Add shadows to your designs to make them look more realistic and interesting. They help to create a sense of depth, especially on simple, minimalistic backgrounds.

Side-by-side images. Image 1 shows a chair on a white background. There is a shadow to one side of the chair. Image 2 shows a running shoe on a white background. There is a shadow below the shoe, creating the impression it is making contact with the ground.

In Photoroom, there are two ways of adding shadows:

Shadow settings for a layer
AI Shadows feature

With the layer settings, you can add a shadow and control its appearance and position. It's a good choice if you want to have more control over the shadow. We'll explain how to use the Shadow layer settings in this article.

The AI Shadows feature uses AI to position a realistic shadow. It gives you less control, but produces realistic results. You can find out about it in Add AI Shadows to your designs.

On iPhone and iPad

To add and style a shadow:

(Video shows Photoroom on iPhone)

Select Content.
Select the workspace you want to work in.
Either:
- Select New design and then upload an image to create a new design.
- Select an existing design to open it in the editor.
Select the layer that's going to get the shadow.
In the layer's settings, turn Shadow on.
Select any part of the Shadow bar except for the switch to reveal the shadow settings.
Choose the shape and position of the shadow from these options:
- Top 1
- Top 2
- Long 1
- Long 2
- Contact
[Optional] To make further changes to the shadow, select Custom. Photoroom remembers the shape and position from the previous step and gives you some more options:
- Intensity
  Use the slider to control the strength of the shadow. A lower number creates a smaller, fainter shadow and a higher number creates a larger, stronger shadow.
- Radius
  Use to control the sharpness of the shadow. A lower value creates a sharp shadow and a higher number creates a softer blurred shadow.
- Color
  Use the color picker to set the color of the shadow.
- Shortness
  Use the slider to control the length of the shadow (only applies when Move 3D has been used to skew the shadow). A lower value creates a shorter shadow and a higher value creates a longer shadow.
- Move 2D
  Use to move the shadow up, down, left, right.
- Move 3D
  Use to change the perspective of the shadow.
Select Done to exit the custom shadow settings.
Select Done to exit the layer settings.
[Optional] Select Export to save your design as an image file. You can also use the export settings to share your design with other people.
Select X to save your design and exit the editor.

On Android

To add and style a shadow for an object in your design:

(Video shows Photoroom on Android)

Select Content.
Select the workspace you want to work in.
Either:
- Select New design and then upload an image to create a new design.
- Select an existing design to open it in the editor.
Select the layer that's going to get the shadow.
In the layer's settings, turn Shadow on.
Select any part of the Shadow bar except for the switch to reveal the shadow settings.
Choose the shape and position of the shadow from these options:
- Top 1
- Top 2
- Long 1
- Long 2
- Contact
[Optional] To make further changes to the shadow, select Custom. Photoroom remembers the shape and position from the previous step and gives you some more options:
- Intensity
  Use the slider to control the strength of the shadow. A lower number creates a smaller, fainter shadow and a higher number creates a larger, stronger shadow.
- Blur
  Use to control the sharpness of the shadow. A lower value creates a sharp shadow and a higher number creates a softer blurred shadow.
- Color
  Use the color picker to set the color of the shadow.
- Shortness
  Use the slider to control the length of the shadow (only applies when Move 3D has been used to skew the shadow). A lower value creates a shorter shadow and a higher value creates a longer shadow.
- Move 2D
  Use to move the shadow up, down, left, right.
- Move 3D
  Use to change the perspective of the shadow.
Select Done to exit the custom shadow settings.
Select Done to exit the layer settings.
[Optional] Select Export to save your design as an image file. You can also use the export settings to share your design with other people.
Select the back arrow to save your design and exit the editor.

On Web App

To add and style a shadow:

Log in at app.photoroom.com.
Select the workspace you want to work in.
Either:
- Select Create new and then upload an image to create a new design.
- Select an existing design to open it in the editor.
Select the layer that's going to get the shadow.
In the layer's settings, turn Shadows on.
Use the following options to edit the shadow:
- Intensity
  Use the slider to control the strength of the shadow. A lower number creates a smaller, fainter shadow and a higher number creates a larger, stronger shadow.
- Blur
  Use to control the sharpness of the shadow. A lower value creates a sharp shadow and a higher number creates a softer blurred shadow.
- Shortness
  Use the slider to control the length of the shadow (only applies when Move 3D has been used to skew the shadow). A lower value creates a shorter shadow and a higher value creates a longer shadow.
- Color
  Use the color picker to set the color of the shadow.
- Move
  Use to move the shadow. Choose 2D or 3D and then drag the shadow to a new position. If you find that you accidentally select the layer while moving, try clicking in the gray area off-canvas and performing the drag action there.
  
  Use:
  - 2D to move the shadow up, down, left, right.
  - 3D to change the perspective of the shadow (tilt it).
[Optional] Select Download to download your design as an image file. Enter a file name, choose the file type and select Download.
Select Home to save your design and exit the editor.