Of course I don't repeat the same steps whenever I create a template - I simply take a photo+mat set from an existing template and then resize, rotate etc for the new template.
Here's a simple illustration of my method.
1a. create a layer for photo and a layer for the mat (at least 105% of the photo depending on how thick you like the border to be)
1b. add a drop shadow to the mat. Play with the distance and the size of the shadow.
- I use 10-18 for distance, 0 for spread and 4-6 for size (depends on size of the mat)
- For the "colour", I use "black" at 39% with "multiply" effect.
- Try to get a sharper shadow (you will blur it later).
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2. Create a layer for the shadow (right click on the "drop shadow" and select "create layer")
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3. The new layer will have the characteristic of the settings you have chosen.
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4. Select the shadow layer and use the warp function under Edit -> Transform -> Warp
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5. After warping, use "Gaussian blur" to unsharpen the shadow for a more realistic feel.
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6. Merge Mat layer to Shadow layer and it's done!
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It's not so difficult, isn't it?
Hope you'd find this useful and have fun trying it out!
i've been wondering how they warp shadows...thanks for the tutorial!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I tought it would be way more difficult.. I'm happy I can finally do it myself..
ReplyDeleteNadiaU
Thank you so so much !
ReplyDeletewhat version of Photoshop did you use , since in CS2 you can not create a layer from Drop Shadow I think
ReplyDeleteIt is CS3.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the perfect tutorial!!! I love your templates!
ReplyDelete