How to lighten too dark shadows in an image. How to make a shadow in photoshop shadow tool light in photoshop cs6

Shadows are a very important aspect in any collage. The same goes for lighting effects, if the shadows are applied correctly, your image can end up being stunning. In this tutorial, I'll show you several ways to create realistic shadows in Photoshop.
The first step will only be a theory to help you understand how highlights and shadows work, and in the following steps I will show you how to create shadows.

Light source and angles of incidence of the shadow.
Before you start doing anything with your image, you must decide if you need shadows or not. For orientation, you need to first determine the main light source.

As you can see, in the original image, the light source is on the top left. In the collage, the sky and clouds are also lit from the top left. You must always respect the direction of the light. It is necessary to identify elements in the image that will serve as a guide for you to create light and shadow.
Below is a similar case. But this time the light source is on the right side and again the artist used the highlights on the model's body as a guide when creating the collage.

It also happens that we cannot find a reference point that will help us determine the position of the main light source, but existing shadows in the image can help you. Here's an example.

There is no image on the original road sign I added it to Photoshop. Assuming I don't have a starting point to help me decide where the main light source (in this case, the sun) is located, I created the shadow of the road sign, focusing on the shadows from the man and the girl. I created it at the same angle and with the same opacity. If the original shadow you are using as a guide is blurry, you can apply to the shadow Gaussian blur(Gaussian Blur) to make it as close as possible to the original shadow.

This is a simple theory. Simply put, you must define a light source in order to know how to create shadows. In the next steps, I will show you how to create real shadows from scratch. I will show my own technique, but you can adapt it for yourself. There are different types of shadows, so to make it easier for me to explain, and for you to understand, I will give them different names.

Touching shadow
I'll call this type of shadow “touching shadow” because I don't know its real name. This is a very important type of shadow because it actually tells you if an object is standing on a surface or close to it. The image below shows an example of a real shadow, where you can clearly see what this type of shadow is.

Recreating this type of shadow in Photoshop is not difficult, but it does take some practice. For example, I took an image that I used for my other tutorial. I separated the model from its previous background and placed it on the new one to create a collage. As you can see, it looks a little dull, it is obvious that there are not enough shadows, and the model looks like it is hanging in the air.

The way in which I create the shadows that you see in the image below is this: I take Brush(Brush) medium (depends on the size of the collage), I set it Pressure(Flow) around 30%, and Opacity(Opacity) of the brush - around 25%. Then I start painting over the edges of the object where it touches the surface. I paint over the edges, so to speak, from the inside. Take a look at the image below for a better idea.

This is the so-called touching shadow "before and after". I do not know its formal name.

Soft shadow
This type of shadow is perhaps even more important than the touching shadow as it is more noticeable and if you create it correctly, you may not need the touching shadow we talked about above.
In this case, you can be a little freer, since you don't need to be too precise here. Just take a soft brush, set the value Rigidity(Hardness) around 20-45% and paint over the areas around the object you are working with. Keep in mind that the further you move from the object, the less opaque the shadow will be as it fades.

Take a look at the image below. I painted the shadows with a large soft brush with a low value. Opacity(Opacity) (20% or so). As you can see, it is impossible to clearly define the figure of the girl in the shadow because it is too blurry, but it definitely adds realism to the overall scene. Also notice how the shadow loses its intensity as it gets further away from the subject. It was all created with a mouse, not a tablet.

Cast shadow
If you want to create more realistic shadows in Photoshop then you need to use a different technique. There are almost always several ways in Photoshop to achieve the same result. In simple terms, this technique is about using the shape of an object to create a shadow.

Method 1
One way to do this is to duplicate the layer, then shrink it. Brightness(Lightness) to 0. Then, place the duplicated layer under the layer with the original and rename it Shadow (Shadow), if you like.
I have already made a short demo video on how to create shadows of this kind. You can watch it. After that, use the tool Distortion(Distort) to adjust the shadow to your liking. You can apply Gaussian blur(Gaussian Blur) if you want to blur the shadow, and you can also adjust Opacity(Opacity) layer.

Then I applied a little Gaussian blur(Gaussian Blur), reduced Opacity(Opacity) layer and used Layer mask(Layer Mask) and Gradient(Gradient) to make the shadow fade. Then, using Distortion(Distort) (Ctrl + T or menu Editing(Edit) - Transformation(Transform) - Distortion(Distort)) I tilted it a little.

Method 2
The second way to achieve the same result as in the image above is to use Layer styles(Layer Styles) I believe it is lighter and faster. I'll show you a really cool way that many people don't know.

Just open the window Layer styles(Layer Styles) (in my example, the layer Tower (Tower)) and add Shadow(Drop Shadow). The most important parameter here is The size(Size) shadows. With this parameter, you control the amount of blurring of your shadow.
Increase Opacity(Opacity) to 100%, because then you can reduce it at will using the slider Opacity(Opacity) in the layers palette. I used a high value Offsets(Distance) in this example, so that you can see better the generated shadow, but this parameter is not important.

Now comes the fun part. You can turn this shadow into a separate layer. Right-click on the name of the shadow effect for the layer in the layers palette and select Create layer(Create Layer).

This action creates a new layer with the same settings. Mixing mode(Blend Mode) and Opacity(Opacity). You can do this with any effect. Then, Reflect(Flip) the layer and shrink it if necessary Opacity(Opacity). Repeat the steps above to tilt the shadow.

I think that what I have told about shadows is enough. Let's move on to lighting now. I'll show you a few of the ways I use it to create realistic lighting.

Incident light

Creating these kind of lighting effects in Photoshop is not difficult, but if you want realistic falling light, then you have to think a little. Blending modes are very important here. Feel free to create each light effect on a separate layer and apply a different blend mode for each one.
The first thing I created was a light source. I took a fairly large soft yellow brush and painted a large dot. Then I went through all the blending modes to see which one works best for me.
Remember that blend modes affect brightness values. If the light doesn't look the way you want it in any blend mode, try using a darker, less saturated color. In this example, I used a dark yellow color to create the glow.

Then I created the final glow using the filter Glare(Lens Flare) on the menu Filter(Filter) - Rendering(Rendering) - Glare(Lens Flare). I created a square selection, filled it with black on a new layer and added a highlight in the center of this black square. Then changed its color to yellow with Adjustment layer(Adjustment Layer) Hue / Saturation(Hue / Saturation) and changed the blend mode of the layer to Screen / Dodge(Screen) to hide the black areas of the square.

When the light source is ready, you need to reproduce the incident light on other objects, such as the ground or walls. The most common way to do this is with a soft brush and in this case, yellow.
I found that the blend modes Lightening Basics(Color Dodge), Bright light(Vivid Light) and Linear Dodge(Add) (Linear Dodge (Add)) are best for creating lighting effects, but as I said, it depends on the colors and brightness levels of your background. The realism of the lighting depends on where you place it.

As you can see in the image above, adding light on the ground makes the collage even more realistic. It was done with a large, soft yellow brush and a Blend Mode. Lightening Basics(Color Dodge) then I used the tool Distortion(Distort) (Ctrl + T) and shrink it horizontally. By adding lighting on the wall to the left, it is even more realistic. Therefore, as I said above, it all depends on where you place the lighting. To create the lighting on the wall, I simply duplicated the ground lighting and reflected it.

Surface lighting
Another way to create of various kinds lighting - use Layer styles(Layer Styles). This technique is used when the subject is illuminated from the side or back.
This technique consists of adding Inner glow(Inner Shadow) and use a blend mode that suits the situation better.
Using the same blend mode does not always work, you have to match it. Our goal is to recreate the light at the edges of the object.

The color of the lighting depends on whether you are working on a daylight collage or a night scene. If you are using modes Lightening(Dodge) or Bright light(Vivid Light) then you should use dark colors as these blend modes will make them brighter. You will have to try and make mistakes many times before you find a suitable brightness value. It is also not necessary for the effect to be very noticeable. Even a subtle effect will change the look of your subject.
I have sketched an illustration of what I have just explained. This is a rough option, but it suits us. Take a look at the image below. I applied to it Inner shadow(Inner Shadow) with the settings shown in the image above.

Here's another example of VinternnV collage from deviantART.

This method has its drawbacks. When we apply the settings Inner shadow(Inner Shadow), it often creates a lighting effect on unwanted areas.
I usually increase the value of the parameter Bias(Distance) and change Injection(Angle) to match the direction of the light source, but even then you might get unwanted results. Increasing settings Size(Size), you get a softer effect, but usually just a thin line of light is enough to make it look good. Take a look at the image below for clarity. I made the effect very strong so you can see it better.

As you can see in the image above, the result of applying Inner glow(Inner Shadow) some unwanted effects have become to create lighting. They don't look terrible in this example, but let's say I don't want this lighting effect in the area I have outlined in the image above.
How can we get rid of this without affecting the areas that we have in order? You cannot use the eraser as it Layer style(Layer Style). There was a time when I had great difficulties with this, but in the end I found a solution to this problem.

The solution is to transform the style (in this case Inner shadow(Inner Shadow) on a separate layer, as I said earlier when we talked about shadows). I bet not many people use this trick in Photoshop, but it's really useful when, for example, you want to use an effect that has already been used. For example, if you want to use two different shadow effects.

So, to expand the possibilities of layer effects, right-click on the desired effect and select Create layer(Create Layer). By this action, you automatically create a new clipping mask(clipping mask) layer with Opacity(Opacity) and blending mode you stopped for this layer style. After that, you can create a layer mask and mask out the unwanted areas.

Global illumination
The last kind of lighting effect is global illumination, which I create with a filter. Lighting effect(Lighting Effect). I use this filter in almost all my collages in the final steps. This effect will make your collage 99% better. This is a destructive filter, in other words, as soon as you apply it, it immediately changes your image, and this effect cannot be undone. You can find this light filter in the menu Filter(Filter) - Rendering(Render) - Lighting Effects(Lighting Effects).

But there is a non-destructive way to apply this filter if you convert the layer to Smart object(Smart Object). You can convert a regular layer to Smart object(Smart Object) in the layers palette. Right click on the layer and select Convert to Smart Object(Smart object). Below you can see some examples of the effect of global illumination.

Example 1

Example 2

That's it for shadows and lighting. I hope you figured something out for yourself. This is all for your experiments and your practice.

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Published: 14.09.2012admin

You will learn:

Why shots are underexposed and overexposed.
That shadows and highlights in the photo can be edited separately.
Where to start working in the Shadow / Highlight window.
What the Amount parameter affects.
What value of parameter Radius should be set.
How to adjust the Tonal Width value.
Do I need to change the Color Correction settings
and Midtone Contrast.

The lesson is divided into the following sections:

1. Instructional video.
2. Pictures are underexposed and overexposed.
4. The order of work.
6. The result of the tool Shadow / Highlight (Light / Shadow).
7. Questions.
8. Homework.

Shots can be underexposed and overexposed.

The human eye has the ability to adapt to difficult lighting conditions. For example, at the same time the eye can capture the beauty of the clouds against the backdrop of the dazzling sun, and the landscape below, which will certainly disappear into the shadows when shooting with modern digital cameras. In difficult lighting conditions, cameras are inferior to the organs of vision. When metering over a bright sky, the aperture is closed to reveal details in the highlights, but all objects in the shadow become black spots. Conversely, when measuring in the shadow part, the diaphragm will open wider, which will favorably affect the development of details in the shadows, but the highlights will turn out to be discolored.

Image command - Adjustments - Shadow/ Highlight(Shadows / Lights ...) Introduced in 2002 in Photoshop CS, it allows you to separately restore underexposed and overexposed areas of an image in RGB and LAB color space (available in CMYK since Photoshop CS2). If the tonal shift applies to the entire image, then this tool will not help you to perfectly restore the image. Shadow / Highlight (Shadows / Highlights ...) does not replace the classic means of tonal adjustment Levels (Levels) and Curves (Curves), but very well complements them.

Check the box ShowMoreOptions(Extra options) to maximize the window. Turn on Preview.

By default, the parameter Amount (Effect) the Highlights section is set to zero. This means that nothing happens to the lights, regardless of the values of other parameters.

Default Radius (Radius) Blur Shadows is 30 pixels, which is fine for most shots. If the value of the radius is too large, then the lightening or darkening will affect the entire image as a whole, and not the areas we need. When setting the minimum radius, the effect will only affect individual pixels with a very similar brightness level. The value of the radius should be such that small details disappear without affecting the shape of the objects.

The main thing in the Shadow / Highlight tool is blur. Remember, in the Brightening Blending Modes tutorial, we pulled out the details of the church from the shadows. We applied the Filter - Blur (Blur) - Gaussian Blur (Blur on Gaussian) to the gray copy, then changed the blending mode to Color Dodge (Lightening the base) and like a miracle from the shadows appeared hidden from the initial view of the details. The radius was set large enough at 60-70 pixels to blur the image. Shadow / Highlight has a similar principle of action, it happens behind the scenes. We do not see the whole process and immediately get the result. The larger the radius, the more the affected area is shaded.

Pay attention to Section Adjustments(Correction) in field Color Correction the default is +20. Professionals usually set this value to 0 and manually restore faded colors with the Curves or Hue / Saturation tool. For beginners with PhotoShop, however, the default settings can help. After restoring the details in the shadows, midtones and highlights, the corrected areas become faded, this setting increases the saturation of all colors that have passed through the lightening or darkening, without changing the rest of the colors. If you need to increase the saturation in the entire photo, additionally use a Hue / Saturation adjustment layer and pick a suitable position for the Saturation slider.

Slider Midtone Contrast controls the contrast in all channels at once, which does not always give a good result. Instead, it is better to use a Curves adjustment layer (Curves), building S-curves in each channel separately.

Don't confuse parameters Amount(The effect) and TonalWidth(Tone Range Width). Amount (Effect) is responsible for the strength of the impact. Tonal Width indicates the range over which this effect is applied. By decreasing the tonal range value, you narrow the instrument's area of effect.

BlackClip(Shadow Truncation) andWhiteClip(Truncating Lights)... Leave these parameters unchanged. They determine the maximum darkening and lightening values for pixels in the image.

If you have to process several photos taken in the same shooting conditions, it makes sense to save the settings by pressing the button Save…(Save)... Specify the path and enter any name. The file will be saved with the .shh extension. Then, for the next shot, press Load(Download) and select the file with the saved settings

Operating procedure:

Before starting work, create a copy of the background layer.

Select the menu Image (Image) - Adjustments (Correction) - Shadow / Highlight (Shadows / Highlights ...).

If the default settings did not meet expectations, then you need to adjust the correct three sliders in the shadows section or three sliders in the highlights section, depending on whether you want to pull out in the photo: shadows or highlights. Sometimes, (on very bad photos) you have to make adjustments in both the shadows and highlights. Set maximum values for Amount(Effect), radius set the minimum (3), select the value for TonalWidth(Tone Range Width) and then leaving Amount (Effect) 100%, set the radius value. Finally, find a suitable position for the slider Amount (Effect) by decreasing its value. To compare with the original, uncheck the box Preview(View)... Click OK.

First open the Histogram palette from the Window menu. Try not to let the edges of the histogram go beyond the palette. This is necessary in order not to lose parts irrevocably. By the way, Shadow / Highlight (Shadows / Highlights ...) does not lead to loss of tonal ranges and the appearance of the effect of the comb in the histogram.

It is possible that when performing the Shadow / Highlight function, there were side effects in the form of noise and halos at the boundaries of contrasting objects. To avoid these unpleasant factors, try to set the Amount parameter low (Effect).

Each subsequent processing with the Shadow / Highlight tool (Shadows / Highlights ...) brings more and more noticeable changes to the image. Reusing this tool with an Amount of 7% is much more than entering an Amount of 14% once. The ridge effect of the histogram has noticeably increased.

The result of the Shadow / Highlight tool

Questions:

To darken (stretch) the highlights of the image using Shadow / Highlight (Highlight / Shadow), you need to change the parameter ...

- Shadow - Tonal Width

- Highlight - Tonal Width

- Adjastments - Midtone Contrast

- Highlight - Amount (Effect)

- Shadow (Shadow) - Amount (Effect)

What parameter should be set to 0 so that no changes occur in the shadows?

- Shadow - Tonal Width.

- Adjastments - Midtone Contrast.

- Shadow (Shadow) - Amount (Effect).

- Shadow (Shadow) - Radius (Radius).

If side effects such as noise appear while adjusting the settings
and halos, then you need ...

- decrease the Tonal Width.

- increase the Radius (Radius).

- reduce the Radius (Radius).

- reduce Amount (Effect).

- increase the Amount (Effect).

- reduce Color Correction.

Homework:

Open the P7061625.jpg file. Extrude details from the shadow using the command

Shadow / Highlight (Shadows / Lights ...)

Photoshop's Shadows / Highlights adjustments help lighten slightly dark areas of an image and darken highlights to restore hidden details in photos with too high contrast.

Unfortunately, Shadows / Highlights is one of the few adjustments not available in Photoshop as an Adjustment Layer. This may lead you to believe that we have no choice but to apply this correction directly to the image.

Fortunately, this is not the case. In this article, you will learn that there is a simple yet powerful trick that you can use to get all the benefits of Adjustment Layers: Apply Shadow / Highlights as a non-destructive smart filter.

I took this photo on a bright, sunny day, so it suffers from too high contrast - too dark areas of shadows and excessively bright areas. Let's take a look at how we can use Shadow / Highlights as a smart filter to get the same results as before, but without making any structure-destroying changes:

Original image

Step 1: Convert Image to Smart Object

When we use Shadow / Highlights for static correction ( that is, a correction that is applied directly to the pixels in the image), the first thing we need to do is duplicate the image and place the copy on a separate layer. That is, we are working with a copy of the image, and the original photo remains intact. In this case, we don't have to worry about it, because we will be applying the Shadows / Highlights as a smart filter. And smart filters are completely non-destructive technology.

What is a Smart Filter? This is a regular Photoshop filter, except that it is applied not to a regular layer, but to a Smart Object. You can think of a smart object as a transparent container that contains an image. After we have placed the image in the container, we perform all actions not with the image, but with the container. Visually, it looks like we are making changes to the image itself, but this is not the case. The container is being edited while the image inside it remains intact.

It's important for our theme to understand that when we apply one of the Photoshop filters to a Smart Object, it automatically becomes a Smart Filter. And one of the main advantages of Smart Filters over regular filters is that their parameters remain fully editable. This allows us to return to them at any time and re-edit. Moreover, no constant changes are not included in the image.

The first thing we need to do is convert our image to a Smart Object. If we look at the layers palette, we can see that our image is located in the background layer:

In the "Layers" panel, we see that the photo is located in the background layer

To convert it to a Smart Object, click on the small menu icon in the upper right corner of the Layers palette:

Click on the menu icon in the layers palette

Then select the item " Convert to Smart Object»:

Select "Convert to Smart Object" from the menu

Visually, nothing happened to the image in the main area of the document. But if we look at the Layers panel again, we can see a small Smart Object icon appear in the lower right corner of the layer thumbnail. This means that the layer has been converted to a smart object:

An icon has appeared in the lower right corner of the layer thumbnail, which tells us that this is a smart object

Step 2: select a High / Shadow adjustment

With the layer converted to a Smart Object, we're ready to apply the Shadow / Highlight adjustment like a Smart Filter. But how can we apply something that is not a filter as a smart filter?

As it turns out, the Shadow / Highlight correction is special. This is one of two image corrections ( the second is HDR toning) that Photoshop lets you apply as a Smart Filter. To select it go to the Image menu, then select Adjustments and then Shadows / Highlights.

Please note that all image corrections in the list are grayed out and are currently unavailable - except for two ( Shadows / Highlights and HDR Toning):

Go to Image> Adjustments> Shadows / Highlights

Step 3: Select "Show advanced options"

You should see the Shadows / Highlights dialog on your screen with the default settings. But I will not dwell on all these parameters in detail.

If a dialog box only shows two default sliders ( Shadow Effect and Light Effect) enable the option “ Extra options» ( by checking the box for it):

Turn on the "Advanced options" option

As a result, we will get access to additional parameters. At the top will be the Light and Shadow sections - each with three sliders (Effect, Tone, and Radius). And below is the "Adjustments" section with the "Color" and "Midtones" sliders, as well as the "Truncate Highlights" and "Truncate Shadows" options. I am using Photoshop CC 2014 which introduced minor changes the names of some parameters.

If you're using an earlier version of Photoshop, the Tint setting should be named Tonal Depth, Color should be Color Correction, and Midtones should be Halftone contrast". These changes concern only the names of the parameters, and their functionality has remained unchanged:

Advanced Shadows / Highlights Dialog Box

At a Glance: Effect, Tone, and Radius

Here short review how the three sliders in the Light and Shadow sections work:

Effect: The Shadow / Highlight adjustment works by lightening dark areas and darkening highlights to bring out additional fine detail. The Effect parameter determines how much the dark areas will be lightened ( in the section "Shadows") and how much to darken light ( in the section "Lights"). The further to the right you move the slider, the more intense the lightening or darkening will be.

Tone: In earlier versions of Photoshop, “ Tone Range Width". The Tint slider sets the range of tones that should be processed in dark or light areas. Only tones that fall within these ranges will be lightened or darkened according to the value set through Effect. In the Shadow section, low Hue values mean that only the darkest areas will be lightened.

As the value of this parameter increases, the range of halftones that will be processed expands. If the value is more than 50% (default), then even bright colors will be lightened. Photoshop brightens dark areas using a gradual transition, dark tones become brighter than lighter tones.

In the Light section, the Tone slider works the same way, only in the opposite direction. Low values of the parameter mean that only the lightest tones will be darkened. Increasing the value widens the range of halftones. A Tint value of more than 50% means that even dark areas of the image will be darkened. As with Drop Shadow, Photoshop darkens highlights using a gradual blend, and highlights become even darker than uncorrected dark areas in the image.

Radius: The Radius parameter determines how smoothly the corrected areas will blend with the uncorrected areas of the image. A larger Radius value produces smoother and more visually natural transitions between areas. A low Radius value creates sharper transitions and can lead to ghosting around the edges of elements. Typically a higher Radius value is used.

I set the Shadow section to the following values: Effect - 40%, "Hue" - 50% (default), "Radius" - about 102 pixels. When using Shadow / Highlight as a smart filter on this stage there is no need to accurately set the values of all parameters.

We can return to them at any time and edit:

This is how my image looks after lightening the dark areas:

Finer details are now visible in dark areas of the image

Next, I set the values for the parameters in the "Light" section. I increase the Effect value to 20%, leave the Tone value at the default of 50%, and increase the Radius to about 91 pixels:

Values of the parameters of the "Shadow" section

Here's what my image looks like after darkening the highlights, now showing more fine detail:

Darker areas of the image now show finer detail and overall image contrast has decreased

At a Glance: Color and Mid Tone

The two options in the Adjustments section will help us compensate for the problems that might arise after adjusting the light and dark areas. The Color (Color Correction) slider can be used to increase or decrease the overall color saturation if it is currently different from the original image.

Using the slider "Mid tone" (" Mid tone contrast»), You can increase the contrast of the midtones if the image currently looks too flat.

I increase the Color value to 30 and the Medium Tone value to about 19. Drop Shadows and Clipping Highlights determine the percentage of dark tones that will be clipped to pure black and the percentage of highlights that will be clipped. to pure white.

Unless you have a compelling reason to change the values of these parameters, I advise you to leave them at the default:

Values for the parameters of the "Correction" section

This is how my image looks at the moment:

Corrected version of the image

Smart filter benefits

When you have specified values for the parameters, click OK to close the dialog box and apply the changes to the image:

Click "OK"

And this is where the fun begins. I lightened the dark areas, then darkened the highlights, and at the end I tweaked the midtones a little. After that, all the changes were applied as a smart filter.

Then, if we look at the Layers panel, we can see the Shadow / Highlight adjustment listed as a Smart Filter for a Smart Object:

New Shadow / Highlights smart filter appears in the Layers panel

What are the benefits of using this correction as a smart filter? Firstly, we can turn off the High / Shadow correction by clicking on the visibility icon (eye icon). Click on it to turn off the Shadow / Highlights adjustment and preview the original image in the document window. Click the icon again to turn on Shadows / Highlights and see the adjusted version.

This works the same way as the preview in Shadow / Highlights, except that in this case we can toggle the correction even after it has been applied to the image:

Toggle the Shadow / Highlight adjustment by clicking on the visibility icon

The first step will only be a theory to help you understand how highlights and shadows work, and in the following steps I will show you how to create shadows.

It also happens that we cannot find a reference point that will help us determine the position of the main light source, but existing shadows in the image can help you. Here's an example.

There is no road sign on the original image, I added it in Photoshop. Assuming I don't have a starting point to help me decide where the main light source (in this case, the sun) is located, I created the shadow of the road sign, focusing on the shadows from the man and the girl. I created it at the same angle and with the same opacity. If the original shadow you are using as a guide is blurry, you can apply to the shadow Gaussian blur(Gaussian Blur) to make it as close as possible to the original shadow.

This is the so-called touching shadow "before and after". I do not know its formal name.

Now comes the fun part. You can turn this shadow into a separate layer. Right-click on the name of the shadow effect for the layer in the layers palette and select Create layer(Create Layer).

I think that what I have told about shadows is enough. Let's move on to lighting now. I'll show you a few of the ways I use it to create realistic lighting.

Incident light
I want to show you how I created lighting effects shown in the image below. This is the method I use in my collage I'm working on right now. I will write whole lesson on it.

Surface lighting
Another way to create a different kind of lighting is to use Layer styles(Layer Styles). This technique is used when the subject is illuminated from the side or back.
This technique consists of adding Inner glow(Inner Shadow) and use a blend mode that suits the situation better.
Using the same blend mode does not always work, you have to match it. Our goal is to recreate the light at the edges of the object.

Here's another example of VinternnV collage from deviantART.

Example 1

Example 2

That's it for shadows and lighting. I hope you figured something out for yourself. This is all for your experiments and your practice.

Secrets of manipulation in Photoshop: Shadows and lights

It also happens that we cannot find a reference point that will help us determine the position of the main light source, but existing shadows in the image can help you. Here's an example.

This is the so-called touching shadow "before and after". I do not know its formal name.

Method 1
One way to do this is to duplicate the layer, then shrink it. Brightness(Lightness) to 0. Then, place the duplicated layer under the layer with the original and rename it Shadow (Shadow), if you like.
I have already made a short demo video on how to create shadows of this kind. You can watch it ... After that, use the tool Distortion(Distort) to adjust the shadow to your liking. You can apply Gaussian blur(Gaussian Blur) if you want to blur the shadow, and you can also adjust Opacity(Opacity) layer.

Now comes the fun part. You can turn this shadow into a separate layer. Right-click on the name of the shadow effect for the layer in the layers palette and select Create layer(Create Layer).

I think that what I have told about shadows is enough. Let's move on to lighting now. I'll show you a few of the ways I use it to create realistic lighting.

Incident light
I want to show you how I created the lighting effects shown in the image below. This is the method I use in my collage I'm working on right now. I will write a whole lesson on it.

Here's another example of VinternnV collage from deviantART.

Example 1

Example 2

That's it for shadows and lighting. I hope you figured something out for yourself. This is all for your experiments and your practice.

This lesson has been prepared for you by the site team

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