ADDING DROP SHADOWS IN PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS

When I first looked into digi scrapping, I was skeptical to say the least.  I wondered how I could achieve the same texture and dimension that I loved so much about paper scrapping, in my digital layouts.  However, once I was introduced to Photoshop, I was literally amazed by all of the ways  it offered to give my digital  layouts, that realistic look that I was seeking. The most simple and effective of those options being, the addition of a drop shadow.

1. Open the document your are working with in Photoshop and drag your element that you want to add a drop shadow to, onto your lo.

2. Locate your Effect Palette on the right side of your screen and click on your Layer Styles Icon  (represented by the picture of a screen with an overlay) 

3. Scroll down and select Drop Shadows from the pull down menu. 

4. Select the style of drop shadow that you want to use (i.e Soft Edge, High, Noisy, Low). Making sure to have the item you wish to add the shadow to selected in your layers palette, click apply. (I personally like to use the "Low" Drop Shadow, as I feel that it is the most realistic.) 

5. If the effect meets your satisfaction then you have successfully added a drop shadow to your element! However, if the drop shadow appears too large or heavy, which is most often the case if you have not changed the default settings on this feature, you can either right click on the element and select “Edit Layer Style” or double click on the FX icon that is now present on the element's layer banner.

6. You should then be directed to the “Style Settings” window, in which you can experiment with the Angle, Size, Distance and Opacity settings, until you are happy with the result.   

Learn more about taking your digital layouts to the next level from Pattie Knox’s Mad Digital Skillz Series here at Get It Scrapped!