Shadowing process

[littlekiwi]

As I've been browsing the gallery & seeing some beautifully shadowed works of art it had me thinking of my own scrapping habits and how my overall design skills (aka layering & clustering being the main two) could be improved by my shadowing process. Now I know I am limited by using Photoshop Elements though I do use shadow styles but I struggle with layering embellishments in particular. I wonder if it's because I've always shadowed as like either the last thing I do or second last thing I do before saving.

Do you shadow as you go or at the end?
Do you customise your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles?
If it's shadow styles, which ones?
Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout?

 

[fruitysuet]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end?
As I go along. I quite often copy and paste elements across the page so it saves time to shadow the first and copy/paste after (and then I will tweak the shadow if I have altered the size of the copied element for example).
Do you customise your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles?
Here I use Mommyish Realistic shadow styles as a base and then tweak from there
If it's shadow styles, which ones?
These
Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout?
No

I will sometimes do my own shadow styles by using an older retired action that puts the shadow on it's own layer (I use PSE), then do the wave filter/transform if I want to do something more individual like on kraft layer on this page

Christmas Memories album cover.jpg

• fruitysuet
• Nov 15, 2025
• 5
• joyce paul designs

Challenge : Cover/Title Page | DYD 2025

Or when shadowing large bows that would have different depths of shadow when they straddle a wide range of other items llike this one

Be Bold Be Beautiful

• fruitysuet
• Mar 30, 2025
• 4

 

[3BluEyedBabies]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end?
I always do the shadows last.

Do you customise your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles?
I customize my own. I have settings I use for paper, elements, and tape.

If it's shadow styles, which ones?
I don't believe you can use styles in GIMP, so no, I don't use any styles.

Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout?
NOpe

 

[HavaDrPepper]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end? I do all shadowing as the last step on every layout.

Do you customize your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles? In my software, there are presets instead of styles. I made my own. I found out a scrapper that I always loved her shadowing was using PSP so I asked her how she did her shadows. She kindly shared her settings with me and I have tweaked them to work for me. When using a preset, I do sometimes adjust them.

I can have my shadows on a separate layer with the presets so I have found that for me it is definitely easier to shadow at the end. One of the last things I do is tweak how my clusters look or the placement of an element and not having the shadows make it easier if I move something up or down in the layers panel. Once I'm satisfied, then I do my shadows. I also start at the bottom of the layers panel and work my way to the top. That way I can see how each shadow looks compared to the layer below it. I can see if I need to add more depth or decrease the depth and make any tweaks needed.

 

[StefanieS]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end? As I place the element, I shadow.
Do you customise your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles? Mostly I use a set
If it's shadow styles, which ones? I love One little Bird's shadows
Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout? Not usually.

I am a quick and fairly lazy scrapbooker, making a layout in under 30 minutes. I use the shadows as is. I don't think my friends and family are going to judge the shadowing when they look at the photos and journaling. I'd rather have the pages done and printed out. (or showing on my digital photo frame)

 

[Iowan]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end?
I add shadows as I go, but I always tweak them at the end. I keep shadows on separate layers so I can warp them—especially on branches, leaves, papers, and photos—to give everything more dimension and lift at the edges. For larger, softer shadows, I’ll often run them through a Gaussian blur to get the look I want.

Do you customize your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles?
A little of both! I use a mix of ready-made styles and a few I’ve created myself.

If it’s shadow styles, which ones?
I mainly rely on two sets: one from Chelle’s Creations that I’ve had for about 15 years, and another from Cheryl of Fiddle Dee Dee Designs. My go to string is from Sahlin Studio and for thread, I use Valorie Wibbon’s, By The Thread shadow style.

Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout?
Absolutely. My shadowing is definitely mix-and-match—I’m all over the place!

General thoughts on shadowing
It’s funny how much shadowing has evolved over the years. When I was on one of my first creative teams-Jessica Sprague- we were taught to set both depth and spread to 5, and at the time it felt like a revolutionary discovery!

 

[Gaelle]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end?
Always at the end when I placed everything.

Do you customise your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles?
When I used Photoshop I customiser my ow shadows but very simple (shadow + frame). And sometimes I used styles for bow.

If it's shadow styles, which ones?
I used styles from Sahin Designs.

Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout?
No, I don't.

 

[michelepixels]

I've been stuck in a rut with shadowing, doing the same thing for many years. I shadow as a I go because that's easier. I have created two shadows of my own and I use Mommyish shadow styles.

 

[cfile]

If it’s shadow styles, which ones?
I use Valorie Wibbon’s, By The Thread shadow style.

I have that "By the Thread" and never realized there was a shadow style in there for threads! Ha ha! Thanks Carol! I just looked in my stash and added the style from my stash to Photoshop! LOL too funny I never realized that!

 

[Kiana]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end? As I go....I like to tweak my shadows.
Do you customise your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles? Both. I have my own that I've created and use, but I separate them from the layer a lot depending on time limit and mood to customize.
If it's shadow styles, which ones? THESE
Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout? Nope. I just tweak and warp or create a whole new shadow if I need something different.

 

[scrapchyck]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end? I shadow as I go
Do you customise your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles? I use two different sets of styles, but if it's not looking right, I'll throw the shadow on its own layer and use the skew tool to transform it a bit
If it's shadow styles, which ones? I use some I got from Scrapaneers' Champions Course a few years ago and some from Fiddle-dee-dee Designs.
Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout? Absolutely! I have my favorites from those two sets for specific things, not necessarily what they are labeled for!

 

[umyesh]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end?
Usually at the end unless I can't decide what to do next then I'll shadow while I think.
Do you customize your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles?
I haven't tried to use styles in Gimp so I just do my own shadows.

 

[elseepe]

Do you shadow as you go or at the end? Mostly at the end, but sometimes I will apply a quick shadow as I'm building just to help see how things lay, but then I'll go over and adjust them at the end.
Do you customise your own shadows or use a set of shadow styles? A style set (mostly), but I generally will move them to their own layer and tweak.
If it's shadow styles, which ones? Mostly, my go to styles are the the ones from One Little Bird, which I have had forever.
Do you mix shadow styles from various designers on the same layout? Although I have several different ones, my go to are the OLB ones.