Borders and Drop Shadows

[Steve H]

OK all you photoshop gurus what is the easiest way to get this effect (drop shadow on white border). I want to try some borders on my photo's. I'm on a mac and prefer Lightroom but have photoshop elements 8 or is there a nifty standalone (mac) program that will do it?



Thanks

lama.jpg

[rogerb]

Hi Steve:
I don't know if this will be helpful because I don't know for sure if Elements supports this but this is what I do in CS3:

1. Duplicate Background layer
2. Increase canvas size by amount to be allocated to the border
3. Double-click on Background copy layer to bring up "Layer Style" form.
4. Click on "Drop Shadow" (on top left on my version).
5. Now back in Layers pallet, you should have an "eye" that says "Drop Shadow". Double-click that
6. This brings up a form that allows you to adjust the properties of the drop shadow.
Leave it in "Multiply mode but play with the other five controls to get the effect you want.

Like I said, this is based on CS3 but I think Elements should have much the same functionality although access to it may be different.

I hope this helps
Roger

[willgoss]

Drop Shadows are easy if you use XnView as your browser....Go to Filter/Effects/Drop Shadow...then 2 sliders .....

[rogerb]

Drop Shadows are easy if you use XnView as your browser....Go to Filter/Effects/Drop Shadow...then 2 sliders .....

Well, I've been doing things the hard way all my life, and this one is no exception!

[Steve H]

I hope this helps
Roger

Yep - that's great Roger, just had a quick go at it in elements and works fine - just add the border (grow canvas) and then open up layer styles and play with sliders - easy. It may be able to be automated too for batch processing?

I'll check out XnView too - thanks Will.

[rogerb]

Steve:
I created an action in CS3 to automate this, but I haven't tried batch processing. I usually do this to an image after I've saved off the "master copy" of the image, so it's done one at a time.
I'm glad it worked.
Roger

[Steve H]

Drop Shadows are easy if you use XnView as your browser....Go to Filter/Effects/Drop Shadow...then 2 sliders .....

Hi Will,
Just downloaded XnViewMP Version 0.21 (Oct 7 2009) for mac and I must be blind but I can't see any filter/effects option? It looks just like a viewer program (like picasa but not as good) with export capability. Am I missing something?

[willgoss]

Yes it is a browser......

Double Click on the Thumbnail...and it opens the Browser Window where you can do a lot of fixes....the new menu has the filter option and under it the effects option and under that pick the Drop Shadow...

I think you will find it's ability to run PS Type Plugins gives you....a lot of quick fixes.....

[Steve H]

Yes it is a browser......

Double Click on the Thumbnail...and it opens the Browser Window where you can do a lot of fixes....the new menu has the filter option and under it the effects option and under that pick the Drop Shadow...

I still don't see any filter or effects menu options
Where exactly are they supposed to be?



capture.jpg

[Colin Southern]

Hi Steve,

Not sure if this might help or not, but in Photoshop you simply pop the part you want to have the drop shadow onto a layer (with the extranious bits erased), and then double-click the layer to bring up the blending options.

[willgoss]

Here is my XnView Setup...........

[Steve H]

Here is my XnView Setup...........

Thanks Will, I have the latest (crippled) version of this for mac but it doesn't have any of those options. I can't see the point in it myself.
Thanks anyway.

[Steve H]

Hi Steve,

Not sure if this might help or not, but in Photoshop you simply pop the part you want to have the drop shadow onto a layer (with the extranious bits erased), and then double-click the layer to bring up the blending options.

Yep, got that sorted now, thanks Colin. Been having fun with different sorts of borders/shadows etc