| This tutorial explains three ways to obtain different effects from shadow
that can give an impression of depth and thickness to the objects. |
|
1) way:
Create a rectangle (new object) upper the background and a text.
Create the mask of the text, save it as a channel and delete text object.
Load the mask and cut the rectangle object.
Create a mask from this new object and save it as a channel (it's a good
habit always save masks!), create a new object (layer) and fill the mask
with a uniform dark color and, when it has the new color, duplicate it:
place both them under the original object. |
|
Select the first one and apply a Gaussian blur (radius = 3) and, using the keyboard arrow keys, move this object two pixels down and
right (twice clicks).
Select the second one and apply the same Gaussian blur and move it two pixels
up and left. |
|
1) one of the two object can have a light color to give an impression of
light.
2) one shadow gives an impression of depth (below left)
3) two shadows give an impression of bassorilievo (below right).
4) it's possible to play with radius of Gaussian blur to obtain different effects.
2) way :
Create a new file and import an image (no background).
Create two planes (one ground and one wall) and place the planes under the
figure object.
To add a perspective shadow to the figure, create a perspective drop shadow
from the object's feet upwards and to the right: select the image object
then choose the Drop Shadow tool and drag from the middle of the figure's
feet up and to the right (the default shadow settings could be changed as
desired).
Split the shadow from the object by right-clicking the object in the Object
Docker, then  choosing Drop Shadow > Split shadow.
Create a rectangle mask, that selects the wall part of the shadow and crop
it to this mask (Object > Crop to mask).
Now we have two cropped shadows:
one on the ground and one on the wall.
For skewing the upper (wall) shadow select the upper (wall) shadow with
the Object Picker Tool, then click on it again to change to the Rotate mode
(rotate handles appear).
Drag the top centre control handle to the left to skew the top of the wall
shadow until it is vertical.
Then click on the wall shadow object several
times with the Object Picker (Object |
|
| Transform) tool to reach the rectangular
transform mode again (solid block control handles) and then stretch the
wall shadow upwards a little by dragging the top centre handle upwards until
it aligns perfectly with the lower shadow. |
    |
3) way:
Create a new file and import an image (no background).
Create a mask of the imported image and save it as channel.
Create a new object (layer) and fill the mask with a dark color (modify/fill).
Create another object (layer)
and fill the mask (it should be active, if not, load it from mask/load
mask from alfa channel) with a light color (or duplicate, as the image
in the example, the dark object and use it in Add marge mode). |
|
Place the two new objects below the original one, mantaining two different
layers.
Move only one of dark objects away (now this one is no more in line with
original object, but it's some distance from it and a little up or down
according to direction of light) and, to give the impression of shadow,
apply a Gaussian blur (plus distance = plus radius value). |
