Shadows are one of the most important elements of any photo manipulation or digital painting. They give more depth to an artwork and also create realism. In this short video I make a short practical demonstration of how I make the most used types of shadows.

This is just a short demonstration but there is more theory behind shadows. If you want to know more about shadows post a comment. If I get many requests I can write a detailed tutorial to cover this topic,  show you how to create shadows and how to identify light sources and choose the right stock images for your manipulations.

How to paint realistic shadows in Photoshop

In the video show how to make realistic shadows using the Brush Tool and also how to cast a realistic shadow using the subject layer.

When you’re making shadows the most important thing you have to keep in mind is the color of the shadow (not all shadows are black), the opacity and the softness.

Sometimes you have to apply Gaussian blur to your shadow. Before starting, look for existing shadows on your scene and use the mas guide, try to replicate them.