Add Shadow to Product Photos

How it works

1. 1. Upload your cutout

   A clean edge matters, since the shadow is generated from the silhouette.

2. 2. Set direction and softness

   Both should agree with the light already visible on the product.

3. 3. Generate and download

   One free watermarked result. Sign up for the clean, full-resolution file.

Why this is worth getting right

A background-removed product with no shadow reads as a sticker, and the reason is physical rather than aesthetic: nothing rests on a surface without occluding some light, so an object floating with a perfectly clean base contradicts something every viewer knows without thinking about it. Adding a shadow fixes that, but only if the shadow agrees with the rest of the image, and the three properties that have to agree are direction, softness and density. Direction is the one people get wrong most often, because a shadow falling left while the highlight on the product sits on the left is immediately readable as wrong even to viewers who cannot articulate why. Softness has to match the implied light source and the height of the object: a small hard source gives a crisp edge, a large diffuse one gives a soft edge, and the shadow blurs progressively as it moves away from the contact point. Density has to fall off too, since a shadow that stays uniformly dark across its whole length reads as a painted shape rather than as absence of light. Contact is the detail that sells it — the shadow is darkest and sharpest exactly where the object touches the surface, and softening that contact point is the most common way a generated shadow fails. Marketplaces generally permit a natural shadow on a white primary image, though a heavy stylised one can read as an added element.

Tips that actually help

• Match the shadow direction to the highlight already on the product, since a mismatch is the first thing a viewer registers as wrong.
• Keep the shadow darkest and sharpest at the contact point, because softening exactly there is the most common failure.
• Blur the shadow progressively as it moves away, as a uniformly sharp shadow reads as a painted shape.
• Let density fall off along the length, since a shadow that stays equally dark throughout looks drawn rather than cast.
• Keep it natural on marketplace primaries, where a heavy stylised shadow can read as an added element.

Who uses this

Background-removed catalogues

Cutout products that look pasted on until a contact shadow grounds them.

Marketplace primary images

White-background listings where a natural shadow separates competent from amateur.

Composite scenes

Products placed into generated environments where shadow agreement sells the composite.

Floating and pedestal styles

Compositions where the shadow is doing nearly all of the illusion.

常见问题

Why does my cutout look pasted on?

Because nothing in the physical world rests on a surface without occluding light. A product with no shadow contradicts something every viewer knows implicitly.

What makes a shadow look fake?

Wrong direction first, then uniform softness and uniform density. Real shadows are sharpest and darkest at contact and soften as they spread.

How do I choose direction?

From the product itself. Look at where the highlights fall and put the shadow opposite; a mismatch is instantly readable.

Should the shadow be hard or soft?

It depends on the light you are implying. Small hard sources give crisp edges, large diffuse ones give soft edges — just stay consistent with the product lighting.

Are shadows allowed on marketplace primaries?

A natural contact shadow is generally fine. A heavy stylised one risks reading as an added element, which some marketplaces restrict.

What about reflections instead?

A reflection implies a glossy surface underneath, which is a different scene. Pick one and keep it physically consistent.

Does this work for transparent products?

It is harder, since transparent objects cast partial shadows with light passing through, and a solid silhouette shadow looks wrong.

Is the free generation really free?

Yes. One per day, watermarked and capped at 1024px. Signing up gives you 20 credits and clean full-resolution files with full commercial rights.

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