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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.
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