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Advanced Shadow Tips- Color
If you're compositing an object into a photograph, controlling
the color of your cast shadows can make the difference between
a good edit job and an invisible one. This is less applicable
if you're not creating a photographic look, but its still
good information to keep in mind.
I mentioned earlier that a warm or cool shadow can make
the effect look better, and this idea builds on that principal.
In real life, the color of a shadow is the opposite of the
color of light casting it. Using the color wheel as a guide,
this means that a yellow light source would cast a bluish
shadow. This is especially noticable in snowscapes where
the shadow color is easily visible against the white snowdrifts.
The color of the sun is generally yellow, resulting in blue
shadows in the snowdrifts. I say the sun is "usually"
yellow because later in the day around sunset it can change
to a deeper color that results in violet shadows.
If you're going to use this approach, be sure to use some
restraint in adding the color This effect should be felt,
not seen. In many cases there will be other shadows cast
in the image, making it a simple matter to measure the color
values and replicate them in the shadows you are creating.
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