This determines the blur of your shadow. You can play around with this to see how it affects the look of your shadow. Keep in mind, the blur (Size) is what will make the shadow appear more diffuse. So, the Size should be larger for things that might appear to be floating off the page. Something like a butterfly or a bird in flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Color:<\/strong> This setting generally stirs up a bit of controversy. Seems as though every designer uses a different color. Some will actually use black (another deep gasp). Basically, I would avoid black for shadows. Most shadows in nature aren\u2019t a true black; they may look black but in nature they are closer to blue. Other designers will use a dark brown color (#221810). I tend to use a medium grey (#696258).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you\u2019d like to see a list of some general shadow settings please refer back to that post from April 18, 2023 about <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/dont-let-your-pages-look-flat\/\" title=\"\">shadowing<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Low Shadow<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutProperShadowssmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutProperShadowssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Proper Shadows\" class=\"wp-image-7250\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutProperShadowssmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutProperShadowssmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutProperShadowssmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019ve already talked about No Shadow. You\u2019ve already seen an example of Bold Shadows, even though they were used incorrectly\ud83d\ude09 Of the remaining basic categories, the one I will touch on in great detail today are the things that require low shadows but most specifically in regard to stitching:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alphas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brads<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buttons<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confetti<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Flat Ribbons<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low Profile Flowers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low Profile Frames<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paper<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Staples<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stickers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stitches<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Again, not an all-encompassing list by any means. In the digital world, this shadow category is by far the biggest. It is comprised of anything that tends to lay fairly flat on your scrapbook page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">A few of these things, like stitches, could actually go without a shadow. But that is because a lot of designers build a slight shadow into the stitch. It also depends on how \u201cmessy\u201d the stitch may be. Any stitching with any kind of curly or \u201cfly away\u201d tail will definitely need a shadow. And perhaps not as low of a shadow as flatter stitching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Normally I would consider a low drop shadow to have an Opacity of around 50-65%, a Size of around 7-10 pixels, and a Distance of around 4-6 pixels. But this is just a jumping off point. Depending on the item, the Size and Distance can go up or down \u2013 but likely only slightly. One thing that will have a bearing on that is the darkness of the element\/paper beneath the stitching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The layout in the image at the top of this section shows shadows that are ones I would call \u201cproper\u201d. The papers and most all of the elements follow the Low Shadow settings. The foliage and the stacked flowers adhere to the concept that the further away you get from the base layer the lighter and more diffuse (blurry) a shadow will become. Even though that foliage is under other elements, in the real world\u2026it would still be lifted further away from the paper in places even though it is beneath another element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">When To Shadow Stitches<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/FiveBasicTipssmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"330\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/FiveBasicTipssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"5 Basic Tips\" class=\"wp-image-7251\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/FiveBasicTipssmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/FiveBasicTipssmaller-300x248.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/FiveBasicTipssmaller-327x270.jpg 327w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">So having laid some groundwork about shadows in general, I\u2019m going to give you 5 basic tips specifically about shadowing stitches. And these tips will apply to stitching elements you\u2019ve purchased as well as any you\u2019ve created using the techniques I\u2019ve explained over the past month or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">That is, with one exception; stitching elements on which you\u2019ve applied a style such as the &#8220;String Photoshop Style&#8221; by Karen Schulz (retired) or by using the \u201cmanual\u201d process I outlined in the very first post about <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/sewing-essentials\/\" title=\"\">Strings &amp; Stitches<\/a><\/strong>. In those instances, a shadow typically will not be required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Most purchased styles for string or stitching will have a shadow built in. In those cases, you should almost always be able to go in and tweak the settings for the shadow if you need to adjust the Color, Size, Distance or Opacity. And there\u2019s nothing to stop you from turning off the drop shadow altogether to create your own if you are so inclined. But you definitely don\u2019t want to add a shadow to something that already has one \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Stitches on Flat Paper<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Shadows On Flat Paper\" class=\"wp-image-7252\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Any time you are using stitches to anchor one piece of flat paper over another (as in this zoomed portion of the earlier layout) the shadow should stay close to your paper. This is because real paper doesn\u2019t have a lot of shadow when sewn onto other pieces of paper. This would include times such as placing stitching over a frame, tag, journal card or other flat ephemera that is directly over another flat piece of paper as you can see above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Most Shadow Styles that I\u2019ve purchased tend to all be in the grey family. But as of late it seems \u201cthe jury is out\u201d on exactly which color a shadow should be. I\u2019m not going to go into that right now. Check back next week for a follow-on post about shadows in which I\u2019ll get into more detail about the whole color topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you are creating your shadow manually vs. using a Style\u2026go with a color that makes sense for your layout. Personally speaking, if it\u2019s grey I don\u2019t think you can go wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019d still recommend the \u201clow shadow\u201d settings I mentioned above: Opacity of around 50-65%, a Size of around 7-10 pixels, and a Distance of around 4-6 pixels. But this is just a starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Irregular Stitches<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutMessyStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutMessyStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Irregular Stitches\" class=\"wp-image-7254\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutMessyStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutMessyStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutMessyStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In this zoomed portion of the earlier layout, I\u2019ve replaced the original stitching with some messy stitching. When you have little threads hanging out of your stitching and those curly or \u201cfly away\u201d tails I mentioned earlier; these kinds of stitches need a different shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">For this particular shadow style, you will want to put your shadow on a separate layer (more on that in just a bit) and warp it slightly so that your loose ends appear further away from your page than your actual stitching does (more on warping later). This is one of the shadows that again, in my opinion, would fall into the Custom Shadow category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019m not going to warp this shadow because it looks pretty good even without extra &#8220;lift&#8221;. That aside, for these particular types of stitches, I would recommend the following settings initially: Opacity of somewhere around 35-45%, Size of about 10-15 pixels and Distance somewhere between 15-20 pixels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">However, the final settings are really going to be driven by how much lift you create on your stitching \u201ctail\u201d if\/when you warp it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As you can see in the image above, the flatter stitching looks only slightly \u201clifted\u201d bit it is lifted more than it would be naturally. That\u2019s one of the reasons to ideally put this shadow on a separate layer so you can warp only the \u201cfly away\u201d parts and not the flatter stitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Stitches On Similar Colors<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutRecoloredStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutRecoloredStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Stitches &amp; Background Color Similar\" class=\"wp-image-7255\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutRecoloredStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutRecoloredStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutRecoloredStitchOnFlatPaperShadowsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In this zoomed portion of the earlier layout, I\u2019ve re-colored the original stitching to more closely match the yellowish color in the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Any time you are stitching light or dark stitches on paper\/elements having similar colors or tones you need a distinct shadow so the shadow shows up properly. You don\u2019t necessarily need to make the shadow \u201cbigger\u201d. You just need to play with the Color &amp; Opacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">This is another one of those times when having your shadow on its own layer will come in handy. Having the shadow on its own layer gives you the ability to use a Blend Mode. This can really make your shadow more naturally blend a little better instead of just relying on Color and Opacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019d still recommend the Opacity of around 50%, a Size of around 10 pixels, and a Distance of around 6 pixels. But this is just a starting point. Depending on the item, the Size and Distance can go up or down \u2013 but likely only very slightly. One thing that will have a bearing on that is the darkness of the element\/paper beneath the stitching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Here\u2019s what that stitching looks like after I placed the shadow on its own layer and used a Blend Mode of Linear Light and Opacity of 65%:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowOnOwnLayerBlendedsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowOnOwnLayerBlendedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Shadow Blended\" class=\"wp-image-7256\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowOnOwnLayerBlendedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowOnOwnLayerBlendedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowOnOwnLayerBlendedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">If you look really close you can see the color of the shadow changes depending on which color is underneath the stitching. Now, I did not change the color of the shadow\u2026I still used the same medium grey I always use (#696258). This is where having the shadow on its own layer can help make it appear more realistic. Being able to use a Blend Mode really makes a difference!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Focal Point Stitches<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Layout Modified\" class=\"wp-image-7257\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In the image above, you can see that I moved some of the foliage and replaced the oval frame with a rectangular frame colored very close to the color in the background. Even with a shadow on the frame it tends to get lost amongst the other elements on the page. This is a good instance of where using focal point stitching can help draw the viewers eye to the frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">This generally also requires manipulating the color of the shadow, and some other tweaks in your settings, but making your stitching more pronounced on your layout can be a fun and attractive thing to do on occasion. However, I would typically recommend that you only do this if you are trying to accentuate or draw the viewer\u2019s eye to a particular photo or element on your page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">For these types of stitching elements, I\u2019d use the following settings: the Opacity of around 60%, a Size of around 10 pixels, and a Distance of around 10 pixels. Just keep in mind that the item you\u2019re trying to draw attention to and the color\/tone of the paper (or other element) behind the stitching will have a bearing on these settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Using the settings above and switching the shadow color to a warm brown (#674a3a), my frame now REALLY stands out! Perhaps a bit too much but I think you get the idea \ud83d\ude09:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedFocalShadowsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedFocalShadowsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Focal Point Stitches\" class=\"wp-image-7258\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedFocalShadowsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedFocalShadowsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutModifiedFocalShadowsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Any time you use focal point stitching please do be careful to not make the shadow too extreme. You don\u2019t want it to look like the stitching is floating off the paper!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Stitches Too Flat<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoFrameShadowsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoFrameShadowsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Stitches Are The Frame \" class=\"wp-image-7259\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoFrameShadowsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoFrameShadowsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutNoFrameShadowsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Occasionally you may use stitching as a border or a frame, and it sort of looks great without a shadow. Then as in the image above, there are times when that stitching looks just a bit too flat and you really want a more realistic look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Any time the stitches look too flat, a simple, subtle drop shadow is what can make the difference. These are times when you really don\u2019t want a lot of shadow you just don\u2019t want the stitching to look like it\u2019s drawn or stamped onto the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">For these instances, I\u2019d recommend the following settings: Opacity of around 40%, a Size of around 5-6 pixels, and a Distance of around 4-5 pixels. Just keep in mind all of the other things I\u2019ve previously mentioned that will have a bearing on these settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Here is that \u201cframe\u201d with a shadow using those settings:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutLightFrameShadowsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutLightFrameShadowsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Stitch Frame Light Shadow\" class=\"wp-image-7260\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutLightFrameShadowsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutLightFrameShadowsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutLightFrameShadowsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Another option is to try the tiniest of a bevel or even adding an inner glow can make the stitching a little more distinct without adding an actual shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> For most people, especially a beginner, coming up with glow settings that really make a noticeable difference can be tricky. For that reason, I would suggest that you stick with either a very simple shadow or a tiny bevel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Here is that same \u201cframe\u201d using the standard PSE Simple Emboss bevel with the Lighting Angle set to 120 (same angle as the other elements), the bevel Size set to 3px and the Direction set to Up:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutFrameTinyBevelsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutFrameTinyBevelsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Stitch Frame Tiny Bevel\" class=\"wp-image-7261\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutFrameTinyBevelsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutFrameTinyBevelsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SampleLayoutFrameTinyBevelsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">That looks better than the \u201cflat\u201d stitching. Perhaps a bit more \u201cintense\u201d than the light shadow but not enough to make that big of a difference. I think either one would be fine. You can be the judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">That concludes my discussion on the 5 basic tips for shadowing stitches. Next, I\u2019m going to get into shadows on separate layers and warping\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Shadows Warped On Separate Layer<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedDropShadowssmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedDropShadowssmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Warped Shadows\" class=\"wp-image-7262\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedDropShadowssmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedDropShadowssmaller-296x300.jpg 296w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedDropShadowssmaller-267x270.jpg 267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Sometimes it can be interesting and a bit fun to add an element of movement to your stitches. The easiest way to do this is by using the Warp tool. All you have to do is select the shadow layer (must be on a separate layer \u2013 tips for that shortly). Then go to the top tool bar and select Edit-&gt;Transform-&gt;Warp:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/TransformWarp01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"384\" height=\"247\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/TransformWarp01.jpg\" alt=\"Warp Tool\" class=\"wp-image-7263\" style=\"width:384px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/TransformWarp01.jpg 384w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/TransformWarp01-300x193.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Then just use the handles (Nodes or Anchor Points) to pull and reshape the shadow in the desired locations:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpingSpeechBubblesmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpingSpeechBubblesmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Warping Speech Bubble Shadow\" class=\"wp-image-7264\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpingSpeechBubblesmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpingSpeechBubblesmaller-291x300.jpg 291w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpingSpeechBubblesmaller-262x270.jpg 262w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Since the warp tool wasn\u2019t available in PSE until version 2022, a lot of you may not yet have access to that. So, I thought I\u2019d share with you an alternate way to create a warped shadow. Believe it or not, I\u2019m going to be using a Filter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The first thing I have to do is create my shadow on its own layer. I know more than once I\u2019ve referred you to a video tutorial from Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs if you didn\u2019t already know how to place your shadow on its own layer. But today I\u2019m going to give you a quicker way to accomplish that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019m going to go back to that speech bubble stitching I created in my \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/stitches-contd\/\" title=\"\">Text On Shape<\/a><\/strong>\u201d post from July 16th:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TextOnShapeTypingGapClosedsmaller-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TextOnShapeTypingGapClosedsmaller-1.jpg\" alt=\"Speech Bubble Stitches\" class=\"wp-image-6973\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TextOnShapeTypingGapClosedsmaller-1.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TextOnShapeTypingGapClosedsmaller-1-288x300.jpg 288w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/TextOnShapeTypingGapClosedsmaller-1-260x270.jpg 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I duplicate my stitch layer, name it \u201cStitch Shadow\u201d and simplify the layer (if necessary). Then I move that new layer below the original and hide the original stitch layer. Next, I change my Foreground color chip to a medium grey (#696258) so I can change the current blue color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> Above I mentioned that the Stitch Shadow layer needed to be simplified \u201cif necessary\u201d\u2026in my case it wasn\u2019t. This is because the actual \u201ctext\u201d layer that created the original stitching had already been simplified while working on this element. I just didn\u2019t want you to be confused if you ever run into a situation where your \u201coriginal\u201d stitch layer does not need to be simplified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Now, there is one thing I always do before I change the color of that Stitch Shadow layer; that is to \u201cLock Transparent Pixels\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/LockTransparentPixels.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"307\" height=\"73\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/LockTransparentPixels.jpg\" alt=\"Lock Transparency\" class=\"wp-image-7265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/LockTransparentPixels.jpg 307w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/LockTransparentPixels-300x71.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 307px) 100vw, 307px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I\u2019ve talked about reasons to do this in more than one post but most recently in my post about \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/spilling-over\/\" title=\"\">Spill Frames<\/a><\/strong>\u201d back on February 20th. Because of how PSE creates\/fills images with color it is necessary to ensure that PSE doesn\u2019t COMPLETELY fill those stitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Even though the edges of the original stitching look nice and smooth, if I were to use the Paint Bucket tool without \u201clocking\u201d the transparency (sometimes referred to as opacity in my prior posts), the \u201cshadow\u201d stitches would look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowNotLockedsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowNotLockedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Transparency Not Locked\" class=\"wp-image-7266\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowNotLockedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowNotLockedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowNotLockedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">See how jagged those edges are right now? I definitely would prefer not to start my shadow that way. Here\u2019s what it looks like if I lock the transparency BEFORE I use the Paint Bucket tool to fill the Stitch Shadow with that grey color:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLockedsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLockedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Transparency Locked\" class=\"wp-image-7267\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLockedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLockedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLockedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">That\u2019s a pretty noticeable difference. Especially when zoomed in this close. Could I skip the step of locking the transparency? Possibly. But in this case, only because there is one step below that will make the jagged edges less of an issue. I just prefer to keep things as \u201cclean\u201d as possible from the start. And it\u2019s a one click thing so it\u2019s not like it takes up a lot of time or creates extra work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I would encourage you to play around with this to see if you have a preference one way or the other. But I\u2019d also encourage you to be more mindful of this \u201cjagged edge\u201d issue any time you are filling an image with a new color!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Moving on. Here is my complete Stitch Shadow layer:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayersmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayersmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Complete Shadow Layer\" class=\"wp-image-7268\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayersmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayersmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayersmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Now I can unhide the original stitch layer and reposition the Stitch Shadow layer so that it looks like a shadow at an approximate 120-degree angle:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowPositionedUnderStitchessmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowPositionedUnderStitchessmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Shadow Layer Repositioned\" class=\"wp-image-7269\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowPositionedUnderStitchessmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowPositionedUnderStitchessmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ShadowPositionedUnderStitchessmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I used 120 degrees but you should use whatever Lighting Angle is correct for your layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> if you\u2019re not good at judging the Lighting Angle I have a simple trick for you. Just create a drop shadow on your actual stitch layer using whatever Lighting Angle you need to use and set the Size to 10, Distance to 5 and the Opacity to 68. You can clear that layer style from the original stitch layer once you have your shadow positioned to match that shadow style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">I zoomed in pretty close so you can hopefully get a better idea of how that shadow layer looks below the stitch layer. And I realize this shadow looks pretty dark right now but I\u2019ll fix that in just a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Now I can warp this shadow layer to give the look of \u201cmovement\u201d by providing the stitches with more lift in some places than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With the Stitch Shadow layer active I go to the top tool bar and select Filter-&gt;Distort-&gt;Wave:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DistortWave.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"365\" height=\"464\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DistortWave.jpg\" alt=\"Distort -- Wave\" class=\"wp-image-7270\" style=\"width:auto;height:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DistortWave.jpg 365w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DistortWave-236x300.jpg 236w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/DistortWave-212x270.jpg 212w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">PSE then opens the Wave settings dialog box:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WaveSettings.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"613\" height=\"396\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WaveSettings.jpg\" alt=\"Wave Settings\" class=\"wp-image-7271\" style=\"width:450px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WaveSettings.jpg 613w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WaveSettings-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WaveSettings-418x270.jpg 418w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 613px) 100vw, 613px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">And I change the default settings this to use the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Number of Generations = 5 (stays the same)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type = Sine (stays the same)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wavelength Min. = 1<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wavelength Max. = 999<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Amplitude Min. = 1<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Amplitude Max. = 8<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scale Horizontal = 100% (stays the same)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scale Vertical = 100% (stays the same)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Randomize + Repeat Edge Pixels (stays the same)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Here is the \u201cwarped\u201d Stitch Shadow:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayerWarpedsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayerWarpedsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Shadow Wave Warp\" class=\"wp-image-7272\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayerWarpedsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayerWarpedsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchShadowLayerWarpedsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Can you see how the shadow is farther away from the stitching in some places? This is what I meant by movement or depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With the Stitch Shadow now warped I can reduce the Opacity on the layer to around 65%. But I also need to soften the edges of the shadow layer to keep it looking more like a \u201cproper\u201d shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">To do that I go to the top tool bar and select Filter-&gt;Blur-&gt;Gaussian Blur:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BlurGaussian.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"340\" height=\"418\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BlurGaussian.jpg\" alt=\"Blur -- Gaussian\" class=\"wp-image-7273\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BlurGaussian.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BlurGaussian-244x300.jpg 244w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/BlurGaussian-220x270.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 340px) 100vw, 340px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">PSE then opens the Gaussian Blur dialog box:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GaussianBlurDialogBox.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"325\" height=\"343\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GaussianBlurDialogBox.jpg\" alt=\"Gaussian Blur Settings\" class=\"wp-image-7274\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GaussianBlurDialogBox.jpg 325w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GaussianBlurDialogBox-284x300.jpg 284w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GaussianBlurDialogBox-256x270.jpg 256w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 325px) 100vw, 325px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As you can see, I set the Radius to 4.0 pixels. And this is what my complete warped shadow looks like now:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedStitchShadowsmaller.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"414\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedStitchShadowsmaller.jpg\" alt=\"Complete Warped Shadow\" class=\"wp-image-7275\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedStitchShadowsmaller.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedStitchShadowsmaller-290x300.jpg 290w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/WarpedStitchShadowsmaller-261x270.jpg 261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">This warping looks very subtle on these stitches so you may not think it\u2019s worth the bother. But, do you remember earlier I mentioned something about warping stitches that have a fly away tail? That is exactly when you would want to use this warping technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">You can also use this same warping technique on any paper or element in your layout to create that same \u201cwavy\u201d look. It will likely be much more noticeable on something larger than this particular stitching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">So today you got two bonus tips\u2026how to place a shadow on its own layer and how to warp a layer even if you don\u2019t have that option in your version of PSE. I hope you have fun playing with those extra tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">More Shadowing Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchingShadowTipssmaller.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchingShadowTipssmaller.png\" alt=\"More Shadow Tips\" class=\"wp-image-7276\" style=\"width:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchingShadowTipssmaller.png 400w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchingShadowTipssmaller-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/StitchingShadowTipssmaller-338x270.png 338w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The whole purpose to shadowing is to create REALISM, so I think the ultimate tip is studying the shadows on a real, &#8220;physical&#8221; traditional scrapbook page&#8230;like from a paper scrapbooking gallery. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scrapbook.com\/gallery\/?sort=new\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Scrapbook.com<\/a><\/strong> has an amazing gallery full of gorgeous paper layouts in which you can see how \u201creal\u201d shadows look. We can learn a lot by looking at the real shadows we see in paper scrapbooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Shadowing stitches isn\u2019t as difficult as a lot of people think, and hopefully these tips can help make your next stitching shadow even easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Please remember that not all stitching should have shadows. It just depends on how the stitching is applied to your layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Be aware\u2026most purchased styles for string or stitching will have a shadow built in so most often you do not need to add a shadow. But in those cases, you should almost always be able to go in and tweak the settings for the shadow if you need to adjust the Color, Size, Distance or Opacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">When you color\/blur your stitch shadow layer, be aware that some stitching elements may require a change in the intensity for both color and blur for the shadow depending on the size and position of the stitching in your layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Putting a shadow on its own layer is easier than you think!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With your shadow on its own layer, you can warp the shadow and also play around with blend modes to create even more realism in your shadowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Keep this in mind\u2026whenever you\u2019re in doubt about how strong a shadow should be, go with a low drop shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As usual, if you have any questions or want to make a suggestion about a topic you\u2019d like me to cover, please don\u2019t ever hesitate to \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/message-me\/\" title=\"\">Message Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Thanks for reading this week\u2019s Tuesday Tip<em>.<\/em> Keep an eye out for next week\u2019s post with some tips about \u201cextreme\u201d shadows. If you want to stay informed about new posts, just click \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/yourscrappingcafe.ck.page\" title=\"\">Follow Me<\/a><\/strong>\u201d to stay in touch. I hope you have a wonderful week!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/StayTuned01asmaller.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"492\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/StayTuned01asmaller.png\" alt=\"Stay Tuned\" class=\"wp-image-222\" style=\"width:240px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/StayTuned01asmaller.png 600w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/StayTuned01asmaller-300x246.png 300w, https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/StayTuned01asmaller-329x270.png 329w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I know I\u2019ve talked a lot about stitches &amp; such over the past several weeks. I also know this is a scrapbooking trend that tends to come and go in cycles. It will be very trendy for a while and then it cools off for a bit. But it never really goes away. Lately it seems we\u2019re seeing more and more stitching elements. That was one of the reasons I started this whole series. I know I already posted about&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/stitching-realism\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","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-7240","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\/7240","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=7240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yourscrappingcafe.com\/home\/d19521157\/public_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}