I want to make an object cast a shadow along the ground. How do I make that shadow hard when it’s near the base of the object, then gradually blur as it gets further away – the way real shadows do?
Step 1: Create the shadow on its own layer.
Step 2: Use the Lasso to make a large, loose selection around all but the edge of the shadow closest to the object.
Step 3: Feather the selection.
Step 4: Blur the shadow a small amount.
Step 5; Move the selection away from the edge of the object.
Step 6: Blur the shadow again.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you’ve gradually blurred the shadow all the way to the end.
Remember that a shadow that gets softer as it gets farhter away from the object also gets LIGHTER. In the real world, shadows cast from a single light source do not get more blurred the farther they are from the object unless there’s ambient light or light from other sources, in which case they become less dark as well.
—
Art, literature, shareware, polyamory, kink, and more:
http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html