How Do I Get a Drop Shadow on a Graduated Background?

Turn on your computer and open your photo editing program. Click "File" in the navigation bar and select "New" from the drop-down menu. Click "Blank File" and a new dialog box will open along with a blank page. Complete the dimensions of the new file and click "OK." Click "Image" and select "Resize," then "Canvas Size." Set to the canvas size to be 1 inch larger on both the height and width. This will create a white border around the image where the drop shadow will be visible.

Click "Layer" in the navigation bar of the program and select "New Layer" from the drop-down menu, then select "Gradient Fill" from the new menu. A dialog box will appear allowing you to select the color, angle and scale of the gradient that will be added to the background. Click "OK," and the computer will add this to the blank file.

Move your cursor to the margin on the right side of the window and select "Drop Shadows" from the "Effects" menu selections. Click, hold and drag the drop shadow from the margin and place it on the background you are working with.

Click "Layer" in the navigation bar and select "Flatten Image" from the drop-down menu. Click "File" select "Save as," give your edited background a new name and save it to your computer's hard drive.