Shadows on Adjustment Layer

[Steve Roberts]

An adjustment layer has nothing to cast a shadow, unless you give it substance, with the fill effect, for instance.

Why do you want to do this with an adjustment layer? Could you describe your project, its layers, effects and desired result?

[Kevin Camp]

are you trying to create a ‘shadow catcher’ layer, to recieve the cast shadow, but remain transparency to composite ina another piece of software?

if so, techniques have been discussed… search for ‘shadow catcher’ in ae forum.

Kevin Camp
Designer – KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Steve Roberts]

Ah, of course. Receiving, not catching. My error.

Carry on …

[Darby Edelen]

I’m not sure why you’d want it on an Adjustment Layer, but you can make a 3D white solid that is set to Receive Shadows and not Accept Lights and then set it’s blending mode to Multiply and it should catch any shadows from other layers without being directly visible itself.

Darby Edelen
DVD Menu Artist
Left Coast Digital
Aptos, CA

[Daniel Elder]

Yes, it is more to do with the Shadow Catching concept that I’m going for, so that when exported using an alpha channel, it doesn’t have a white layer bouncing on it.

To answer Steve Roberts question:

I am trying to create a flying logo, of sorts and I want there to be a floor but I don’t want the floor to be visible because I have objects that I am using using a reflective technique talked about in Creative cow, Create a Reflection. But then I want my floor, to be transparent to be composited into FCP for a wipe of sorts to transition into the show. So I will look into the shadow catching as well.

Daniel Elder
Associate Producer
http://www.luminair.com