Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2021 9:05 pm
Create realistic looking shadows using Tilt Shift Blur.
So you want Dr Who to visit Mars? It is easy to add the phone box, but it needs a shadow.
[attachment=46325:Phonebox.jpg]
Create your basic shadow shape and fill it black. Right click the layer, and convert it to a smart object.
[attachment=46326:basicshadow.jpg]
Now with your shadow layer selected, go to Filter - Blur Gallery - Tilt-Shift...
If you do not see the tilt-shift's lines, go to View - Show and make sure Edit Pins is ticked.
Here is an explanation as to what the lines do.
[attachment=46327:lines.jpg]
We are trying to achieve a fade in the blur. Perspective shadows will start with a sharp outline, and blur the further they are from the object. So in my example I have angled the lines to roughly the same angle as our start point, which is the base of the right side of the phone box. I then have the focus line far to the left, with the feather line near the end of the shadow. I then adjusted the blur and distortion scales until it looked about right.
[attachment=46328:tiltshadow.jpg]
Now add a gradient mask, so the shadow gets lighter as it gets further away from the shadow source.
And that's it. Hopefully you now have a realistic looking perspective shadow.
[attachment=46331:tiltshift.gif]
So you want Dr Who to visit Mars? It is easy to add the phone box, but it needs a shadow.
[attachment=46325:Phonebox.jpg]
Create your basic shadow shape and fill it black. Right click the layer, and convert it to a smart object.
[attachment=46326:basicshadow.jpg]
Now with your shadow layer selected, go to Filter - Blur Gallery - Tilt-Shift...
If you do not see the tilt-shift's lines, go to View - Show and make sure Edit Pins is ticked.
Here is an explanation as to what the lines do.
[attachment=46327:lines.jpg]
We are trying to achieve a fade in the blur. Perspective shadows will start with a sharp outline, and blur the further they are from the object. So in my example I have angled the lines to roughly the same angle as our start point, which is the base of the right side of the phone box. I then have the focus line far to the left, with the feather line near the end of the shadow. I then adjusted the blur and distortion scales until it looked about right.
[attachment=46328:tiltshadow.jpg]
Now add a gradient mask, so the shadow gets lighter as it gets further away from the shadow source.
And that's it. Hopefully you now have a realistic looking perspective shadow.
[attachment=46331:tiltshift.gif]
