The ULTIMATE shadow question.

When do you add your shadows?

  • Shadow as you add to/create your layout.

    Votes: 68 68.0%

  • Shadow after all of your layers are added.

    Votes: 32 32.0%
  • Total voters
    100
MommaTrish

MommaTrish

Well-known member
As a hotly debated topic between me and one other... I must know your input.

What do you do...?
  • a. Shadow as you add to/create your layout.
  • b. Shadow after all of your layers are added.
 
I shallow as I go otherwise I might miss something... also it makes me twitchy not too... haha
 
I do both. I add basic shadows as I go, and then once I have everything finished, I go back and do custom adjustments to certain types of elements (flowers, ribbons/string, etc.).
 
Both. I use my styles as I go so I can get the idea of how things look, then at the end after I am happy with the placement, I start tweaking them to death.
 
I use a 2 layer shadow; 1 layer is a very small shadow on the top and left sides, the other is the regular shadow on the right side and bottom. Shadowing at the end makes it much easier to move things around while I'm working.
 
I do it as I go. Sort of. If I do my typical clustery-heavy layout using this method, I will drag everything over and shadow them all at once with the same shadow just to give me some distinction among elements. Then I tweak as I go.
 
My shadows default to include an outerglow (set with same color/linear burn like my shadows) to give me that opposite shadow look.

rach3975 said:
I use a 2 layer shadow; 1 layer is a very small shadow on the top and left sides, the other is the regular shadow on the right side and bottom. Shadowing at the end makes it much easier to move things around while I'm working.
Click to expand...
 
I shadow at the end to save time. In order to not miss anything I start with the top layer and work my way down on the layers palette till I reach the bottom layer. Easy.
 
yari said:
I shadow at the end to save time. In order to not miss anything I start with the top layer and work my way down on the layers palette till I reach the bottom layer. Easy.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do. I use layer styles for shadows most of the time, so I just go down, click a layer, click a shadow style and move on to the next layer.
 
I shadow last and work from the bottom layer up, with the shadows getting deeper/darker as I go up layers.

I move stuff and layers around too much to shadow as I go. I'd be constantly adjusting shadows if I did.
 
Usually at the end, although once in a while I'll do a shadow when I add a specific element because I want to see how it looks on the layout.
 
Okay. I took a few pieces from this layout and shared my shadow settings (drop and outer glow). I actually have my own shadow style set that includes both of these, so I recommend you go ahead and modify whichever styles you are using already and save them as a new style to speed things up. If you are curious about something on the layout that I didn't picture, just ask, and I'll just type them here. You can see more of my clustery style pages here or just look at my previews in the shop to get a feel for my shadow style.

glowsettings_zps8d9d088a.jpg


And for comparison, the first layout uses both drop shadows and outer glow, and the second has all the outer glows turned off.

glowLR_zpsd8f966fb.jpg


glowLR-noglow_zps23abcd24.jpg
 
Last edited:
ltarbox said:
I do both. I add basic shadows as I go, and then once I have everything finished, I go back and do custom adjustments to certain types of elements (flowers, ribbons/string, etc.).
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do... I used to shadow at the end, and loved to just see the page slowly come to life, but then it was easier for me to shadow as I go, so I don't miss anything. Then the finishing touches just add to the layout at the end. :)
 
ltarbox said:
I do both. I add basic shadows as I go, and then once I have everything finished, I go back and do custom adjustments to certain types of elements (flowers, ribbons/string, etc.).
Click to expand...

^^^ this. pretty much sums it up for me too.
 
krystalhartley said:
Okay. I took a few pieces from this layout and shared my shadow settings (drop and outer glow). I actually have my own shadow style set that includes both of these, so I recommend you go ahead and modify whichever styles you are using already and save them as a new style to speed things up. If you are curious about something on the layout that I didn't picture, just ask, and I'll just type them here. You can see more of my clustery style pages here or just look at my previews in the shop to get a feel for my shadow style.

glowsettings_zps8d9d088a.jpg


And for comparison, the first layout uses both drop shadows and outer glow, and the second has all the outer glows turned off.

glowLR_zpsd8f966fb.jpg


glowLR-noglow_zps23abcd24.jpg
Click to expand...

Thank you! I'll have to go in and play with my styles this week and save a set with the outer glow. It adds so much more depth and dimension that way.
 
krystalhartley said:
Okay. I took a few pieces from this layout and shared my shadow settings (drop and outer glow).
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for sharing those, Krystal! When I first switched to PS a few years ago it seemed like there had to be an easier way to achieve that effect than the 2-layer shadow, but at the time I couldn't find it so I just wrote actions that did the 2-layer shadows for me. I need to play with the outer glow settings!
 
I have my own custom styles that I use as I go, and I have an action that adds an opposite edge shadow. But, I'm thinking that I'll go play a bit and create some new styles that include the Outer Glow. It would speed things up and decrease the number of layers that I end up with when I'm done with a layout.
 
I'm lazy like that. :)
I do separate layers for things...like my frames...I do a different shadow for the inside part of the frame that's directly over the photo, and I do a different one for the outside of the frame as it layers with everything else. My paper shadows often get special attention because I like to do a distortion wave on them.
 
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