(Image Included) How to Make Shadow in GIMP for Maze

[Sharpe]

Ooo, good catch. Looks like I'm going to have to delete the 's's and add them on another layer.

Does it look like the red/green/gray doors are blending in with the shadow? It shouldn't, should it, because the black fill is what I blurred to make the shadow, right? Might just be my imagination.

[Sharpe]

Looked closely at the shadow layer and saw that the colors did bleed into the shadows. I think I can fix that by making the walls layer invisible after doing the black fill.

I wonder why the walls on the top and on the left are so dang dark compared to the others?

[Jaxilon]

When you duplicate your layers to create the one that will become the shadows I think you are ending up with another white background layer which if you then blur will blur some of the white over your black walls. The solution, I think, is (in place of duplicating the layer) to select the walls - copy - create a new transparent layer - paste and then do your blur. I'm guessing this is what's causing the faded shadows.

Alternatively you can just go to the duplicated shadow layer (when you first create it) and select by color the white, delete, then blur.

If this doesn't work let me know, I'll run through the process again and see if I can figure out what might be causing this.

[Sharpe]

You don't think it's just the nature of that blur filter?

I'll get it figured out. No need to spend any more of your time on my rink-dink project. I appreciate all your help as is!

One of the reasons I'm looking for a relatively quick way to do this is the fact that I'm going to make several mazes. They'll have stairs and bridges and gorges and tress and shrubbery and everything when I get to that level.

[Jaxilon]

Well if all you are blurring is the walls then there is no reason for any colors to blur into your shadow. That's what I'm saying. If you have a red door for instance in your pasted copy that you are about to blur, it should be changed to black PRIOR to blurring. Basically, anything you want to be as a shadow should be black before you blur it. That way there is no way for the coloring to get into your shadows. As I said, if you have a white background when you blur and you blur the entire page then, yeah, the white will also smudge over into your shadows. That's why you want to do the blur on a transparent layer with only the black items you want shadows for.

I hope this more simple explanation will help. Sometimes I make things more complicated than they need to be. Caused myself no end of headache doing that too

[Sharpe]

As I said, if you have a white background when you blur and you blur the entire page then, yeah, the white will also smudge over into your shadows. That's why you want to do the blur on a transparent layer with only the black items you want shadows for.

Ah, yes. I see. I'll cut the walls out next time and make the colored doors black.

Thanks!

[Sharpe]

I haven't tried to improve the wall shadows yet, but now I wonder how to make shadows for stairs?

[Jaxilon]

Not sure what you are after but most stairs have walls on either side of them so there wouldn't really be any shadows outside of the stairwell.

One thing you can always do with shadows is hand paint them as well. Just create a grey layer color (808080) and set it to "hard light". then use the dodge/burn tool to darken or lighten this layer which will show through. You can paint other colors on that layer as well which will effect the look.

I don't know if any of that makes sense but I hope it helps.

[Sharpe]

Don't have much time but here is image:

[Sharpe]

Here is what I figured out so far dabbling (notice stairs by blue door):



I selected the area individually under each stair separately and used the blend tool from left to right. Under the "opacity" slider in the blend tool's toolbox, i changed the "gradient," to "FG to Transparent."

Honestly, i think the stairs' shadows look better than the walls', though the two styles now clash. I might try to use this blend tool somehow to make the wall shadows as well...