Adding Shadow To Your Anime Background Art

This is a quick tutorial on adding shadow to your anime trend background fine art using Photoshop together with some tips to brand them await better.

Quick Shadow Tutorial

Shadow tin survive added to artwork inwards three to four uncomplicated steps:


Paint the shadow inwards dissimilar layer amongst a bluish or cyan hue color.


Distort (CTRL-T) the shadow according to the surface of the artwork.


Change shadow layer to "Multiply" blend trend together with accommodate opacity degree if needed. You tin experiment amongst other blend trend such every bit "Overlay" too.


Last, apply a niggling chip of blur filter on the shadow layer. In my case, I utilisation directional blur (horizontal).

More Info!

Adding shadow to our artwork is forthwith forwards together with slow every bit shown inwards the steps above. But at that spot are few tips nosotros tin ever proceed inwards mind.

Painting Shadow In Different Layers

By using layers, nosotros tin brand adjustments to the shadow easier. Different layers agency nosotros tin animate them too!


Beside from using a unmarried layer, nosotros tin also organize the shadow inwards multiple layers nether a folder group. By doing so, nosotros alter the grouping blending trend to multiply instead of changing on the private layers.

Transforming Shadow Scale According To Artwork Perspective

Sometime it volition survive easier to utilisation transform tool (CTRL-T) to accommodate the shadow to align on the surface of object that have shadow.

First, duplicate together with fill upwards the object which cast shadow amongst a company color (The object should survive inwards some other layer inwards the kickoff place). Then, distort it to align amongst the receiver object surface.


Pay attending of the depth or tiptop of the receiver's surface. Sometime, you lot ask to produce farther adjustment if tiny details similar this is bothering you.


Also squall back that this method is commonly non accurate every bit you lot tin meet inwards the paradigm below.


Although this method is non every bit accurate every bit nosotros like, but it is notwithstanding useful to utilisation inwards example similar tree shadows on ground, simply similar inwards anime scene!

What is Shadow Color!

Adding Shadow On Grass / Irregular Surface

H5N1 grass champaign is non a apartment surface similar route or wall. Each private grass strand volition behave on how the shadow look. After paradigm together with aligning the shadow to the grass field. Use a grass brush to delete together with add together to a greater extent than grass strand inwards the shadow layer

More Tutorial! More information on Photoshop grass tutorial!

Glowing number on shadow edge

Sometime nosotros tin add together glowing number for the receiver object's surface simply about the shadow edge. Imagine a hot afternoon amongst blazing sunlight falling on concrete together with road.


Add some other layer amongst "Screen" blending mode. Use a soft border circular brush to pigment surface area which is bring out to sunlight.


That's all together with happy painting.