Welcome to Wouter's Designs & PhotoImpact - Shadow on Objects with Transparency

Shadow on Objects with Transparency Tutorial for PhotoImpact 11:
Can be done with earlier versions.

Description: Did you ever try to add a shadow to an object that was semi-transparent? Shadows on an object are nothing more than a copy of the object shifted in any direction by the settings in the Shadow feature. If your object is semi-transparent the shadow will shine through the object and darken it. Let us make a workaround for that.
Author: Wouter Démoet.
Terms of Use: Please read
Skill Level: Beginner I assume you know where the tools are in PhotoImpact.
Additional Files: None.

NOTE: Save your work often. I suggest you read the entire tutorial, before you start. Where it reads "Rc" in this tutorial, it means right click. And if you need help, or if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact me at: wouter@demoet.nl

Instructions:
In this tutorial I will show you how to use a shadow on a semi-transparent object. Open your EasyPalette - Libraries - Image - Nature - and double click Leaf3 or any other object of your choice. In your Layer Manager set the Transparency to 30%. Add a shadow to your leaf: As you can see the shadow shines through the leaf. It is not pretty at all. Now let's fix it. We want to remove the shadow that sits beneath the leaf and keep that part of the shadow that shows around our object. Rc.: Split Shadow. The shadow will sit on its own layer now below the leaf object. Look at your Layer Manager: With your Leaf object still selected go to Edit in the Menu bar - Trace Edges - Selection Marquee: Don't accept the Default settings. Set the Tolerance to 4 and click OK. PhotoImpact will change to the Path Drawing Tool. In the Atrribute Toolbar set the mode from Horizontal Deform to Selection: You will see the aqua colored selection lines around your object and your Base Image is active. Rc.: Expand/Shrink. Shrink the selection with 1 pixel. In your Layer Manager select the shadow layer, now both Marquees are showing: In the Menu bar click: Edit - Clear or hit the Delete button on your keyboard: The shadow beneath the object will be gone and the original colors of the leaf are back. Rc.: None and Deselect. There may appear a little flaw in your object, but it is nothing what the PhotoImpact Retouch tools can't repair. That is all, I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial as much as I liked writing it for you.

Instructions:

In this tutorial I will show you how to use a shadow on a semi-transparent object. Open your EasyPalette - Libraries - Image - Nature - and double click Leaf3 or any other object of your choice.

In your Layer Manager set the Transparency to 30%.

Add a shadow to your leaf:

As you can see the shadow shines through the leaf. It is not pretty at all. Now let's fix it. We want to remove the shadow that sits beneath the leaf and keep that part of the shadow that shows around our object.

Rc.: Split Shadow. The shadow will sit on its own layer now below the leaf object. Look at your Layer Manager:

With your Leaf object still selected go to Edit in the Menu bar - Trace Edges - Selection Marquee:

Don't accept the Default settings. Set the Tolerance to 4 and click OK.

PhotoImpact will change to the Path Drawing Tool. In the Atrribute Toolbar set the mode from Horizontal Deform to Selection:

You will see the aqua colored selection lines around your object and your Base Image is active.

Rc.: Expand/Shrink. Shrink the selection with 1 pixel.

In your Layer Manager select the shadow layer, now both Marquees are showing:

In the Menu bar click: Edit - Clear or hit the Delete button on your keyboard: The shadow beneath the object will be gone and the original colors of the leaf are back.

Rc.: None and Deselect. There may appear a little flaw in your object, but it is nothing what the PhotoImpact Retouch tools can't repair.

That is all, I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial as much as I liked writing it for you.