In this Photoshop Effects tutorial, we'll learn how to truly make a picture worth a thousand words by adding a different shadow behind someone in a photo, as if to imply that the person in the photo is one day going to become the image in the shadow. Or maybe they really are the image in the shadow but they manage to keep it hidden from everyone, sort of a "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" scenario. Or, as in the case with the image I'll be using in this tutorial, perhaps the person is imagining themselves as the image in the shadow.

This is a really fun and popular effect to create in Photoshop, and you may remember seeing it used heavily a few years back in the promotional posters for "Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace", where a very young and innocent looking Anakin Skywalkwer was casting the shadow of Darth Vader behind him. Fortunately, you don't need to be a special effects wizard to create the same effect with your own images. All you need is a copy of Photoshop and a little imagination.

Obviously, this little guy sees himself as a mighty super hero, so let's help him out by projecting a super hero shadow on the wall behind him:
The final result.

Here's the image I'll be using for this Photoshop tutorial:
The original image.

Let's get started!

Step 1: Make A Selection Around The Person


With your image open in Photoshop, use the selection tool of your choice (Lasso Tool, Magnetic Lasso Tool, Pen Tool, etc.) to draw a selection around the person:

Use the Lasso Tool, Pen Tool or other Photoshop selection tool of your choice to draw a selection around the person in the photo.

Step 2: Copy The Selection To A New Layer


If we look in our Layers palette, we can see that we currently have just one layer, the Background layer,
which contains our image

:

Photoshop's Layers palette showing the image on the Background layer.

We need to copy the person in the photo onto their own layer above the Background layer so that we can slide a shadow in behind them, which we'll do in a moment. Since we've already drawn a selection around them, all we need to do is use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (Mac), and Photoshop will copy the selection onto a new layer. Nothing will seem to have happened to the image itself, but if we look again in the Layers palette, we can see that a copy of the boy (in my case) is now on a new layer, which
Photoshop has named "Layer 1":

 

Press "Ctrl+J" (Win) / "Command+J" (Mac) to copy the person onto a new layer.

Step 3: Open The Photo Containing The Person Or Object You Want To Use For The Shadow

To create the shadow effect, you'll need a second image containing whatever it is you want to use as a shadow, whether it's a person or an object of some kind. I want to give the boy a super hero shadow, so I'm going to use this image here which should work nicely:

Open the image containing the person or object you want to use as the shadow.

Step 4: Make A Selection Around The Person Or Object


Just as we did with the original image when we drew a selection around the person in the photo, we need to draw another selection, this time around the person or object in the second image that we want to use for our shadow. So once again, use the selection tool of your choice to draw a selection around them (or it):

Again using your favorite selection tool, draw a selection around the person or object you want to use as the shadow.

Step 5: Drag The Selection Into The Original Image

Once you have your selection around the person or object, select the Move Tool from the Tools palette:

Select the Move Tool.

You can also press V on your keyboard to select it with the shortcut. Then, with both images open in their own separate document windows, simply click anywhere inside the selection and drag the image from the second photo into the original image's document window:

Click anywhere inside the selection with the Move Tool and drag it into the original image's document window.

When you release your mouse button, you'll see the selection from the second image appearing in the original image

:

The selected person or object from the second image now appears inside the original photo.

You can close out of the second document window at this point, since we no longer need to have it open.

There's one thing I want to fix here before we continue. The boy in the photo is looking towards the right, but my super hero is looking towards the left. I need to flip the super hero around so that he's looking in the same general direction as the boy. To do that, I'll simply go up to the Edit menu at the top of the screen,
choose Transform, and then choose Flip Horizontal

:

Selecting "Flip Horizontal" from Photoshop's Edit menu.

When I do that, Photoshop flips the super hero around for me so that both he and the boy are looking towards the right

:

The super hero is now facing the same direction as the boy.

Step 6: Fill The Shadow Image With Black

Since we want to use the selected image we just dragged into the document as a shadow, we need to fill it with black. To do that, make sure you have black as your Foreground color by pressing the letter D on your keyboard, which resets your Foreground color to black and your Background color to white, as we can see in the two color swatches near the bottom of the Tools palette (the top left swatch is the Foreground color and the bottom right one is the Background color):

The Foreground and Background color swatches in the Tools palette showing black as the Foreground color and white as the Background color.

Then use the keyboard shortcut Shift+Alt+Backspace (Win) / Shift+Option+Delete to fill the person or object with black:

Press "Shift+Alt+Backspace" (Win) / "Shift+Option+Delete" (Mac) to fill the person or object with black.

If we had simply pressed "Alt+Backspace" (Win) / "Option+Delete" (Mac), we would have filled the entire layer with black, but by adding the "Shift" key in there as well, we were able to fill only the person or object on the layer (the "contents" of the layer) with black. The rest of the layer remained untouched.

Step 7: Drag The Shadow Image Between The Background Layer and "Layer 1"


We have the image we want to use as our shadow inside the original photo and we've filled it with black. So far, so good, except of course for one small problem. The shadow is currently in front of the boy. I need it to appear behindhim. This is where layers come in.

To move the shadow behind the boy, all I need to do is drag the shadow's layer below the boy's layer in the Layers palette. If I look in my Layers palette, I can see that I now have three layers - the original Background layer on the bottom, the copy of the boy from the original photo on "Layer 1", and the shadow image at the very top on "Layer 2":

Photoshop's Layers palette showing our three layers.

The reason the shadow appears in front of the boy in the document is because its layer is above the boy's layer, blocking the boy from view wherever the two layers overlap. To fix that, all I need to do is click on "Layer 2" in the Layers palette and drag it down below the boy on "Layer 1", which will place it directly between "Layer 1" and theBackground layer (Photoshop won't allow you to drag any layers below the Background layer, since it wouldn't make much sense to have something behind the background). Click on "Layer 2" and drag it down until you see a black horizontal line appear between "Layer 1" and the Background layer. Release your mouse button when that line appears and Photoshop will move "Layer 2" below "Layer 1":

Photoshop's Layers palette showing our three layers.

Now that the shadow's layer is below the boy's layer in the Layers palette, if we look back in the image, we can see that the shadow now appears behind the boy:

The shadow now appears behind the boy in the image.

Step 8: Move And Resize The Shadow With Free Transform


With "Layer 2" still selected in the Layers palette (the currently selected layer is highlighted in blue), press Ctrl+T(Win) / Command+T (Mac) to bring up Photoshop's Free Transform box and handles around the shadow and move it into position by clicking anywhere inside the Free Transform box (anywhere except the small target icon in the center) and dragging the shadow into place with your mouse. You can resize the shadow by dragging any of the handles. To constrain the proportions of the shadow as you drag it larger or smaller, hold down Shift and drag any of the corner handles.

If you're having trouble seeing all the Free Transform handles because some of them extend out beyond the sides of the document window, press F on your keyboard to switch your screen mode to Full Screen Mode With Menu Bar.

If I look closely at my image, I can see that the boy's left arm (his left, our right) is up a little higher than the other one, but the super hero has the opposite arm higher. To fix that, I'm going to hold down my Ctrl (Win) / Command key, then click on the left middle handle of the Free Transform box and drag downward with my mouse, which will skew the image, bringing the left side of the super hero down below the right until his arms are more in line with the boy's arms:

Holding down "Ctrl" (Win) / "Command" (Mac) and dragging the left middle Free Transform handle to skew the image and bring the left side of the super hero shadow down below the right side.

Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) when you're done to accept the transformations.

Step 9: Apply The Gaussian Blur Filter To The Shadow


Now that our shadow is in place, there's only a couple of problems remaining. One is that the edges of the shadow are much too sharp, and the other is that the shadow is too dark and intense. Both of these issues are easily fixed, so let's work on the edges first. With "Layer 2" still selected in the Layers palette, go up to the Filter menu at the top of the screen, choose Blur, and then choose Gaussian Blur.

This brings up the Gaussian Blur dialog box. We're going to soften the shadow edges by blurring them, but we don't want to blur the edges too much, otherwise we'll lose too much detail in the shadow and it will be tough to make out the shape. All we want is a subtle amount of blurring, so set the Radius value to somewhere between 2 and 6 pixels, depending on the resolution of your image. I'm using a low resolution image for this tutorial, and for me, a Radius of about 2.5 pixels works well:

Apply the Gaussian Blur filter to the shadow to soften the edges.

Click OK when you're done to exit out of the dialog box. Here's my image after softening the edges of the shadow with Gaussian Blur:

The image after softening the edges of the shadow with the Gaussian Blur filter.

Step 10: Lower The Opacity Of The Shadow


Finally, to reduce the intensity of the shadow, simply go up to the Opacity option in the top right corner of the Layers palette and lower the opacity of "Layer 2". I'm going to lower mine down to about 35%:

Lower the opacity of "Layer 2" to reduce the intensity of the shadow.

And with that, you're done!

Here, after lowering the opacity of my shadow, is my final "Telling Stories With Shadows" result:

The final result.

When trimming out images in Photoshop, human hair or animal fur always proves troublesome and can be tricky to achieve a realistic look. Here are two techniques I use on images with both plain backgrounds, and those with a varied background tones, each achieving pretty decent end results.


Technique One: Images with Plain Backgrounds

The best photos are those professional studio type shots that are taken against a plain white background. These shots make it much easier to find the edges of the subject, but trimming out fine hairs can still be a little tricky. In this example we’ll be using the common Channel technique to trim out this lovely lady.



Open up your image in Photoshop. This particular image doesn’t have a pure white background, but it is a plain colour and has good contrast between the subject and grey backdrop.



Head over to the Channels palette and review each of the Red, Green and Blue channels. Each one will be made up of slightly different tones, pick the one with the most contrast between foreground and background. Drag this channel onto the new channel icon to duplicate it.



With only the new channel selected, adjust the Levels (CMD+L) to dramatically increase the contrast between light and dark areas. However, don’t go too far, as you’ll notice some horrendous pixilation appearing in the fine areas.



Due to the slight variation in tone of the background, it appears grey in the darker areas. Use the Dodge tool set to a low Opacity to target the highlights and brush over this background area to really brighten it up.



Switch over to the Burn tool and target the shadows to dramatically darken down the inner areas of the image to pure black.



Use the brush tool to finish off the blacks by painting over the remaining areas of the inner section of the image.



Inverse the image to switch over the black and white areas (CMD+I), and give a quick check for any stray areas that may have been missed by the brush.



CMD+Click the Channel thumbnail to load the selection, then turn back on the visibility of the original channels. Head back over to the Layers palette and copy the selection. Paste it on a new layer and hide the original to see the cut out image against transparency.



The selection has managed to trim out even the finest of hairs to give a realistic cut. Paste the photo against an alternate background. Zoom in and check for any light coloured fringes around the edges, especially if placed against a darker background. These can be reduced using the Burn tool set to Highlights and gently brushed over the outline of the image.
Technique Two: Images with Detailed Backgrounds

The Channels technique is all well and good for studio photography with plain backgrounds, but it gets a little more difficult on standard shots with detailed backgrounds getting in the way.



Open up your image in Photoshop. This image has a decent contrast between foreground and background, but certain areas of the hair do blend in with the darker tones of the backdrop.



Start by trimming out the clear edges with the Pen Tool, but when you reach the hair simply create a rough tracing.



Around the hair portion, aim to include only solid areas of hair that aren’t merging with the background, otherwise the lighter tones will mess things up later.



Make a selection with a feathering of 0.2 pixels to remove any harsh edges then paste onto a new layer. Reduce the transparency of the image so that the original hair line can just be seen.



Here’s where the fun begins! Use the Smudge Tool to draw in areas of new hair, using the original outline as a template. Begin with a 4px brush to flesh out the thick base hair and disguise the jaggy lines from the path. A Wacom Graphics Tablet really comes in handy here to speed up the process and help add varied line thicknesses.



The new hair will soon flesh out the image back to its original appearance. It doesn’t look too bad at this stage, but repeating the process with a thinner brush will draw in those individual hairs.



Use a 2px brush with the Smudge Tool to draw thin stray hairs in varied directions to add realism to the image.



The photo can then be placed on any background with ease, and displays a crisp cut-out with no fringing or loss of fine detail.

In this tutorial, we’re going to be creating a monkey character illustration using Adobe Illustrator. You’ll be using basic Shape Tools, the Pen Tool and various other Illustrator techniques to create the illustration. Let’s get started! ;)

Step 1

Before starting, we need a source to refer to when creating your illustration. You can either use a photograph of a monkey (or any other animal!) or sketch your own and then either scanning your image in or taking a photograph of it. I sketched a monkey and scanned it in at 150dpi; below you can see my result.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_01.jpg

Open up Illustrator and create a new document. The size doesn’t really matter as we will be working with vector tools, meaning our outcome will be scalable. I used a Web Document at 600×800 pixels.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_02.jpg

Once your document is open, insert your sketch or source photo by going to File > Place and then locating your image file. Once your image has been placed in to your document, select it and click on “Align to Artboard” which should be in your toolbar at the top of Illustrator (as seen below).

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_03.jpg

Select “Horizontal Align Center” to place your source photo/sketch into the center of the document. This makes it easier to make sure everything is aligned later on.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_04.jpg

Double-click on Layer 1 (this is the layer your source photo/sketch should be on) and apply the following settings.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_05.jpg

Step 2

Make a new layer and call it “Main Shapes”. This is the layer we’re going to be creating our shapes on. One of the biggest differences between Illustrator and Photoshop (besides the face that one is pixel-based and the other vector-based) is that you can reselect objects without them having to be on a separate layer, so we’re not actually going to need to create many layers at all!

Select the Ellipse Tool and drag out a shape over the main body of your source photo or sketch. Make sure there is no fill color and that the stroke is set to black with either 1 or 2 pixels. We’ll be using simple shapes like this to create our main shape, and will be filling it in later.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_06.jpg

Repeat the step again for the inner ellipse shape of the monkeys main body – make sure you align these shapes to the center.

Repeat the same step again for one of the legs. Rotate the shape and adjust it so it fits nicely on your source. With one shape in place, select it and go to Edit > Copy and then Edit > Paste in Front. Then go to Object > Reflect > Vertical.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_07.jpg

Nudge the reflected shape over to the other side of the monkey using the Cursor-Keys whilst holding the Shift-Key. When the shape is roughly in place, with it still selected, hold the Shift-Key and select the other leg. Go to Object > Group, and then align the grouped objects to the center.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_08.jpg

Step 3

Select the Pen Tool and start to create your monkeys head. As we’re going for a symmetrical look, we’re going to want to our head to be pretty neat and tidy, too. Draw a shape similar to below.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_09.jpg

You can probably guess what we’re going to do now! With the shape selected, go to Edit > Copy and then Edit > Paste in Front. Go to Object > Transform > Reflect > Vertical, and nudge the shape across so it looks like something below…

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_10.jpg

Select both the shapes and with the Pathfinder Window open (Window > Pathfinder) click on Unite. This basically just merges the two shapes together, making them one. Align the shape to the center.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_11.jpg

Select the Ellipse Tool and make a new shape for the “furry” section of the monkeys head.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_12.jpg

Using the Direct Selection Tool, drag out some of the Anchor Points to make the shape more suitable.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_13.jpg

Using the Pen Tool, create some outlines for the monkeys ears. Once you have created one, just use the Reflect Transform Tool to produce the second pair.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_14.jpg

Step 4

For the time being, we’re going to leave the arms, feet and facial details out and start on them after we add a little bit of base color!

Select the main body, and fill it with a color of your choice. You may find adding your selected color to the swatch palette may come in handy later in the tutorial if you want to reuse the same color on a different shape or in a gradient. When adding the colors, be sure to remove the strokes, if you decide you want a stroke later, it’s easy to reapply!

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_15.jpg

Carry on applying various colors to different shapes that make up your character. If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably keep playing with different colors, so if something suddenly changes color, you’ll know why!

You may find some shapes are above other shapes. If you want them to be beneath (or above) you can easily achieve this by going to Object > Arrange.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_16.jpg

Step 5

Already our illustration is starting to look quite monkey-ish, but there is plenty of work left to do!

Let’s start work on the arms. Hide the layer with all of your shapes on, and with the Pen Tool create a couple of lines that look something like the following…

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_17.jpg

Fill the shapes with a color (I used the same color as the “furry” bit of the head) and apply a 2px stroke.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_18.jpg

Group the two arms together, and place them beneath your head shapes by going to Object > Arrange > Send Backward until the stroke is beneath your main head shape. Make a random shape to fill in the gaps behind the face and arms, and send it to the back of your document. I also applied a few strokes to different shapes to help things stand out a little more.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_19.jpg

I’d say our monkey is starting to look pretty awesome!

Step 6

Before moving on to the feet, lets add some fur to our monkeys head. You can do this using the Brush Tool, using either a mouse or a graphic tablet. I personally will be using a tablet – if you don’t have one, I really would suggest purchasing one for illustration, you can pick a small Wacom tablet up for a very reasonable price now!

Draw some “hair” using your mouse or tablet.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_20.jpg

This hair is really going to make a huge difference to our illustration. As the rest of the illustration is almost symmetrical, the hair is going to set the monkeys personality.

Using the same technique, add some larger strokes of hair, and place them beneath the rest of your head shapes.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_21.jpg

Repeat the step, this time adding some “scribbles” to the inner part of the face.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_22.jpg

Step 7

Using the Pen Tool, create a pink shape in one of the ears. Apply a 2px stroke to it so it matches the styling of the rest of the ear.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_23.jpg

Copy and Paste in Place the new pink shape, and reflect it using the Reflect Transformation Tool and nudge it to the other ear.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_24.jpg

Using the Brush Tool, paint in a few lines to make your ears look like ears!

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_25.jpg

Step 8

Start adding some gradients to your shape layers to add a little more depth. To open the gradient window, go to Window > Gradient. To apply a gradient, you can simply drag your swatches onto the gradient palette.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_26.jpg

Select all of your shapes, and go to Window > Stroke. Select the “Round Cap” and “Round Join” options. This gives all of your strokes a round end and joint, instead of the standard jagged and sharp corners.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_27.jpg

Step 9

Start drawing some facial elements using the Pen Tool and Shape Tools.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_28.jpg

Using the same technique we’ve used several times already, copy and paste in place your facial features and reflect them. Center your new shapes so they fit nicely on our monkeys face.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_29.jpg

Draw a shape at the top of your monkeys head and fill it with the same color used in the stroke. Fill in the empty gap between your monkeys eyebrows to make it look fuller.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_30.jpg

Select all three shapes in your monkeys monobrow and combine them into one by selecting the “Unite” option from the Pathfinder Window. Start adding some color to your monkeys facial features.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_31.jpg

Using the Ellipse Tool, drag out some pupils for your monkey whilst holding the shift key to keep them round. Play about with different shapes, strokes and gradients until you have something you like.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_32.jpg

Using the same techniques, draw the rest of the features for your monkeys face, and fill them with various colors and gradients.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_33.jpg

Step 10

It’s time to start adding some shadows. Because we’re going for a simple and clean look, we’re going to use basic shapes to add a little bit of shadow or highlight to certain areas. Draw a round shape using the Ellipse Tool over one of the legs and fill it with white.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_34.jpg

Lower the opacity of your new shape to 10%, and copy, paste and reflect it so it is identical on the other leg.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_35.jpg

With that done, you can use the same technique to add highlights and shadows elsewhere on your characters body.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_36.jpg

Step 11

Use the Pen Tool to draw on some 2px stroked lines to represent fingers on our monkeys hand.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_37.jpg

Step 12

Using the Pen Tool, start creating different shapes for the monkeys toes. Make sure the middle toe is above all others, so it appears as a foot instead of a mess!

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_38.jpg

Copy your foot and paste it in place, then use the Reflect Transformation Tool to place it on the other side.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_39.jpg

Step 13

Make a selection of all your shapes and go to Edit > Copy and then Edit > Paste in Place. Go to Effect > Pixelate > Color Halftone and using the standard settings, click OK. With everything still selected, change the layers blending modes to overlay.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_40.jpg

Lower the opacity of the layers to 1 – this technique just adds a little bit of shadowing to the monkey, making it a little more visually appealing.

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_41.jpg

Conclusion

We have now finished our vector illustration of a monkey character! You should be able to scale your character up and down with no problems, and can use him or her in your other vector illustrations or pixel work in Photoshop. Enjoy!

image: http://spyrestudios.com/wp-content/uploads/monkey-tutorial/monkey_42.jpg