Drop Shadow Effect
Drop Shadow
There are cases where a tiny detail is all that’s required for some cut-out object or layer to look realistic in a composition. In many of these cases, that detail is a plain drop shadow.
Layers, the Magic Eraser Tool, and the Blur filter are used in this tutorial.
Step 1
Open an image in Pixelmator, preferably one with an object that could use some shadow.
Step 2
If the object you’re applying the effect to is still not cut out of the background, use any of the selection tools to cut it out so that the object appears on a separate, transparent layer.
Step 3
Duplicate the layer that contains the object to which you’re applying the effect (in our case, the leaf) by selecting it in the Layers palette (View > Show Layers) and choosing Layer > Duplicate Layer.
Step 4
In order to turn the recently duplicated object into a shadow, fill the duplicated layer by choosing Edit > Fill, then in the Fill palette set the Color to black. Then select the “Preserve Transparency” checkbox to fill the object only and not the entire layer. Click OK.
Step 5
Once the shadow is created, move it underneath the main object by dragging the duplicated layer below the original object’s layer in the Layers palette. To position the shadow, click to select the Move Tool (V) in the Tools palette and drag the shadow to move it where you want it to appear. Use the example in the image below as a reference.
Tip: To cast a true-to-life drop shadow, move the shadow in the direction directly opposite from the main light source. In many cases you may decide where the main light source should be.
Step 6
To smooth the shadow, choose Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to approximately 15.
Step 7
To make the shadow look even more realistic, make it a bit transparent by reducing the shadow layer’s Opacity to approximately 20-40% in the Layers palette.
And that’s how the drop shadow effect is applied to an object. However, in order to cast the best shadow for a particular object, feel free to experiment with different values for the smoothness and the transparency.
Good tutorial, but a shadow/glow filter should be built in in Pixelmator, so you don’t have to repeat these steps every time you want to make a shadow (or a glow). Hope that some day it will!
I like the tutorial. And for me as a beginner it is helpful to see all the steps for making the shadow
I use Photoshop since Version 2.0 (not CS2), and in all those years I never used a shadow/glow filter, layer-effect or whatever! Till today I allways do it the kind showed above. So I think there is no need to implement that feature in Pixelmator, there are so many other things that should be done first! Learn the basics, understand them and then you are able to do anything! I have little appreciation for all those layer-effects junkies out there! If we have a
I still think layer styles are cheating, but thats just me (:
So funny, I actually just came over to see if there was a tutorial for this, and it is the featured one, it was meant to be.
Thanks!
What`s going on guys?
Who needs a filter for this?
Are you not creative enough to doing it by your self?
I love Pixelmator an I do not need a built in solution for those easy to create stuff.
Just my two cents…
I grew up at times where there were no such filters, I think people today will soon need a button to fart! That is probably the reasen why there are so many fart-apps in the appstore! Sorry for that, but it has to be said! It might be usefull to have such layer effects, but if you understand and learn how to do it by your own, you might see the possibilities. And I will do a drop shadow or anyother effects at sleep without looking!
@Klaus:
I totally agree with you!
I love Pixelmator, however Shadow and Inner Shadow should be built in. Please!
I also “grew up at times [when] there were no such filters” and did my own drop shadows, glows, etc. Knowing how to do it yourself and being forced to do it yourself are different. Leave the tinkering to the “artists” and provide tools to those needing to get the job done quickly. If anything, quality software for the masses like Pixelmator should be as push-button as possible, like the iMovie 09 revamp, and leave the DIY-ing to Tweakenator, aka PS.
Now just a minute: how did you get the leaf and the background in separate layers to begin with? (I’ve a feeling I’m going to regret that question!)
This tutorial assumes, that you have an image with objects in separate layers. If, for example, you have two images (one with the background, another one with the leaf), you can open them both in Pixelmator and drag the “leaf” layer into the Layers palette of the “Background” document. This way you’ll have a single image with separate layers.
Yes, please, implement the 75,000 possible filters that are just repetition of three or four simple tools. Also, please add another 65,000 features that nobody uses (except the guy who requested it). Then, please go buy anything that could be liked by a group of designers, and bundle it into Pixelmator (I am sure by now you have ran out of innovation buy have lots of bean-counters, and suits have taken over).
Is THAT what you would now charge me? But I only use three of those features. Wait…
I’m a web designer… I was mad that there was no filter at first, but then I realized that I hardly EVER, EVER use that in photoshop. I always end up doing the ol’ opt + arrow key to duplicate the layer. Since I can do this in pixelmator I can’t complain.
Awesome app! Love it already. (downloaded from the app store btw)
Looking at Pixelmator as a means of escape from that @£$%^ Adobe product.
Zorzal, you took the words out of my mouth. This is how I have always done drops, and if there was a filter I’m willing to bet that it wouldn’t quite do what I wanted so I’d have to fiddle and it would end up taking longer.
Guys, looks like you have a very nice product here, don’t get bogged down in the last crazy 10% rule!
Just a quick note to encourage you to add a ‘layer-styles-esque’ feature to Pixelmator. The ability to copy shadow/stroke/etc. properties from layer to layer can be incredibly useful, and was the thing I first checked for when trying Pixelmator. I’m attempting to make the transition away from Adobe, and this is the biggest feature i’ve seen missing in Pixelmator. Otherwise, excellent work!
Pixelmator is close to being able to cover my webgraphics related workflows. But as for many others here and on the forum, the lack of “layer styles” is a show stopper.
Perhaps something for v2.0 later in 2011?
Kudos for an otherwise great product
Hold on guys.
Photoshop:
£650.
Pixelmator:
£17.99.
I can live without a drop shadow filter/style.
I love Pixelmator and I am constantly amazed by whats possible.
The application as so may advanced features, I can’t believe that drop shadow for a selected object is not a ‘tick-box’ feature. As you see in iWorks & iLife applications.
Still it nice to see how to do it manually
Please add this feature in ver 2.0
My major problem with doing it the ol’duplicate-the-layer-then-make-it-black-then-gaussian-blur-it (apart from it taking too long) is that I have to redo that whole process whenever I change the original layer.
Lack of layer fx like this is the #1 reason I didn’t buy Pixelmator. Pretty much everything else about it is grand.
(& the brushes seem to get sluggish rather quickly.)
I can’t believe why people who use photoshop are moaning. If I wanted to pay £600 against £20 I’d expect it to do everything, which it obviously doesn’t.
Stick with what your happy with; if another doesn’t do what you want, don’t use it!
Pixelmator is an excellent product and I’m very happy with it. Photoshop, like most adobe products, is over rated and grossly overpriced. Get used to it!
Thank you for the tutorial. I do wish they had the option for a drop shadow. I do like the pixelmator, still learning, but I am one who uses the drop shadow feature often. This is the one down side that I have found so far.
I love this app. But I couldn’t believe it had no shadow filter. It’s a matter of TIME. I takes longer do do it as explained in the tutorial. You know what a had to do to drop a shadow? Open iWeb, paste picture, get shadow and then copy it back. In iweb you can do it in just two or three clicks. ‘Till finally I got tired of doing that and thought “That filter has to be somewhere”. That’s how I got to this page.
Pixelmator 80% and Photoshop 20% of my working time.
When creating a logo, an important image or modify a photo, layer filters are not important. Working like this tutorial is nice and let me make a good job.
But when producing graphics for web (i’m a webmaster) or I must work with hurry due to customer’s request, predefined filters speed up my working process.
With simple keyboard shortcuts you can do this as fast as any filter. Learn these and you will be a pixelmator warrior!
Drop shadow should be a basic built-in filter. Pixelmator has a lot of complex filters and I can’t imagine that “drop shadow” is more difficult to program. Regardless I am sure everyone would like to see that feature included, so it should be included.
A drop shadow tool and an outline tool, please.
No drop-shadow filter?! Come on people… chop chop!
For those that simply *must* have a Drop Shadow filter, look no further:
http://www.pixelmator.com/support/viewtopic.php?t=2489
(It is beautifully done too, I might add.)
Although I like the speed of the Photoshop drop shadow function, I like having the shadow in a separate editable layer as in Pixelmator.
Next question: What about drop shadow for unrasterized TYPE??
Please add drop shadow feature. This really seems like the long way around, and I second (or third) the motion that I’d trash Photoshop if this feature were added to Pixelmator.
In App Purchase maybe??? hahaha
Nice little tutorial. I’d tried to do one on my own but I kept missing the Gaussian Blur step that actually makes it work. Thanks. It’s simple, easy, and quick.
I have to agree with some of the comments here, A good program is one that allows you to use quick tools to achieve some desire goals and I think that a tool to make a shadow is deeply needed. Common people, in photoshop you click once and you have a lot of tweaking power. Tis tool and the lack of a history undo window are 2 basic tools that I believe every program has them. I really hope the people that make Pixelmator make these and some other tools on future updates and guys, dont be afraid of copying other programs.
I’ve been using Photoshop since v5, but honestly – rendering shadows is not good enough. What if I have text? Do I need to render it, and then if someone wants to edit the text? LIVE, editable strokes, shadows and gradient fills are really needed in a modern app. I hope it’s on the way!
Hi Jim,
Shadow to a text can be added using the Fonts palette (View > Show Fonts).
Hi Ausra,
Ah, I missed that…thanks.
I wish there was a more-unified control system sometimes. Little things hidden here and there..sounds like another photo shop app I could mention
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I like pixelmator, but I will never be able to wean myself off PS without inner and outer shadows. Honestly you should go PS one better and allow more than one of each.
To all of you pro’s, that know how to make umpteen thousang things, like dropshadows, go back to photoshop and stay there. I think Filters are necesary and pixelmator shoul;d have a couple to make easy things easier to do.
Layer styles are not great for final drawings, but it is good to use for quick reference or for throwing together a ideas. As a web designer, I am hindered a bit when I want to throw a quick drop shadow down for my layouts (not final output).
When I have some free time I will likely make an animator script, however this will give tons of layers when all a lot of people need is a quick, neat way to keep layer effects.