shadowing
 

I've seen some fabulous shadowing work in the gallery.
Can a few people tell me how they prefer to do realistic shadows?
thanks !!!!

there are several different ways I do it, but my basics set is similar to these(https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/s...5&cat=0&page=1) by Jenn Barrette. I made my own, but they are pretty close to hers

thanks, I didn't see that in the shoppe !!

using a set like that is a great way to get started! you can click on the layer style and play with all the settings to learn what they do. Adjusting the angle of the light, opacity of the shadow, and the distance are the three easiest ways to change up a shadow effect. There are numerous ways to shadow, and over time you'll evolve your style, but starting with a set like Jenn's is a great way to go!

Same here, I bought them when she was at Scrapmatters, but they were pretty much the same as what I had made myself. With that said though, they ARE awesome and I highly recommend them! :)

thanks ladies!!!!

I use Jenn's too. You can also take a little time to look at Jenn's layouts or the layouts of someone else who really rocks shadows. Pay attention to the depth they give different elements and stuff like that and try to mimick it in your own scrapping. But don't get obsessed with shadowing; it's a total time sucker!

I'm constantly working to improve my shadows. I try to think of how much shadow something would have in real life, also how much shadow is on the thing that the element is over (if it's over something). Such as a flower placed on top of a realistic branch would have a much larger shadow than a flower directly on the paper. You need to figure in the extra depth that the branch would add. (for example)

some examples (all of this is from Jenn's Dandelion Wishes, except the brown flower is from Boyish Charm)
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...sh/shadow1.jpg
Your distance is how far the shadow goes out from the element, the size is how soft the shadow is. (I'm sure that's not it's primary function, but the higher the size the softer the shadow) If your shadow distance is larger than the size you get a crisper shadow (like on the bee).
The bee (on a real page) would have more dimension than the flat butterfly, thus it's shadow would be larger. And the flower on top of the leaves would have more shadow than the flower just on the paper because it has the added dimension from the leaves. Same with a bulky vs flat frame.
Hope that helps. That's how I go about my shadowing.
:)

I do my own, but the biggest advice I can give is use linear blend mode and not multiply.

I just thank God for people like Jenn and Misty(?), I think that's who my other set is by...I couldn't live if I had to do my own shadows. I never could get them right!

DITTO!!

I have to laugh when I look at my old layouts and see my hideous shadows!! LOL

I'm still learning but a good start was getting the shadow styles and then learning how to manipulate them. It's actually become somewhat of a game to me now! :p

You can check out my gallery to see my styles in action. I seldomly change them up besides maybe warping them a bit to have a ribbon/string/etc lift up a bit at the edge. I keep meaning to do another set...its on my "to do" list.

Yes, please do another set!!!! :thumbup:

That would be great. :-)