How to add shadow to an object or a person on ground using Adobe Photoshop Elements?

Here goes the tutorial for adding shadow to any human body or object such that the shadow is on the ground.

It's damn easy using Elements. So here goes the steps:

1. Choose your model. I chose my favorite one.

I could manage to extract the selection using refine edge tool  in Elements as described in Refine Edge  tutorial. I created a new layer out of this selection by right clicking and choosing- Layer via Copy.

2. Create another new blank layer using Control+Shift +N or through layers menu>New layer. Drag this layer below the selection layer we create in last step. Choose paint bucket tool from left tool panel, changing background color in color picker tool to white and then painting it over this new layer.

3. Created a copy of this layer by right clicking it in layer panel and choosing "Duplicate layer". Same can also be done by dragging this layer to new layer icon in layer palette or just using the shortcut "Control+J" on Win and "Cmd+J" on MAC.

4. Select this layer copy in layer palette and click on the thumbnail pressing COntrol key. This will select the model here.

Now select brush tool and keeping this new layer selected as shown, paint it over with black. Since the selection is ON, the brush won't paint outside the selection edges.

Here is what you see post that:

You can add a little  blur to this shadow layer from Filter>Blur>Gaussian blur.

5. Now we are just two steps away from the final result. Go to Image>Transform> Free Transform or  just press control+T, keeping top most layer we just painted as the one selected in Layers palette:

Keeping Control key pressed, move the edges of the transformation boundary such that the shadow part now goes towards the ground as shown. You can tweak the shadow in a way you want, imagining the source of light as per your needs. Click the green commit button when you see better placement. Make sure you now make the shadow layer as second by dragging it down otherwise your shadow will paint black over the body. So in order to make it behind the body, drag it below the selection layer.
One most important thing is that you must coincide the feet of person with the feet in shadow here while transforming else they would be disjoint and not look realistic or seem like person flying in the air :)

6. The last step is to reduce the opacity of the shadow. This can be done from layers paleete by selecting this layer and reducing opacity to something around 60-70% or as per your need.

Here goes my final result:

Shadow added using Adobe Photoshop Elements

I have been receiving suggestions from the readers of this blog about the content and some specific tutorial requests using Elements. Suggestions and feedback are welcome. I will try to respond as soon as I can.

How to put makeup on eyes using PSE?

1. Open the file and Zoom on the eye portion of the potrait.
2. Now using Lasso tool, select the lower lid area of the eye. Save this selection as a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (Layer >New Adjustment layer>Hue/Saturation) and name the layer as 'lower portion'
3. Now from adjustment panel, make adjustments to the color you want to put for lower lid area.
4. Go to Filter menu>Blur>Gaussian blur, add Gaussian blur to the color as needed.
5. Similarly select the upper lid area using the lasso tool and select it too as Hue/Saturation adjustment laer and name it as 'Upper portion'. After selecting appropriate color for this layer as well add Gaussian blur to this layer as well as for the'lower lid layer.
6. Now create a new layer (Contl+Shift+N) and name it as 'Liner'. From color swatch in tool panel, select a brush with the color(selected from color swatch) that you want to give as an eye outline.
7. Add blur to layer - 'Liner' from Filter menu>Blur>Gaussian blur.
8. Now create a new layer (Contl+Shift+N) and name it as 'Shadow'. From color swatch in tool panel, select a brush with the black color selected from color swatch, and fill a small triangular region outwards in upper lid region as shown in demo. Add gaussian blur to this layer as well making it very light effect.

Adding eye make up is that easy using PSE!