When you are working with paper scrapbooking materials, the natural light will cause the layers and accessories to cast shadows. While there are some extremely realistic digital scrapbooking additions, the absence of shadows usually gives everything away.

Our eyes are quite used to the laws of nature and when we see something that doesn’t fit, we automatically know, without even having to study the problem. You might not realize just what is missing, but you will notice that the scrapbook page doesn’t look quite right without shadows.

Some digital scrapbooking embellishments come with their own shadow attached so all you really need to do is click and drag them into place and they look realistic. However, if you are using something that doesn’t come with a drop shadow or are cutting your own paper, how do you go about creating your own realistic layouts? Today we’re going to look at making your baby scrapbook look more realistic by adding these. I’ve used Adobe Photoshop for this, but the idea is similar no matter which photo editing program you use.

The first step is to create your scrapbook page, just as you normally would , leaving each embellishment on its own layer. Once you’ve got everything situated the way you want it, you’re ready to begin creating shadows.

Choose the Light

Where will your light be coming from? The majority of people look at photo albums with the book tilted up from their laps which means the light would be coming from above. If you work with that theory in mind, then you will want shadows below each item. I usually include shadows on the right side, but either right or left is fine, it’s up to you.

Keep in mind that the thinner the item is supposed to be, digital or not, the less of a shadow it will leave. So, for example, a piece of paper would have only a very thin line of shadow whereas a button would leave more of a darkened area.

Scrapbooked Page Without Shadows

Scrapbooked Page Without Shadows

Creating a Shadow

There is a very simple way to create your shadows on the new scrapbook page. First you will need to select the area outside the item that will be casting the shadow. This is done by using the selection tool in the program that you are using and, on the layer that the item is on, simply clicking in any clear area. This will create a barrier between the shadow and the item to cast the shadow so you don’t have to worry about accidentally darkening the actual object.

Now, without unselecting, go to the layer below the item, usually the photo or background paper. This is where the shadow will lay. Click on the Burn tool. You’ll need to choose from the dropdown menus at the top of the page whether you wish to burn highlights, medium or dark tones, as well as the intensity. I usually go for 75% opacity, but you can play with this setting.

Scrapbook Page With Shadows Added

Scrapbook Page With Shadows Added

Next, you’ll just need to stroke around the edge of the item you want to cast a shadow. For straight lines, you can do this very quickly by clicking at one point, holding down the Shift key and then clicking at the other end. A perfect line will form. You’ll need more patience when it comes to curves and more exciting shapes though! If you have several different layers, you’ll need to make sure you’ve shadowed all of them, as I’ve done with the layers of paper in the example.

Now that you have a simple shadow, you’ll notice that your baby scrapbooking pages look that much more realistic!

Papers used here are from Scrap Matters.

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