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Drop Shadow Border instructions

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Rick Sammartino Community moderator
  • Edited

Creating a Drop Shadow Border to be imported to the Border Filter

Updated from 2019 for PR 2022

Note: There are many ways to do this in On1. This just seemed like a quick and easy way to me. Feel free to experiment.


This only need to be created once and then imported, but you can make a variety of different borders and import them all.

New Canvas:

  1. Click File | New canvas
  2. Name it 'Drop Shadow', select Custom and set to 15" W and H. Click OK. An empty canvas will open in Edit

 

Pin line:

The transform tool used here is the one at the top of the tool well, not the one in Develop.

  1. Click the color fill icon to add a White Color Fill layer
  2.  Then also add a black one and another white one
  3. You should have 3 layers now, White, Black and White
  4. Turn off the top white layer
  5. Select the middle Black layer and then the Transform tool
  6. Use the scale slider or mouse handles to reduce the black layer until there is an even white border all around.
  7. Turn on the top white layer and select it.
  8. Again, use transform to reduce the layer until you have your desired black pinline.
  9. Click the masking icon, enable color range and select the white inside of the pinline. Invert the mask. This should select the entire inner area.
  10. The second layer (black) should be showing through.
  11. Copy the mask from the first layer and paste it into lower two layers. The center area should now be transparent.
  12. Merge all layers
  13. You should now have a pinline border with transparent center

 

Right shadow:

  1. Add a local adjustment. Select Paint with color (at the bottom) and set to Black.
  2. Open the Local adjustment masking options
  3. Add a gradient bug along the right edge with handle pointing down
  4. This should create a gradient that's black on the left and fades to white on the right.
  5. Adjust the gradient feather to be very narrow and position to create a shadow on the right edge
  6. Using a feathered brush, paint out the other three edges

 

Bottom shadow:

  1. Add a second Local adjustment and set paint with color as before
  2. As above, open masking and add a gradient along the bottom edge with handle pointing left.
  3. This will temporarily cover the right side shadow.
  4. Adjust the gradient to create a shadow on the bottom edge
  5. Using a feathered brush, paint out the other three edges including the right edge with the first shadow.

Final product:

 

 

Finish:

  1. Save and Export as PSD and use extras manager to import to Borders filter.

 

It will look like this when used in the Borders filter...

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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • Brian Lawson Community moderator
    • Edited

    When using the Transform Tool in steps 5 and 8, you can press the Option/Alt-Shift keys to constrain the transform to happen around the center point. This means it will pull all four edges at the same time making it easy to keep them all the same size. Assuming you want them all the same size. You can always adjust individual edges later for a staggered sized border.

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  • Jimmy Marr

    Is there a different starting point for 5x4 resolution (versus the canvas size of 15 in)? I've tried several times and it seems the top and bottom is cut off when the border is applied to an image and exported.

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  • Brian Lawson Community moderator

    Do you mean 4x5 proportions? 4x5 resolution doesn't really have any meaning.

    It sounds like you want a 4x5 rather than a 1x1 proportional ratio for your photo. You can use 12x15 instead of 15x15 per the instructions.

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  • Rick Sammartino Community moderator

    You can of course make it any size you want. If you're having trouble, post exactly what you're doing and include a screenshot if it might help.

    I'm done for the night, but I can check this thread in the morning to see what's up.

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  • Jimmy Marr

    Sorry for the delay. I ended up making the outside white larger by starting the black pin line a bit deeper in the white and it worked. I did notice the top and bottom parts of the border are just a bit shallower than the left and right side though.

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  • Rick Sammartino Community moderator
    • Edited

    You're getting there. It's difficult to see the borders properly when the image itself is very dark. It works against the illusion.

    Also, you have the shadow all the way around. Usually for drop shadow you only want it on two sides.

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  • Jimmy Marr

    I understand on the two sides and I do have it like that on other versions. I did it on all 4 sides intentionally as more of a gradient type effect to provide separation from the background. This image (along with others) are being layered on top of a picture of lyric sheets for an inside cd cover. It makes the band pics pop off of the lyric pic. 

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