{"id":3642,"date":"2024-06-14T13:07:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T10:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.webfuturestudio.com\/blog23\/?p=3642"},"modified":"2024-07-09T14:14:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T11:14:50","slug":"shadows-in-product-images","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.webfuturestudio.com\/blog23\/shadows-in-product-images","title":{"rendered":"How vital are shadows in your product images"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you want to understand the importance of shadows, just think about it like this: if there\u2019s no shadow, there\u2019s no light. And if there\u2019s no light, there\u2019s no life. You can take it literally, or to keep it in our area of expertise, think about light and shadow as the seasoning of image editing that can give life to an image. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shadowing is a photo retouching must-have. It adds depth, composition and ultimately, it helps your images tell a story and keep your customers engaged as they browse your website (and hopefully persuade them to spend some money).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When done right, shadows boost the quality of an image, making it look sharp, professional, glossy, and irresistible, all the features you\u2019re looking for in your e-commerce images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With over two decades of experience in image editing and photo retouching, our experts decided to share their knowledge with you. This article will reveal some insights about the art of shadowing and how to edit photos to get the ultimate quality in product photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you decide to share images with your viewers through your e-commerce platform, it\u2019s essential to consider the following:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Avoid having \u201cfloating objects\u201d on your website.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at the example below. What looks like a pretty decent product photo could benefit from a lot of improvement by adding shadows. Objects floating on a white background create a sense of chaos in the human mind because they lack spatial awareness. Shadows can reveal a lot of information about how a particular object fits in an environment, making it friendlier for your visitor\u2019s perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not happy with the original shadow, you can permanently remove the background image and recreate shadows from scratch with photo retouching tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shadows
Product photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Choose a type of shadow that fits your product. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In product photography, there are three types of shadows. You will want to consider the kind of shadow that fits your product and the photography lights you have available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three types of shadows are: natural shadow, drop shadow, and reflection shadow. There are more types of shadow, but we\u2019ll discuss the three most common ones in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You would get\u00a0natural shadow<\/strong>\u00a0if you placed your object into direct sunlight and photograph it from the side. If you want to create this type of shadow and offer your object a more three-dimensional look, you only need one photography light. The object will do the rest of the work, creating a shadow without adding much-photoshopping work afterward. Try to use a white background (black or gray also works) as it will give your shadow more depth. This type of shadow is most commonly used for shoes and home decor items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shadows
Shadows in product images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Drop shadow<\/strong>\u00a0is what you would get if you placed an object into direct sunlight and looked at it from above. This type of shadow gives your object spatial awareness (and helps you to avoid having a \u201cfloating object\u201d, as discussed previously in this article). It\u2019s most efficiently used to highlight furniture or household items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Product<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And last but not least,\u00a0reflection shadow<\/strong>\u00a0adds a bit of drama to your images. The reflection creates the optical illusion that your object is sitting on a mirror-like surface, making it more appealing and giving it a glamorous vibe. That is why it\u2019s most commonly used for smaller objects such as jewelry and eyeglasses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Reflection
Reflection shadow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Keep your shadowing game realistic and consistent.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No matter what type of shadow you decide to use, remember that it has to look realistic. This way, the shadow can do its job correctly to direct people\u2019s attention to your products. If you exaggerate the shadow, it can become distracting, while at the same time, if you remove the background from the image altogether, the product will look artificial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realistic shadows have the power to enhance the appearance and beautify an object. You know what they say: everything is subjectively beautiful depending on the light that you see it in. A shadow can and will manipulate the way a person perceives light, hence impacting how an image manages to capture attention (or not).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shadows
Shadows in product photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n