How to Keep Your Subject’s Existing Shadow When Replacing the Background in Photoshop
When changing the background of an image, you will lose the shadow of your subject and will probably have to create a new one. No need; there is a way to preserve those shadow details. We’ll show you how to use a subject’s existing shadow on a new background in Photoshop, creating a realistic composite. Let’s get started.
Why You Should Use Your Subject’s Existing Shadow
It’s fairly common to replace backgrounds in portraits. In most cases, a background may have too many distractions or may simply not look nice. But there is a sacrifice; the shadow. You will lose the original and will have to make a new one, which might not look as realistic.
To maintain a realistic look, it’s extremely useful to use the existing shadow details cast by your subject in the composite. In our example, we’ll replace the over-the-top yellow background with a regular brick wall. We’ll keep the shadow details in order to create a very realistic-looking composite.
If you want to follow along with our tutorial, you can download the main portrait image fromPexels, and download the replacement background of the wall fromPexels.
Step 1: Add the New Background
In our first step, we’ll replace the background with the brick wall using theSelect Subjecttool in Photoshop. We’ll rename the layers and organize them so that future changes could be made if desired.
If you’re working with a landscape image, we show youhow to replace skies in Photoshop.
Step 2: Recreate the Original Shadow
In the second step, we’ll reintroduce the original shadow details from the subject using theMultiplyblend mode. We’ll start by duplicating the Subject layer. Additionally, we’ll desaturate the Shadows layer to remove the color cast.
We show youhow to add shadows in Photoshopif there were no existing shadows to work with.
Step 3: Fix the Hair and Face
You’ll notice that our subject’s face and hair have maintained some yellow color cast from the original background. We’ll remove this color to make her look more natural.
If you’re looking for a great Photoshop plugin for your portraits, we show youhow to use PortraitProfor professional results.
Step 4: Final Adjustments
In the final step, we’ll make the brick wall larger to make the shadow look more realistic. We’ll also add additional adjustment layers to blend the composite layers together.
Each background replacement may require completely different steps. But for this particular image, adding a new brick wall with our adjustments certainly makes the portrait look a lot better, if not just as realistic.
Original Image:
Finished Composite:
If done correctly, it would be next to impossible to tell that a “fake” background was used.
Photoshop Makes It Easy to Retain Your Subject’s Existing Shadow Details
If you followed along with us, you have learned how easy it is to use existing shadow details in a composite image. With just a few easy steps in Photoshop, your creativity is no longer limited to boring backgrounds. You get to choose the best backgrounds for your subjects, without the hassle of creating new shadows.
Replacing the sky in Photoshop is easy, but you’ll need to add a reflection of your new sky to the water for realistic results. Here’s how.
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