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Change the intensity of shadows on a layer

Learn how to make the shadows on a layer darker or lighter

C
Written by Craig Wright
Updated this week

You can use the Shadows setting to increase or decrease the intensity of dark areas on a layer. This is a convenient way to make your imported photos more dramatic or to make products easier to see.

  • Increase the amount of shadows to make dark areas even darker for a more dramatic effect.

  • Decrease the amount of shadows to lighten dark areas and make the image more even.

For example, Image 1 below is the original import of a photo. The background layer has shadows, but they are quite soft. By using Shadows, we made the shadows on the background layer more intense as shown in Image 2.

Two images. Image 1 shows a ring in natural light with shadows to one side. Image 2 shows the same image, but the shadows are stronger, with a more striking contrast to the light areas.

To change the Shadows of a layer, open a design in the editor and select the layer you want to edit. Then select Adjust to reveal the visual properties settings. Select the Shadows setting and use the slider to change the intensity of the dark areas on the layer. For detailed instructions, see Adjust the visual properties of a layer.

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