Creating shadows for objects in Adobe Photoshop is an easy technique that helps elements of a composite look more realistic and blend into your scene. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a shadow for a tree, but you can use this technique for any object. The shadow will mimic the exact shape of the original object. Below is a text description of each step. Lets get started!

Step 1

Open the image you want to create a shadow for.

Step 2

Duplicate layer using the shortcut CMD + J

Step 3

Envoke the Transform tool using CMD +T

Step 4

Bend the object to the correct orientation for the shadow. Try to match the shadow direction of other elements in your composite. Use CMD + Click to select just one of the Transform handles to ‘bend’ the shadow around.

Step 5

Once the shadow is going the direction you want, press enter to accept the transformation. Next, select the layer by holding CMD while selecting the Layer Preview in the Layer stack. This will select all of the contents on that layer.

Step 6

Once the layer is selected, fill it with black using Shift + Delete. Then Deselect the layer using CMD + D.

Step 7

Make sure the shadow layer is behind the object layer. Change the layer blend mode to Multiply. Adjust opacity so it matches other shadows in your image. Rarely will shadows ever be 100% opacity.

Your shadow is now complete!

If this tutorial was helpful please take a look at my other tutorials on my blog HERE!