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Thumbnails With Shadows

Recently I was asked how to create those thumbnails with shadows, which you can see in the galleries. The technique is not too complicated, and I am going to explain what you have to do to get similar results.

For starters lets create a single pixel border around the image:

1. Open your image and make sure that it doesn't have any borders

Original Image
Original Image

2. Set your background color into the color of our border

3. Alt-I, S (menu: Image, Canvas Size) - open canvas dialog

Canavas Size Dialog
Canvas Size Dialog

4. Set the parameters as shown above

5. Press "OK" - you will get a single pixel border around your image

Image with a border
Image with a border

Now I will create the shadow for a white background (as it is on my website)

1. We use the same image with the one pixel border

2. Click twice on the background layer with your image

Layer panel
Layer panel

3. In the appeared dialog click "OK" to remove the lock from the layer

Layer panel
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4. Create a new layer by pressing button " New Layer Button"

Layer pannel

5. Move the newly created layer into the bottom of the stack

Layer Pannel

6. Alt-I, S (menu: Image, Canvas size) - open canvas dialog

7. Set parameters as shown below, don't forget to click on the left upper square in the table at the bottom of the dialog

Canvas Size Dialog
Part of Canvas Size Dialog
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8. Click "OK" - you will get an empty space at left and bottom of the image

Layer stack

9. Make sure that your empty layer is active (selected as shown above)

10. Set the foreground color in Photoshop, so it will match the background color where the image will be placed (in my case it is White)

11. Alt-Backspace - to fill out the empty background layer

Layer pannel

12. Double click on the layer with the image to get the dialog with layer parameters

Layer Style Dialog

13. Select and check the "Drop Shadow" and set the parameters as shown above

14. Press "OK" - you will get the image with the shadow atop of a layer with your background color:

Final Image
FInal Image

15. Ctrl-Alt-Shift-S (menu: File, Save for Web) - to save the image for you web site.

 

Good luck! [end of the text]

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