How To Make a Reflection in Photoshop
The following is a tutorial on how to create an object reflection in Photoshop or create a Photoshop shadow effect on an object.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:18 Make a selection on the object
00:59 Adjust With Photo Crop
01:24 Increase Canvas Height Size
01:43 Flip Vertical Reflection Layer
02:07 Apply Gradient To Reflection Layer
02:24 Add Layers For Background
1. Open a photo then make a selection.
Select File-Open to open your photo. Make a selection on the object you want to create a shadow/reflection using the Quick Selection Tool. Duplicate the selection results on a separate layer by pressing Ctrl+J or Layer-New-Layer via copy.
2. Adjust By Cropping Photo.
Remove the visibility option of the Background layer by clicking the eye icon on the left. Click the Crop Tool icon in the tool palette then crop your photo only to the object. Click then drag the mouse around the grasshopper object then press Enter.
3. Duplicate the Layer and Double the Height of the Canvas.
Click Layer 1 then duplicate it by pressing Ctrl+J. Change the name of the top layer to grasshopper and the layer below it to reflection. Click the reflection layer then increase the height of the canvas by selecting the Image-Canvas Size menu. Please multiply the current height by two, then fill it in the height column. For your anchor, click the top middle. Click OK button.
4. Flip Vertical Reflection Layer.
Click the reflection layer then press Ctrl+T to call Free Transform. Flip Vertical by selecting Edit-Transform-Flip Vertical. Swipe down using the mouse or the down arrow on the keyboard. Press Enter when you have finished setting the reflection layer.
5. Apply a Gradient to the Reflection Layer.
Click the Gradient Tool icon in the Tool panel. In the options bar, select Black To White and Radial Gradient. Create a layer mask by clicking on the reflection layer then clicking the Add layer mask icon. Start applying the gradient, while holding down the Shift key, click from the bottom of the canvas to the top.
6. Add a layer for the background and fill it with white.
Click the Background layer then click the Create a new layer icon. Fill the layer with white by selecting the Edit-Fill menu. On the Use menu, select White and press the OK button. Please set the opacity of the reflection layer