Here is a good digital scrapbooking tip for adjusting shadows on your digital scrapbooking supplies.
Drop shadows make our digital scrapbooking pages look more realistic. So we all want to use them on our digital scrapbooking pages and projects whenever we can.
Most of us that have been digital scrapbooking for awhile know how to add a drop shadow on our digital scrapbooking pages or embellishments. If you have taken the Getting Started in Digital Scrapbook training then you also know how to adjust the color of the drop shadow, and use the Style Settings Menu to refine the size and opacity.
But even with all these tricks up our sleeves, many don’t know about this great little trick to finely adjust the drop shadow by manually moving it in place!
Here is how you do it! PS. This works in both Photoshop or Photoshop Elements!
Steps for Moving Your Drop Shadow:
Step 1: Select the digital scrapbooking item that you want to adjust the shadow on. Make sure the right layer is selected in the layers panel.
Step 2: If you haven’t added a drop shadow go ahead and add one in the Effects Panel in Photoshop Elements.
For Photoshop Users you can apply a drop shadow by clicking on the FX setting in the layers panel.
Step 3: Click on the FX setting on your embellishment’s layer, then when the pop-out menu appears this is when you can take the move tool and move the shadow under you embellishment.
So you can see this better in the images I have made the shadow bright colors and pulled them out far from the embellishment.
Photoshop: In this example below, after clicking on the FX setting on the Embellishment layer a pop-out menu appears. This is where we can set the color of the shadow and other setting. But if you would like to manually move the shadow in place then you can use the move tool to adjust the shadow by clicking on the shadow and moving it manually. See the black leaf embellishment and the pink shadow is being pulled out away from the embellishment. Ps. this only works when the pop-out menu is being displayed and you are on the right layer.
Photoshop Elements: In this example below, after clicking on the FX setting on the Embellishment layer a pop-out menu appears. This is where we can set the color of the shadow and other settings. But if you would like to manually move the shadow, then you can use the move tool to adjust the shadow. When the pop-out menu is available, click embellishment layer, then click on the drop shadow and with the move tool, manually move it into place. See the metal tack embellishment below? This embellishment’s pink shadow is being pulled away from the embellishment with the move tool – see image below.
Often manually moving the drop shadow into place makes the digital scrapbooking project more realistic or more interesting!
In the example below we have changed the drop shadow to a gray and have manually adjusted its placement to finish off our digital scrapbooking page!
Done correctly this can add a very pleasing effect to your digital projects!
Try this next time you are digitally scrapping – this is a very handy tip and is nice to know – enjoy!
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