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lil cactus

How to add a shadow to a product photo

Beginner7 minutesUpdated

Quick answer

Open a transparent product PNG in Lil Cactus and add a background with Layer then New Fill Layer then Solid Color…, then send that fill behind the product. On a new pixel layer between them, use Marquee Select with Shape set to Ellipse, draw beneath the product and choose Edit then Fill with Foreground with black as the foreground color. Choose Select then Deselect, apply Filter then Blur then Gaussian Blur… at Radius 22 px and lower the shadow layer’s Opacity to 18%. Export with File then Export then PNG…

A coffee cup and saucer on a pale background, first without a ground shadow and then with a soft shadow under its base
A contact shadow makes the saucer meet the new surface. Drag the handle to compare.
Time
7 minutes
Level
Beginner
You need
A product cut-out with transparency around it
Works with
Transparent PNGs; masked photo layers also work
Open the sample in Lil CactusUse your own photo

Free, no sign-up. Your photo stays on your computer.

A contact shadow darkens the surface where an object rests. The sample cup has diffuse lighting, so a short, soft shadow suits it. An oval follows the saucer’s footprint: most of it sits behind the product, while the blurred edge fades into the background. Keep it on its own layer so the photograph stays untouched.

Add a soft ground shadow in seven steps

  1. Open the transparent product

    Open the sample from this page, or choose File then Open… for your cut-out. Checkerboard around the product marks transparent space. Remove an opaque background first if your own photo still includes its original setting.

  2. Add a new background

    Choose Layer then New Fill Layer then Solid Color… Enter E8E4DD in the # field and click Apply for a pale warm gray. Choose Layer then Arrange then Send Layer Backward: the fill moves below the product (the product layer is named Background because it came from a flat file). Leave Color Fill selected.

    Solid Color Fill dialog with the complete hex color field E8E4DD and Apply button ringed
    Choose the new surface color.
    Layers panel with Background, the cup cut-out, above Color Fill
    The product stays above the new fill.

  3. Make a separate shadow layer

    With Color Fill selected, choose Layer then New then New Layer. The empty layer appears between the fill and the product. Double-click its name, type Ground shadow and press Enter.

    Layers panel with the complete Ground shadow row ringed between Background and Color Fill
    Draw on this middle layer.

  4. Draw and fill the shadow footprint

    Choose Marquee Select in the left toolbar and set Shape to Ellipse on the options bar.

    If the foreground color swatch near the bottom of the toolbar is not black, click it, enter 000000 in the # field and click OK.

    Draw an ellipse almost as wide as the saucer, about two and a half times as wide as tall. Start just inside the saucer’s left edge, at the height of the center of the handle opening; end just inside its right edge and about a quarter of the rim’s thickness below its lowest front edge. Most of the ellipse sits behind the product. Choose Edit then Fill with Foreground, then Select then Deselect.

    Toolbar column with the complete Marquee Select button and foreground color swatch ringed
    Use Marquee Select and the foreground color swatch.
    Start of the options bar with the whole Shape Ellipse control ringed
    Make an elliptical selection.
    The saucer and the complete elliptical selection ringed, with most of the ellipse behind the product and a small margin below its front rim
    Follow the saucer’s footprint, leaving a little room below its front rim.

  5. Soften the shadow edge

    Choose Filter then Blur then Gaussian Blur… Set Radius to 22 px, press Tab and click Apply. Wait for the dialog to close before continuing. The hard ellipse becomes a soft-edged shadow.

    Gaussian Blur dialog with the complete Radius 22 px control and Apply button ringed
    Blur the shadow layer, not the cup.

  6. Reduce the shadow strength

    Keep Ground shadow selected in Layers. Set its Opacity to 18% and press Enter. The background now shows through the shadow, while the cup keeps its original color and detail.

    Layers panel with the whole Opacity control at 18 percent and Ground shadow row ringed below the cup
    Fade the shadow independently of the product.
    Three-times enlarged crop of the saucer’s front rim meeting the soft shadow on the pale surface
    Enlarged 3×: the edge fades out without a hard oval outline.

  7. Export and keep the layers

    Choose File then Export then PNG…, enter product-shadow.png in File name and click Export.

    File then Save writes the flat result back into the PNG you opened (the sample’s first Save opens Save Image). To keep the three layers editable, choose File then Save As then Lil Cactus Project…; after that, File then Save updates the project. Export always makes a separate image file.

    PNG export controls with the complete File name field and Export button ringed
    Name and export the PNG copy.

What to do next

Product shadows: questions and answers

Why is my product shadow invisible?

In Lil Cactus, an opaque photo or a fill above the shadow covers it. Check that the product has transparent surroundings and that Ground shadow sits below the product but above Color Fill.

Why does my blurred product shadow still have a hard outline?

In Lil Cactus, an active selection limits the filter to that area. Choose Select › Deselect before applying Gaussian Blur to the shadow layer.

Can I change the Gaussian Blur radius after reopening the project?

Not with these steps: in Lil Cactus, Gaussian Blur applied to a pixel layer changes its pixels, so Radius is not kept. To keep it adjustable, choose Layer then Smart Objects then Convert to Smart Object on Ground shadow before applying the blur. You can always change the layer’s opacity.

Why does my product shadow look like a sticker?

In Lil Cactus, lower Ground shadow’s Opacity and check that most of the ellipse sits behind the saucer. A dark oval with exposed ends can make the product look raised.

Does an oval shadow work for every product photo?

No. This Lil Cactus method suits a softly lit product with a broad base resting on a flat surface. Hard directional light also needs a cast shadow that follows its direction.

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