How to Add Drop Shadow to Image? The Best Tutorial in 2022

Most reliable and realistic photos are highly-expected. Drop shadow is one of the major factors to provide an image professional look. You have to learn first how to add drop shadow to image, before applying this amazing feature.

Don’t worry you can successfully complete this work with the help of different technologies like Photoshop. You will get the actual setting with a professional image look from this Photoshop easily. In this content, we are trying to provide a detailed guideline for adding drop shadow step-by-step.  Have a look!

How to Add Drop Shadow to Image?

Realistic image is an important secret that can help you to start a booming business sector. Add drop shadow to image Photoshop is a most important task. Based on different statistical information, the product images with drop shadow have a great positive impact on e-commerce businesses.

We are going to provide you with an effective step-by-step tutorial on using drop shadow to the images. Let’s start and have a look!

Step-One: Open your Image & Separate from Background

Choose the photo you prefer. You need to create a new file from the location you were at, and then go to the window and create a layer for the saying. Choose where you want the photo to appear. Add a white layer to the picture. Label your original file “background” or “isolated”. As you make your shadows, it will help to reduce confusion with different layers. You can add drop shadow to image in PowerPoint.

Step-Two: Change the Background & Add a Unique One

Adding a drop shadow to a product image on a white background can make your product images look natural, professional, and stand out from a screen display. In addition to modifying the background colors, you can also adjust the color of the photos you must attach.

In your layers palette, select the hidden background layer. Click on Layer and add a new layer. Now your unique background will appear. Click on Edit and Fill to fill the new layer with a color. If you need to add custom color, select the brightness from the DropDown Menu.

Step-Three: Cast shadow resolution and Appropriate color

The colors of shadows can vary. Pick the cast shadow and adjust its color. Next, adjust the form shadow for your object. Use the Eyedropper Tool to select the form shadow. The shadow will be the foreground color after the form is selected. Now, to see the foreground color box, click twice on the new foreground.

Step-Four: Adding a Photoshop Drop Shadow & Adding a layer from it

You can add a drop shadow to an image in Photoshop. Change the layer of the object. Select “fx”. It will be at the bottom of your layer palette. The Drop shadow dialog box helps you create shadows. You can set the color of the shadow. You can adjust distance, blurriness, spread, and size levels later, so they are not that important today. When you are satisfied with your Drop shadow creation, click OK.

Click on Layer and Layer genre. Adding a layer will isolate the drop shadow from the layer it comes from. Changing the shadow is possible here.

Step-Five: Realistic Drop shadow color adjustment

From your layers palette, pick the newly added drop shadow layer. To draw drop shadows beneath the floor, choose Edit > Change > Color. You should consider how shadows will fall on your image innately, and then you should consider the location of your object’s disappearance point.

Changing the “adjusting mode” of your shadow layer to “Normal” will fix it. This will also help your shadow layer get a 100% fill. To change the shadow, simply select it. Select “Rectangular Marquee”. Modify the part of the shadow you want to modify by editing, changing, and distorting it.

Step-Six: Alpha Channel Addition

It is necessary to make your product shadow more realistic after giving it a predetermined shape. Shadows become more volatile and blurry when they go far from an object in reality. Alpha manipulates that phenomenon. You can make your photos look more professional and swarming by using Alpha channels.
By opening the channels palette, you can see the dialog box. You can then choose a channel from the palette table. You have to create a new dialogue box for alpha-1 and rename it. Be sure the colors indicate the areas in which you are interested.

Step-Seven: Gradients within the Alpha Channel

You can make your object more elegant and understandable by attaching a gradient with your alpha channel. Adding multiple light sources, each containing a different color complicates things further. This is why there needs to be a role for experts.

Let’s go through the steps. Enter the Channels palette and select Alpha 1. Click the eye button next to the background option to enable visibility for all channels. The foreground color should be black, while the background color should be white using the Gradient Tool. The gradient type should be one-dimensional and set to black-to-white in the options palette. Lastly, you should draw a red gradient over your image over the selected part of your shadow.

Step-Eight: Opacity & Edge Refinement

You can blend your image with the background by adjusting the opacity. When the layer is entirely opaque, the object is clear. The opacity of a layer affects its transparency.

One percent opacity of a layer is nearly transparent, while one hundred percent opacity is completely opaque. Changing the layer opacity is easy and exciting whenever you want to, so you always have the choice. Select a layer. Use the Style tool to change the opacity.

A wonderful tool to blend a subject into its background is Refining Edge and deal with complicated edges. Here are the instructions for refining an edge: Select the file from the menu bar of Photoshop. Choose refine an edge from the right-click menu. Alternatively, go to the select menu and select refine the edge. Professionally, add drop shadow to image in canva.

Step-Nine: Put a Layer Mask on and Tidy up Shadows

Layer masks are one of the most basic features of Photoshop. They allow you to control the transparency of an image. Using these masks, you can add visibility or concealment to an image, for instance.
Lastly, make sure the entire shadow looks good. A shadow should not appear forward of the object, because the light origin drives the cast shadow back to it. You can make a new layer above your product and use your shadow brightness to add shadows cast on the top of your product. You need to increase & adjust the blurriness of the layer until it meets the entire shadow.

Why do you need to Add Drop Shadow to Image?

At present, E-commerce is the most popular and common business sector. Realistic product images have a great impact on shoppers’ psychology. For getting a professional look, you just need to add drop shadow to image.

The consumers of your product will get an extra dimension and clear depth with the product images from the actual photo shooting. You have to add the realistic drop shadow for getting a more attractive and professional product image.

It is very necessary to use drop shadow with the images for your business website. Generally, the drop shadow work will add a depth look to your product image. You will get a realistic feeling from this extraordinary work. Sometimes, you may also make a natural look of your product with some retouching works.
Please keep in mind to add a white background with your images. It will assist you to input realistic shadows with your images. It is very common sense for most consumers to find a product with a drop shadow. The drop shadow effect significantly enhances the professionalism of images than others. For getting an improved quality photograph, you have to add drop shadow to image.

Frequently Asked Question

Question: How do I add a drop shadow to an image in CSS?

Answer: You can use CSS box-shadow to make CSS drop shadow to your element box nicely. You can make CSS drop shadow to all elements. You need to add drop shadow to image css to provide an extra amazing look.

Question: How do you add a drop shadow in Photoshop 2020?

Answer: You have to head over to the layers panel. Then select the effects and apply the drop shadow. You can apply double-click on the layer with the newer version of Adobe Photoshop.  

Question: How to apply a drop shadow to a PNG image?

Answer: Firstly, you need to put the image source in the body section, and then select the style section. Now, set the filter perfectly.

Question: How to add a drop shadow to a PNG in Photoshop?

Answer: First, you have to place your graphic on the canvas and right-click. Then, apply drop shadow and adjust opacity, spread, size, distance, etc.
Question: How do you add a shadow to a picture on Picsart?