Giving a Drop Shadow Its Own Layer While Digitally Scrapbooking
Note: Screenshots are from a Macintosh computer using Adobe Photoshop 7.
There may be times when you would like to see your drop shadow fall only on select portions of your digital scrapbooking layout. Trying to manipulate that shadow can be a real hassle, so I am going to show you how to give the drop shadow its own layer. This will give you complete control of its position and placement.
In your graphics program, open the digital scrapbooking file you would like to work with. Make sure that you have clearly labeled your layers so it is very easy to locate the items you are trying to manipulate. I will be adding a drop shadow to the ribbon in this tutorial.
In this example, I am going to start by adding a drop shadow to the ribbon, so I need to select the digital scrapbook ribbon layer and go to Layer> Layer Style> Drop Shadow.
Now I want to set specifications for the drop shadow in this pop up box. For this example, I will use 60% Opacity, 0 degree Angle, and Use Global Light checked. Also, the Distance is 8 pixels, Spread is 0%, and the Size is 8 pixels. I've also chosen "Multiply" for the Blend Mode at the top. Feel free to adjust your shadow however you see fit.
Now that you have your drop shadow added just the way you want it to look, you can proceed to give it a layer of its own. Click on the ribbon layer, and go to Layer> Layer Style> Create Layer.
A dialog box will pop up with this message, "Some aspects of the Effects cannot be reproduced with layers!" Just click "OK" and continue.
Your drop shadow now has its own layer in the Layers Palette just below the object itself.
The drop shadow is now completely independent of the object and you have the ability to determine where it does and does not fall by using tools such as the Eraser. You can also change the color, opacity, distance, Blend Mode, etc.
Your digital scrapbooking layouts will become even more realistic with this technique. Have fun!
Tutorial written by Keri Schueller
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