Outstanding Elements

Elisha Barnett’s ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Map Pointers, is a set of cute elements perfect for travel layouts and highlighting points of interest. The set of elements come with their own shadows, but one fun way to use them is to make them is to make other elements on the page look like they are standing up on the page. The way to achieve this outstanding elements look is by creating a special shadow.  Here is one way to do it.

Step 1 – Create Basic Shape of Shadow:

Make a black copy of the object to form the basic shape of the shadow. Holding down Ctrl, click on the icon of the object you want to stand up so that marching ants are going around it.  Select the color black and click on the Paint Bucket Tool.  Create a new layer in your Layers Panel and click inside the marching ants on your page.  This will give you a black copy of the object on a separate layer, the start of your new shadow.

Step 2 – Shrink Shadow:
Move your object below the shadow in the Layers Panel so you can work with the shadow more easily. Select the shadow, click on the Move tool, and then pull the shadow until it is a little less than half the size of your object.

NOTE: I have placed one of Elisha’s map pointers on the page for comparison purposes.

Step 3 – Skew Shadow:
With the shadow layer still selected, hold down Ctrl and place the selection arrow directly on the upper right corner of the selection box. This will bring up a series of Transform options at the bottom. Click on Skew and pull the shadow sideways so that the angle of your shadow is similar to that of the pointer’s shadow. Do not adjust the bottom of the shadow, just the top. Change the opacity of the shadow layer to 70% so it’s a little transparent.

Step 4 – Make Shadow Fade Out:
We will make the shadow fade away to the upper right using a layer mask and the Gradient tool. Select the shadow from the Layers Palette and click on the square with a hole cut-out at the top to add a layer mask. Click on the Gradient tool. From the settings on the bottom, select Mode Normal, Opacity 100%, Reverse, Transparency, Dither, and Linear, the first bluish square. Change the color selected to black.

Click on the layer mask of your object, and then on the page, draw a line from the lower left of the shadow to the upper right. This should make your shadow fade away like the shadow on the map pointer. If it doesn’t look the way you want, repeat drawing the line until the shadow fades away from bottom left to upper right.

NOTE: Be sure to click on the layer mask each time or the whole layer will turn black and white. If that happens, just undo with Ctrl + z.

Step 5 – Blur Shadow:
To add a little blur on the edges, select the shadow (not the layer mask). At the top, click Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Play with the pixels of blur until you get the result you like. I set the blur at just 3 pixels, but you could easily add more. If you need to, move the shadow layer so that the bottom of the shadow is in line with the bottom of the object.

You’re done! Doesn’t your object look cool standing up? Why not try this on your next page?! Please post your lovely layouts in the Scrap Girls Gallery so we can all enjoy them!

 Digital Scrapbooking Product Used:Tutorial written by Sue Maravelas