There are several ways to create product reflections in Photoshop. In this blog post, we’ll show you a simple way to create a subtle reflection in Photoshop.
Steps to Create a Reflection in Photoshop
1. Extend the canvas
We start with an image on a white background. To add a reflection you need some space below the product – so we extend the canvas to add some white space. To do this: go to Image>Canvas Size.
In the window that opens up (first screen below), set the dropdown to Pixels – this shows you the size of the current image as 1200×1200.
Since you want the reflection at the bottom of the image, increase the height setting of the canvas. Here, we increase it to 1500 pixels.
Then click the top-middle button in the grid of the Anchor setting (right side screen below). This tells Photoshop to move the current image to the top center (so the canvas is extended below).
Make sure the bottom drop down says ‘Background’ – this means that the extended background is the same as the image background i.e White.
Click OK. This will give you the room you need to add the reflection. Notice the extra space at the bottom of the screenshot below.
2. Select background
Select the Magic Wand Tool from the left menu.
Ensure ‘Contiguous’ is ticked in the options bar on top (see below). Click anywhere in the background to select the white. You’ll see a dotted line showing that you’ve selected the background. If you missed an area, press Shift and click to select another white area until the entire white background appears within the dotted lines. For small background details (such as the gaps in the links in this image), you don’t need to select.
Notice the dotted area in the below screenshot.
4. Inverse selection and duplicate
Once you have a decent selection of the background, go to Select > Inverse selection to invert the selection – this will make the selection be the jewelry instead of the background.
Then go to Layer > New > Layer via Copy – this takes the selected jewelry and puts it into it’s own layer.
5. Make the Reflection
Go to Edit > Free Transform – this will put a box around the jewelry allowing you to transform it. Right click in the box and select ‘Flip Vertical’. This will invert the jewelry.
Then click and drag the box and place it below the original piece of jewelry. Press enter to confirm the changes.
6. Reduce Opacity
At this stage, the reflection is just an inverted image of the jewelry. To make it look like a reflection, fade it out by moving the opacity slider to 25% (see green arrow below).
Then go to File > Save As… select JPG from the dropdown and save it so you can use the final image on your site. You could also save it as a PSD file if you think you’ll come back and make more edits to the image.
7. Optional Steps
Make sure the reflection layer is selected. Add some blur to the reflection by going to Filter > Gaussian Blur. Set Radius to 1.5. Click OK. This will make the reflection look a bit more more natural.
Then click on the Eraser tool, set the hardness to 30% and select the size of the brush as 500. The brush size is based on the size of the product i.e. how big of a brush do you need to brush over the image. Then click once at the bottom of the reflection to erase a bit of it. The 30% brush hardness you selected will make the erased part fade off. See image at the top of this page to see the image with these two optional steps.
Or if you like the reflection in the last screenshot above, you can stop there.
Hope this helped! If you’re looking to outsource your photography, click here for pricing and samples. Or learn more on our jewelry photography page.
Add comment