> <Return to the Table of Contents> Perspective Shadow Perspective Shadow creates 3-D perspective and drop shadowsm, as well as reflections. The two modes have been separated to simplify use, and the in-preview controls have been streamlined to offer a more user friendly filter. Still, if you’re a beginner and get intimidated by lots of sliders, you’ll find plenty of presets to get you rolling, until you feel more comfortable with the filter. Settings Tab See Using Settings for more information. Create Output In New Layer Below Current Creates a layer below the working layer (in Photoshop and Elements only) and renders the effect to it. This feature allows you to view, edit, or turn off the effect without affecting the original layer. If you switch filters from within a filter window, the new layer feature will be disabled in the filter you've switched to. If you want to apply a filter in a new layer, make sure you start with the filter you plan to apply. Create Output In New Layer Below Current is unavailable when recording actions in Photoshop. Clear this checkbox when recording actions. Note: This feature cannot be used on a background layer. Shadow Mode Drop Shadow—A shadow which makes selections appear to hover above a flat background. Perspective Shadow—A shadow that appears to be cast three-dimensionally against a floor or wall. In-preview Controls Perspective Shadow employs an interactive bounding box, which controls shadow shaping. The box behaves differently depending on the Shadow Mode you've selected. In Drop Shadow Mode—The bounding box does two things under drop shadow mode: move and enlarge the shadow. The following illustration shows how to move the bounding box. The following illustration shows how to enlarge a drop shadow. In Perspective Shadow Mode The bounding box is a bit more complex under Perspective Shadow mode. You skew the shadow in virtually any direction by clicking and dragging while using hotkeys. There are two types of control points: corners and sides and hotkey affect each differently. The behavior is summarized in the tables below.
> Corner Control Point Hotkeys | Windows | Macintosh
> Scale (Expand/Contract) | Shift | Shift
> Constrained Skew | Control + Shift | Command + Shift
> Free Skew | Control | Command
> Side Control Point Hotkeys | Windows | Macintosh
> Constrain Expand/Contract | Shift | Shift
> Corner control point, no hotkeys activated. | Middle control Point, no hotkeys activated. | Corner control point, Shift key enabled.
> Middle control point, Shift key enabled. | Corner control point, Control and Shift keys enabled. | Corner control point, Control key enabled.
Center Offset Direction Controls the direction the shadow is moved from the center of the selection or layer. Use the circular slider or enter a numeric value between 0 and 360 degrees. Center Offset Distance Controls the distance of the shadow from the center of the selection or layer. Left to right: increasing Center Offset Distance. Reset Bounding Box If you create a shadow that you hate, click this button to reset the bounding box to a rectangular shape, fitted to your selection. Or, use multiple undos to step back in time, until the fateful moment when you went too far. Overall Opacity Controls the opacity of the entire shadow. A low value yields a more transparent shadow. Overall Blur Applies a uniform blur over the entire shadow. Left to right: increasing Overall Blur. Perspective Blur Renders a blur that increases as it radiates from the base of a perspective shadow. Fade Out Controls the opacity drop-off that increases as it radiates from the base of a perspective shadow. Shadow Color Choose any color for the shadow. For more information on selecting colors, see Color Selection Tools. Reflect Selection Color Renders the shadow as a reflection, using the colors of the original object or selection. Mask Selection Prevents the effect from appearing inside the original object or selection. <Return to the Table of Contents>