› › HOW TO> PHOTOSHOP USER>^ MARCH 2020[ 34 ]
Step 30: Lower the layer Opacity to around 80%, and
c lick on the Add Layer Mask icon (circle in a square) at the
bottom of the Layers panel. Using the Gradient tool set
to the Foreground to Transparent preset and the Linear
Gradient type in the Options Bar, draw a gradient from
the right side of the ghosted subject to the left side of the
shadow at a slightly upward angle to make it look as if the
shadow is fading the closer it gets to the subject. Add any
other fades you might want depending on how much of
the shadow you want to see. For example, I added a radial
gradient to slightly fade the shadow’s hand on the left.Step 31: This last part is a pretty cool edge lighting trick
that uses layer styles. Start by making the ghosted subject
layer active in the Layers panel. Go to the Add a Layer
Style menu (the fx icon) and choose Inner Shadow. Start
by c licking on the color swatch, and when the Color
Picker opens, c lick to sample the blue background near
the subject in the image. Click OK to close the Color Picker.
Next, change the blend mode to Hard Light and adjust
the other settings as shown here. We want it to appear
as if a blue light is spilling from the background onto the
edges of the ghosted subject. Just like the Gradient Over-
lay layer style, you can manually position this effect by
c licking-and-dragging in the image, and then adjust the
Angle as needed. Click OK when done.