The graphic editor allows you to do a lot with images, including simulating such optical phenomenon like a shadow. This can be useful for creating drawings and also when editing photos. Here you will learn how to make a shadow in Photoshop in three ways.

Method 1 - styles

Overall it is suitable for any graphic images, but is not always effective for creating shadows from people and objects in photographs. It is more convenient to use it in cases where the object is on a separate layer. Let's take the inscription as an example.

Working with styles is very simple:

1. Open the Layers window and move to the object.
2. Double-click on the layer and the styles window will appear:

3. In the column on the left with various options, find “Shadow” and check the box next to it, then select the option with the mouse - its settings will open. Second option: press fn at the bottom of the layers window and select “Shadow” from the pop-up menu.

4. Can be adjusted: color, opacity, angle, size, span, shift, add noise, change outline. As you change the parameters, you will see how the shadow changes in the image. This is what happened in our sample:

Method 2 - copying

Sometimes it becomes necessary to shift the shadow in such a way that it is not possible to do this in styles. This is especially true for photographs where the background has been replaced. In this case, you can use the method of copying a layer with a person or object and simulating a shadow that will exactly follow the shape.

• Duplicate the object's image (CTRL+J).
• Move to a new layer, press and hold CTRL and, without releasing, click on the preview with the mouse (when you hover the cursor, a small dotted square will appear). The object will be highlighted.
• If you also make a text shadow in Photoshop, you need to rasterize it; use the right mouse button to select the “Rasterize text” option.
• Take a brush with black (or another) color and paint the selected area on the second layer. The selection can be removed (CTRL+D).

• Drag the filled layer down below the object.
• From the Edit menu, select Transform and Flip Vertical.
• Adjust the opacity of the shadow as needed.

What can you do with it, in contrast to the one created by styles:
Resize and rotate using the Free Transform option in the Edit menu.
Remove partially with an eraser if necessary.
Freely move around the image.
Using the Perspective tool in the Transform submenu, you can “put it on the ground”:

Actually, you can do whatever you want.

If you are working with a photo with a background, the procedure will be slightly different. To copy an object to a new layer, select it with a Quick Select and click CTRL+J. Do this twice, make one layer without a background a shadow, and place the second on top. To add realism, the shadow can be blurred using Gaussian Blur in the Filter menu. This is exactly how the shadow of an object is made in Photoshop:

Method 3 - drawing

If you need a light, barely noticeable shadow, then the easiest way is to just paint it with a brush.

1. Create a new layer.
2. Take soft brush with the desired color.
3. Draw a shadow.
4. Reduce its opacity.

Alternatively, you can change the blend mode to Soft Light or another, depending on what exactly you need. This shadow can be drawn with just a few strokes:

We've looked at three ways to make a shadow, and if you still have questions or something didn't work out or didn't quite understand, we suggest you watch the video tutorial. It will help you simply repeat the teacher's actions. We are sure you will succeed!

Video “How to make a shadow in Adobe Photoshop”:

Plan:

7.1. Basics of Shadow Theory

7.2. Shadows from a point, line and flat figure

7.3. Shadow falling from one figure to another

7.4. Shadows of geometric solids

7.5. Shadows of intersecting polyhedra (from the building)

7.6. Shadows on building facades

Basics of Shadow Theory

Shadows are used to make projection drawings more visible. Shadows are especially widely used in the design of architectural projects, as well as for solving a number of practical problems (for example, to identify the illumination of external or internal parts structures under certain conditions, to determine the size of the structure by the shadow it casts, etc.).

There are own and falling shadows.

OWN is called a shadow that is obtained on the unlit surface of an object (or object) when illuminated by some light source (Fig. 72).

Rice. 72

FALLING called a shadow cast by an object on a projection plane, or appearing on the surface of an object due to the fact that another object is located in the path of light rays.

If an object is illuminated by a light source located at a finite distance from it (a torch, lamp, candle), then the combination of light rays incident on the object forms a cone or pyramid. Such a shadow is called a TORCH.

If the light source is at infinity, then the combination of light rays forms a cylinder or prism. The shadow under these conditions is called SOLAR.

DIRECTION OF LIGHT RAYS. When constructing shadows in orthogonal projections, the direction l rays of light are usually taken parallel to the diagonal of a cube, the faces of which are parallel to the projection planes (Fig. 73).

Rice. 73

Diagonal of a cube AB forms angles with the planes of projections equal to 35 o 16 ", and its projections are inclined to the planes H, V, and W at an angle of 45 o.

When constructing shadows in axonometry, the direction of light rays parallel to the diagonal of the cube does not always give good location chiaroscuro; in such cases, you should choose a different direction that ensures the expressiveness of the drawing.

1. Shadows from a point, line and flat figure

FALLING SHADOW FROM A POINT

Let's imagine a material point A(Fig. 74), located in space above the plane H, which is illuminated by light rays coming from infinity parallel to a given direction l. Dot A will delay one of them and cast a shadow ray that will intersect the H plane at the point A T ". This point will be the shadow of the point A.

In other words, the shadow of a point is the trace of a shadow ray.

So, in order to construct a shadow falling from a point on any plane or surface, it is necessary to draw a straight line through this point, parallel to the direction of the rays of light, and determine the point of intersection of this straight line with the plane or surface on which the shadow falls.

In Fig. 75a in orthogonal projections and in Fig. 75b in axonometry the shadows falling on the planes H, V and P( n m) from points A,IN And WITH.

Rice. 74

Rice. 75

Shadow from a point A falls on the plane H at the point A T "(this point is the horizontal trace of the beam AA T).

Shadow from a point IN falls on plane V at point B T "" (this point is the frontal trace of the ray AB T).

Shadow from a point in axonometry determined as a result of the intersection of the ray with its secondary projection.

Shadow IN T "" (in axonometry) can be plotted as the point of intersection of the ray BB T with its frontal projection B""B T "" or using horizontal beam projection.

Shadow from a point WITH falls on the plane P ( n m) at point WITH TP ( WITH TP " , With TP ” ), which is determined as a result of the intersection of the ray SS T with a given plane P using a horizontally projecting plane.

FALLING SHADOW FROM A STRAIGHT LINE

A shadow cast from a straight line consists of the cast shadows from all its points. Rays passing through all points of a line form a ray plane, and a shadow from a straight line is the line of intersection of the ray plane with the plane or surface on which the shadow falls (that is, the trace of the ray plane).

The shadow falling from a line onto a plane is a straight line, so to construct it it is enough to construct shadows from two points belonging to this line (Fig. 76).

Rice. 76

In Fig. 77 a shadow was constructed on the projection plane from segment AB in a complex drawing.

Rice. 77

Dot shadows A And B in this example fall on the same projection plane V, therefore, to construct the shadow of the segment AB it is enough to connect the obtained points with each other A T "" and IN T "" straight line.

EXAMPLE. Construct a falling shadow on H and V from a line segment CD(Fig. 78, 79).

Rice. 78 Fig. 79

Solution. Line shadow CD falls on two projection planes and represents a broken line C T "" K X D T". Breaking point TO X can be determined in two ways:

1)using an imaginary shadow(Fig. 78, 79).

To do this, construct the shadow of a segment on one of the projection planes, assuming that the second does not exist. In the figure, first, the shadow of a segment on the plane H ( WITH T" D T "). The constructed shadow intersects the axis OH at the point TO X, at this point the shadow will break and move from one plane to another (to the point WITH T "").

2)using a shadow from an intermediate point(Fig. 80).

Rice. 80

The drawing shows the breaking point TO X is determined using the shadow of an arbitrary intermediate point E(E T "").

Shadows from lines in private positions

EXAMPLE. In orthogonal projections, segments of a particular position are specified AB,CD And E.F.. Construct the shadows falling from these segments on the projection planes H and V (Fig. 81).

Rice. 81

1. The segment AB occupies a vertical position, therefore the rays passing through all its points form a vertical (horizontally projecting) ray plane , which will intersect the plane H along the line  H, and the plane V - along a vertical straight line m=m"". Consequently, the shadow of a vertical straight line on a horizontal plane coincides with the horizontal projection (trace) of the ray plane.

But, since the horizontal projection of the ray plane is parallel to the horizontal projection of the light ray, then to construct a shadow on the horizontal projection plane (from the vertical line), it is enough to draw a horizontal projection of the light ray through the horizontal projection of the line (point).

2. Segment CD is perpendicular to plane V, so the radial plane passing through it is a frontally projecting plane.

In orthogonal projections, the shadow of the line CD on the V plane coincides with the projection of the ray plane.

3. Segment E.F. parallel to plane V. Its shadow E T "" F T "" is parallel and equal to the given segment.

IN CONCLUSIONS:

1 . The shadow of a line perpendicular to the plane coincides with the orthogonal projection of the light beam onto this plane.

2 . The shadow falling on a plane from a line segment parallel to this plane is parallel and equal to the line segment. In a complex drawing, the projection of the shadow is equal and parallel to the projection of the segment.

SHADOW OF A FLAT FIGURE

(opaque plate)

To construct a falling shadow from a flat figure bounded by a polygon, it is enough to construct shadows falling from all sides of the polygon.

Figure 82 shows a shadow cast from a triangle. ABC on the projection plane H and V. Shadow from the vertex A falls on plane V, and from the top IN and peaks WITH- on the plane H. Therefore, the shadow from the side Sun falls on one plane H and represents a straight line, and the shadows from the sides AB And AC fall on two planes and represent broken lines.

Rice. 82

Falling shadows from the sides AB And AC can be constructed using intermediate points (as in drawing 81) or using an imaginary shadow ( A T "), falling from the point A to the back half-plane H. Having obtained a triangle A T.H. IN T.H. WITH TH , determined on the axis OH break points 1 and 2 of the falling shadow and connect them to the actual shadow A TV from point A on plane V. The side of a flat figure facing the shadow pillar is in the shadow, that is, in flat figures one should distinguish between the illuminated and unlit sides. In other words, a flat figure always has its own shadow.

To determine the illumination of the sides of the plane of the triangle, we use the following technique: walking around the perimeter of the triangle clockwise on the projection under study, we notice letter order, indicating the vertices, and compare them with the order of letters, which is obtained by walking clockwise around the contour of the falling shadow. A coincidence in the order of letters means that the illuminated side of the triangle is visible on a given projection, a discrepancy means that the unlit side of the plane is visible.

In the figure, the contour of the falling shadow when traversed clockwise gives the order of the letters A T "" WITH T "" IN T "". The same order ( A""WITH""IN"") is obtained on the frontal projection. Therefore, the illuminated side is visible on V. Horizontal projection has reverse order letters ( A"IN"WITH"). This means that on the horizontal projection the unlit side of the plane of the triangle (the side in its own shadow) is facing us.

The same technique can be used in axonometry (Fig. 83).

Rice. 83

DISC SHADOW

(circles)

If a flat figure casting a shadow is bounded by a curved line, then the rays passing through the points of this curve form a cylindrical ray surface. At the intersection with the plane on which the shadow falls, this surface gives the outline of the falling shadow of a given figure.

If the plane of the figure is parallel to the plane on which the shadow falls, then the shadow is equal to the figure itself (since the bases of the cylinder parallel to each other are equal).

In Fig. Figure 84 shows the construction of a shadow from a circle parallel to plane H onto plane H. The contour of the shadow is a circle of the same radius. To construct a shadow, just find the shadow from the center WITH.

Rice. 84

To construct a shadow falling from a curved line onto an arbitrarily located plane, one of two methods can be used.

1. A sufficiently large number of points are outlined on the curved line from which the falling shadow is constructed. The resulting points (falling shadow) are connected to each other by a smooth curved line.

2 . A polygon is described around the curved line, a falling shadow from the polygon is constructed, and the shadow of the curved line fits into it.

In Fig. 85 to construct a falling shadow from a circle parallel to plane V onto plane H, a square circumscribed around it is used ABCD. First, a falling shadow is constructed from the sides of the square, its diagonals and lines passing through the center WITH parallel to the sides of the square, and then fits a curve (ellipse) into the resulting parallelogram. In the figure, the ellipse passes through eight points that simultaneously belong to the falling shadows from the circle, sides and diagonals of the square.

If the shadow of a curved line falls on two intersecting planes, then it will have a break at the line of intersection of the planes.

Date of publication: 01/04/2017

To make the drawing look more realistic, we make shadows, thereby creating volume for it.

The concept of the terms light, shadow, chiaroscuro, reflex, halftone and highlight

Light- the lightest part of the picture. Without it, it is impossible to give volume to an object, since we see the shape of an object only in good lighting.

Shadow- the unlit part of the object. The shadow on the unlit side of an object is called its own shadow, and the shadow cast is called the cast shadow. Own shadow always darker than the falling one.

Chiaroscuro– this is a transition from a light area of ​​an object to a dark one.

Reflex- a reflection of what surrounds the object in the drawing. The reflex will always be darker than the midtones and lighter than the shadow, since it is part of it.

Semitone- smooth transition from light to shadow without visible boundaries. It exists only where the sun's rays fall on an object only at a certain angle.

Blik- the light part of the mirror object. In the picture it often looks like a white spot reflecting the sun's rays.

What does the shadow depend on?

The degree of illumination of an object depends on the lighting in the room, the angle of incidence of the rays and the light source, and the distance between the object and the light source. There is natural and artificial lighting. Natural lighting is light from the sun's rays, while artificial light is light from man-made light sources. The greater the distance, the weaker the illumination of the object and vice versa. Light and shadows on foreground should be more contrasting, as they are more noticeable. The planes that face the light are the brightest.

How to properly shade an object

First we need to correctly understand the shape that we need to shade. More complex objects such as people, nature or things are built from the lightest forms of an object - a sphere, a cylinder and a cube.

So, first, choose a pencil. Shadows are best drawn with 8b pencils. Best to have simple pencils of different hardness to make the pattern more voluminous.

The next step: you need to sharpen the pencil. It is best to do this with a stationery knife, as the lead is longer and thinner.

Next, we make a sketch of our object, which we will shade. Lightly pressing the pencil, draw the outline of the object. It is better to draw from life, seeing the object with your own eyes, this makes it easier to determine the shadow. Place the object in front of you and turn on the light, and you will see that it casts a shadow, which you will later transfer to the drawing.

Next, identify a light source to outline where the subject's shadow will be.

Strokes

Strokes– broken lines that help to shade the object in the drawing.

Choose a shading method that is convenient for you. There are three types of hatching: straight, circular and cross. Straight hatching is drawn with parallel lines and is great for objects such as hair, dresses, and so on.

Circular hatching is done using circles of different sizes and different strengths pressure. This allows you to create a more realistic object.

Cross hatching is done using cross-shaped lines that allow you to give a darker shadow to your subject in your drawing.

Always hold the pencil as horizontally as possible to ensure natural shadows.

I suggest you try all types of shading on a separate sheet of paper and choose the one that is more convenient for you.

Let's move on to the most important thing - shading. First apply one layer of shading to the object, draw another layer next to it so that our two layers do not intersect. If they intersect, a dark place is formed, which is difficult to get rid of during work. After you have applied the first layers of shadows, in the intervals between layers you apply a second layer, but the shading should be different, that is, you need to change the inclination of the strokes. Then on top, where necessary, apply the third, fourth, fifth and subsequent layers of strokes.

Shading shadows

Now that the shading is done, we need to shade the lines. There is no need to do this with your fingers. To do this, you can take a cloth, a piece of paper and carefully, with smooth movements, without pressing too hard, rub the pencil. Then look at your drawing. If you like it, then good, but if not, then move on to the next step.

Correcting errors

The most common mistake is that the shadow, highlight, and so on are incorrectly defined. To correct it, check again whether you have a shadow in the right place and whether the highlight and reflex are visible. The contours between light and dark areas should not be clear. If dark joints have formed between the hatching layers, take an eraser and gently touch the dark place. Repeat this step as many times as needed.

No one succeeds the first time. You must strive for excellence, go towards your dreams. Remember that even the greatest and famous artists We didn’t start drawing pictures right away, but started with simple things that you might be learning to draw.

In this lesson we will clearly look at how to construct a falling/cast shadow correctly using two-point perspective.

Light is important

Light asserts its need for drawing through its value. Value means the darkness or lightness of the tone of an object. In most cases, a darker value is used for shadows, and a lighter value, respectively, for illuminated areas. The value that falls between these extremes is usually called a semitone.

Valeur- in painting and graphics: a shade of tone that determines the light-and-shadow ratio within one color. The value system is a gradation of light and shadow of any color in a certain sequence.
From Wiki.

It is necessary to create the illusion of light in a drawing, since light is the determining factor in distinguishing objects in the outside world. If we want to learn how to create illusions in drawings, the most important illusion will be the creation of light.

Light is active in two locations - the illuminated side and halftones. Our brain imprints their position and amplifies their intensity, just like the intensity of shadows.

Light and shadow

Shadows are usually divided into “own” and “cast” shadows. A self-shadow is the shadow of the object itself, while a cast shadow is the result of the obstruction of light in the object. Thus, the shadow “falls” on nearby surfaces.

A self-shadow can tell an observer information about the shape of an object, while cast shadows shape the object and the direction of light.

Cast shadows

The shape of the cast shadow is important, since the observer gets an idea of ​​​​the shape of the object from its outline. Some artists use this feature if they want to make shadows "speak" in a special way by controlling the light source. However, this approach requires some skill and knowledge of perspective theory.

For most life drawings, the shadows of objects are obvious and can be drawn based on the comparison between positive and negative space. However, if you draw imaginary objects, this skill will come in handy.

In the video below we look at using derivative perspective to be able to create cast shadow shapes as simple rectangles and spheres.

How to use "perspective" to position cast/fall shadows

Let's start by analyzing the process of casting shadows from rectangular objects.

First we will draw a simple rectangle, for this we will use two-point perspective. It is important to include the horizon line in the plan of the painting - for us this will be the “shadow attenuation point”.

Once the rectangle is ready, we will define a light source above the horizon. The closer the light source is to the horizon, the longer the shadows will be.

You can draw a line from the light source to the horizon. The point where these two lines intersect (the line from the light source and the horizon line) will be the “shadow attenuation point.”

Now we can draw three lines from the light source, spreading out to the top corners of our shape. In this case, we mean the three angles closest to the observer.

Next, we'll draw lines from the shadow's fade point to the bottom three corners of our shape. They should be long enough - the same as the lines to the upper corners.

The intersection points help determine the shape of the cast shadow.

We can use the resulting shape as a base to fill the shadow with color.

Drawing Cast Shadows of a Sphere Using Perspective

Now that we've looked at the process of creating cast shadows using perspective using a rectangle as an example, let's look at the strategy for creating a shadow for a sphere. (There are several ways to create a shadow for a sphere, but this is the simplest, in my opinion).

As in the previous example, we will have to define the horizon line, since they will be useful to us in determining the point at which the shadow fades. We will also need to determine the light source and the drop point of the shadow.

Then we will draw a circle, which will later become a sphere. To make it easier to determine the shape of the cast shadow, let's fit a circle into a square.

Let's draw lines from the light source to the two upper corners of the square that fits the circle.

Now let's draw lines from the shadow fading point to the two lower corners of the square.

The resulting intersection points can be used to determine the shape of the square cast shadow.

Now we need to create an oval shape for the actual spherical shadow. First you need to determine where the curves will touch the edges. To find these points, we need to draw lines from the light source to the middle of the sides of the square on each side.

Then, using these intersection points, we determine the shape of the shadow cast from the sphere.

Now you can add color and value to the sphere itself and the cast shadow to complete the design. You have all the guidelines for this.

I hope the article was useful to you! Leave your comments, suggestions and questions!

Choose the right materials. Of course you can draw with a regular pencil, on plain paper, but for shadows you should use special pencils. You can find inexpensive drawing pencils at almost any store. Try to find a stiff paper that will absorb the shadows.

Make a line sketch of your subject. Use an existing object or a photograph of an object. The most important thing is to keep your subject still so you have plenty of time to draw it.

• Take a closer look at household items. Household items such as flowers, kitchen utensils or clocks can be great subjects to paint. You can also draw something that you collect: hats or figurines.
• Use contrasting space to sharpen the contours of your subject. Contrast space is the space around your subject, for example if you are painting a chair, it is the space between the legs of the chair and the floor.
• If you use a photograph to draw something, try to print it in black and white. This way you can make more accurate shadows.

Decide on achromatic colors. Achromatic colors start with white and end with black, with several shades of gray in the middle. However, most objects use only five varieties of gray.

• To create an achromatic color scale, you'll want to start by drawing a rectangle. You can draw it in the corner of your drawing or on a blank piece of paper.
• Divide the rectangle into five parts and number them. You can divide the rectangle into more parts so that you have more shades of shadows, but 5 is enough to start with.
• Draw 5 different shades of gray, starting with white (the very first square) and ending with black (the last square).
• You shouldn't have black and white in achromatic tones, unless your subject is under direct rays of light. It is better to use only gray tones.

Find a light source. Shadows fall against the light, and the lightest parts will be closer to the light. The darkest parts will be further away from the light.

• Please pay attention special attention reflections, as they may be the brightest part of your subject.
• Your light source will create shadows that you will have to paint in. Shadows make the drawing more realistic, so don't forget to draw them.

Select the hatching method. Depending on your subject, the light source, and the look of your drawing, you can choose between several types of shadow painting. Some of the most popular are straight shading, cross shading and circle shading.

Make test shadows. Since you are still at the beginning of your drawing, you should not make the shadows hard and dark so that you can easily erase them if necessary. Draw softly and gradually fill in the places you need.

• Leave the lightest parts of your drawing white.
• Compare your drawing to your subject to make sure you are drawing the right shadows, in the right places.

Add several layers of shadows. Gradually darken by adding more layers of shadow. The contrast between dark and light places should become more noticeable.

• Use the achromatic tone scale. You will be able to have the same shades of gray throughout the entire drawing.
• Don't rush. The process is reminiscent of developing black and white film; it occurs gradually. Patience is the key to success.
• The more you deepen your shadows, the less noticeable the outlines of your drawing will become. IN real life, almost nothing has visible, black outlines. The same should happen in your drawing.