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Creating a Shadow


I've found that using the clone stamp tool to expand the shadow area and refining it with the patch tool to be effective. Might want to try that.
 
Dumbo, my sense of it is that the shadow is still too brown. Take a close look at shadows cast on a brown object. Easy for me as we have a brown couch and chair. It is true that shadows are not black except in the darkest situations. But your brown shadow looks unreal.. I agree with dv8 and use that method plus others all the time. Fill the silhouette with black and set it to hard light, then transform, distort and warp the shadows. Consider the light source and indoors, depending on the time of day, windows, walls, etc., there is probably a primary and a secondary light source, maybe a third. I think if you make two that is satisfactory for the most part. If you have one light source, your shadow will have sharper edges but will soften the further it gets from the light.

Depending on the angle, it will be a short, fat shadow or elongated. Elongated shadows tend to have softer edges as they get further out from the direct casting below the object.When you have an object held high like the lego, it will be lighter than you have it. From the lighting highlights and shadows on the arm, you can see that it is directed more leftward than your current representation, angled more clockwise. Using the hard light blend with the right opacity will give it the shadow grey cast plus the brown. You are right about that, the shadow is not black or grey. But currently, it looks deeper that the brown of the ottoman.

You may want to select the footrest and darken the levels to bring out more detail and better color. Also, the lego piece is rotated away from the light source. The highlight is questionable. What is the light source for the brilliant highlight on the grey? That too can be fixed. And, you will need to create a shadow on a layer above, to make shadows around the yellow form which is away from the light, as well as on the side of the grey piece which is resting on his hand. There should be dark shadow on the fingers and the edge of the lego piece which is furthest from the light hitting it on the top and the forward portion of the piece.

Those are my observances.
 
Tkx for your thoughts ibclare I'll look into that tomorrow (later today, I'm on European time....).
Yes I do have the PSD version but as the upload piccy menu only mentioned jpg and a few others, but omitted psd I didn't think I could upload it. Will do that as well later in my day, the 4th......... OK.
Sleep well.............
 
Just click the image upload icon and choose file.

Here I just made some selections and played with it. I moved the lego over as it didn't seem to fit with the piece expanding at the bottom as it does. I remade the table top just to get everything out of the way. I did not work with the shadow from the arm, just a kind of quick idea of the shadow above and below the lego piece. Not being able to make out details, some was just a guess. The shadow at the edge of the table is still too dark. And the shadow color is too grey. Another way to deal with the shadow color is to make everything, then use a hue/adjustment layer. But be careful not to remove all the black in the color or it won't be realistic. Tweak, tweak, tweak!

Shad1 (2).jpg
 
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Here's another method you can apply. Make your transformed shadow. Ctl/cmd click on the thumbnail; go to select>modify>feather and make a large feather. Now make a new layer (either above or below should work depending on blending modes) fill the layer and expand it in various directions beyond the original shadow. And of course play with opacity and blend with brush on mask or eraser as needed.
 
ibclare said:
Where is that throw pillow from? It looks like folk art? Is it locally made?
Click to expand...

You won't believe it but it comes from IKEA, the Danish furniture etc "supermarket. Do you have them in your neck of the woods?

Thanks for your further advice, will check all these ideas out altho' I've started on a different piccy at pres.
Basically I do a piccy calendar every year for friends and family. Not the usual type of YawnYawn Boring type but one that's got a bit of humour in it, some of which is a bit left field......... I've started now on 2014 that's why I've got the basic questions I've been posting about........ By 2014 I'll probably have sussed it......:eek:

BTW Queen Bee, do you fancy a move to Europe........?? :cheesygrin:
 
Yes, we do have them in our woods. Actually, I don't think that parking lot has one tree . . .

It could also almost be a marimekko (Finnish), but I'll take a danish, thank you.
 
Dumbo said:
BTW Queen Bee, do you fancy a move to Europe........?? :cheesygrin:
Click to expand...

I am not sure if these wings, large as they are, could make it that far. Besides, the colony would probably get upset. We have a lovely forested area with lots of meadow flowers and the bears here buy our honey in droves.
 
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