The first time you remove a background from a product photo, it looks great — and slightly wrong. The product seems to hover. That's because the shadow went with the background. Adding it back is easy, and it's the difference between "cut-out" and "studio shot".
1. The contact shadow (simplest)
- Place your transparent PNG on the background.
- Draw an ellipse under the product, as wide as its base.
- Fill it with black, set opacity to around 20–30%.
- Blur it generously.
- Tuck it slightly under the product.
This works for almost anything that sits on a surface: shoes, bottles, bags, boxes.
2. The drop shadow (for floating products)
Sometimes floating is the look you want — flat-lay style images, or products on a coloured card. Use a soft drop shadow offset down and to one side, with a big blur and low opacity. Keep the direction consistent across all your images.
3. The cast shadow (most realistic)
- Duplicate the cut-out.
- Fill the duplicate with black.
- Flip or skew it so it falls away from the light direction.
- Lower opacity to 15–25% and blur it — more blur the further from the product.
- Place it behind the original.
Where to do it
Canva, Figma, Photoshop, Affinity, even PowerPoint can do all three. Start with a clean transparent PNG from the product photo background remover.
Common mistakes
- Shadows that are too dark. Real shadows on white are subtle.
- Hard edges. Blur is your friend.
- Inconsistent direction across a product line.
FAQ
Can marketplaces accept images with shadows?
Usually, as long as the background is still white. A soft shadow is common in main product images.
Can the background remover keep the original shadow?
Background removal separates the subject from everything else, including its shadow. Adding a shadow back gives you more control.
