How to add a drop shadow to a photo.

[Old Ran]

Hi everyone, this is my first attempt at posting a question and I hope I haven't overlooked it in another post.
Let me say first that I a beginner at computers and photoshop both.
I have PhotoShop Elements 3.0 and I'm trying to add a drop shadow to appear underneath my photo. I have tried until I am almost completely frustrated. Nothing I've tried seems to work. After opening my selected photo into the custom edit, what are the steps from here?
Thanks

Randy

[mom to 4]

Randy:

I have PSE 4, not quite sure if it works the same. in the layers palette you will find the drop shadows. Make sure your layer 9that you want to add the shadow to is active) and click on the shadow you would like. That will put a little scrip f on the layer. You can change the angle and depth of the shadow by double clicking on the little f.

I hope this helps. If not, I KNOW someone else will be along soon to correct this.....

[Carbone]

I made a short movie to help you :

http://homepage.mac.com/carbmac/captures/PhotoshopElements106.mov

Basically, if your image is already on it's layer, you simply apply the drop shadow and adjust it. If the image is filling the entire document, then you need to resize the document, remove the border (due to resizing), create a new layer under this one, and apply the drop shadow on the image.

Hope this helps!

Ray
P.S. No, I don't speak during this video, but there's good music ;)

[lindajay]

Hi Randy,
You will need to have some space around the photo in order for the drop shadow to have a place to "fall." So, after you open your photo:

1. make a copy of the background layer (control+J).
2. Do Image>resize>canvas size. Make sure "Relative" is checked, and that the color "white" is selected, then enter 1" in both the height and width boxes. Click OK. This will put a white border around your background photo (and a transparent border around the copy).
3. Making sure your top layer is active, in the Styles and Effects pallet, choose Layer Styles from the left-hand drop-down list, and then choose drop shadows from the right hand drop-down list. Choose the particular type of drop shadow you want. The angle and size of the shadow can be adjusted using instructions that Mom to 4 gave in her previous post.

Hope this works for you. Sometimes I forget a step when I'm writing out instructions, so please let me know if this doesn't work, and I'll work with you. Your main problem, I think, has been that you had no border around your photo, so there was nowhere for the shadow to fall. Best of luck! :)

[lindajay]

Ray, you beat me! :) Ray's video should be very helpful, Randy.

[Carbone]

Linda... Great minds think alike :D

Ray

[SleeveTugger]

Ray:
Wow.........what a nice job with the video explanation. Thanks for taking the time to do that. What a big help something like that is.

What boggles my mind though is, how a person knows when to create another layer, or just make some of those changes to the layer that shows. Same with knowing when to move a layer up or down in the layers palette. Where does a person learns those bits, or is it just intuitive?

Like your choice of music too by the way........*S*.

[SleeveTugger]

It's when people take the time to write out the step by step instructions for us newer users that we have the motivation to keep trying..........thank you.

[Carbone]

I took classes when I first started using Photoshop Elements (www.eclecticacademy.com (http://www.eclecticacademy.com)) with Sara (she's a contributor on PET magazine, by the way). Then, when I got the basis covered, I started to experiment.

Ray

[Carbone]

When time permits, I'm always happy to help :D

Ray

[Old Ran]

Thank you very, very, much to everyone that took the time to help me
I got it to work and found it easier than I thought it would be.
Ray , I down loaded your video but did't have the right program to open it with.
If I knew how I'd post a photo I did with all of your help, to show you the results.
Thanks again to you all.

Randy

[lindajay]

It's when people take the time to write out the step by step instructions for us newer users that we have the motivation to keep trying..........thank you.

Oh, you're so very welcome. I have had so many questions answered in the past on this forum, that it's a joy when I can give back a little.

[Bayla]

Same with knowing when to move a layer up or down in the layers palette. Where does a person learns those bits, or is it just intuitive?


Sleevetugger,

I started out completely and utterly clueless, but after subscribing, taking a few courses on this site, following various tutorials and asking advice from all the wonderful people here, I can honestly say that after a while things start to fall into place and now a lot of what I do is intuitive....but it's taken me about nine months to get to that stage:o :)

It's a bit like driving a geared car....in the beginning you have to think the whole time about which gear you should be in, but eventually you do it without batting an eyelid. (My daughter says this is a bad analogy for all you Americans - she works for an auto dealer and says that in the USA everybody drives automatic cars!)

Bayla

[mom to 4]

Bayla:

In our house the fun car is a 2005 Red Ford Mustang. Stick shift. Love it......however, I RARELY get the opportunity to drive it as carting the crew requires a minivan! It was hubbys mid-life crisis car, as I like to say;) . I guess I should thank my lucky stars it was a red mustang and not a redhead!!!!:D

[Carbone]

Randy you need Quicktime 7, from Apple (it's a Windows and Macintosh free download).

Ray

[Old Ran]

Thanks, I'll go get it.

Randy

[Old Ran]

Bayla, I think that's a very good analogy my self. After learning the steps it becomes secound nature.

Randy

[vawitt]

Hi, OldRan...Here's how you can share your work:

www.pixentral.com

Follow the directions to resize your photo, (work from a copy), then copy and paste the URL into your message.

Pretty groovy, eh??

~Val in rainy IL

[Mac User]

[QUOTE=Carbone]I took classes when I first started using Photoshop Elements (www.eclecticacademy.com (http://www.eclecticacademy.com)) with Sara (she's a contributor on PET magazine, by the way). Then, when I got the basis covered, I started to experiment.

Ray, I didn't know about those classes. I'm going to take them. I need all of the help I can get!;)

[SleeveTugger]

I didn't know about their existence either. There is just soooo much information out there, the trick being to know which is of worth. If I ever get a paying job again, I'll be signing up for more than I have thus far as well.

Thanks to all that offer so generously of their time and talent.

[Old Ran]

vawitt,
Is that the way to post them here like in this message ? I have already downsized my photos in PSE to 7.5 and they're still to big to post here.

Randy

[Shari]

Randy - when you are in the edit screen on the right hand side there is a command 'save for web". Click this and make the longest side 700 pixels. Click apply and OK. Name your photo (I have a folder called Pixentral that comes up every time I save a photo). Then when you open Pixentral and hit the browse the images will come up. Someone else will probably come and explain it better. WOW - it just started hailing outside - poor flowers! Gotta go and rescue some.
Shari

[Old Ran]

Thank you Shari.

Randy