How to Add a Realistic Shadow to a Cut-Out Product in Photoroom

Use Photoroom's Instant Shadow and Soft Shadow options so a cut-out product looks grounded instead of floating.

5 minBeginner

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A perfectly cut-out product on white can look like it is floating in space. A shadow grounds it and instantly reads as more real. Photoroom can generate a shadow that matches the product shape. This guide adds one and tunes it so it looks natural rather than stamped on.

What you need

A Photoroom account
A product image that is already cut out or that Photoroom can cut out
A target background, usually white or a soft surface
A minute or two to fine-tune the shadow

Step 1: Cut out and place on your background

Remove the background so the product sits on your chosen backdrop. The cleaner the cutout, the cleaner the generated shadow, since Photoroom traces the shadow from the subject silhouette.

Step 2: Turn on a shadow type

In the Edits panel, find the Shadow section. Soft Shadow gives a diffuse, studio-style shadow. Natural or Instant Shadow follows the product shape more closely. Pick Soft Shadow for most clean product shots.

Photoroom - Shadow

Shadow

Type: ( ) None (o) Soft ( ) Natural

Angle: [-------o--------] 90 (below)

Distance: [----o-----------] low

Blur: [---------o------] high

Opacity: [------o---------] 45%

Soft Shadow reads as a studio bounce; raise blur to soften it.

Step 3: Tune angle, distance, and blur

Set the angle so the shadow falls directly below or slightly behind the product. Keep distance small so the product looks like it is resting on the surface, and raise blur so the shadow edge is soft. A sharp, far-off shadow looks fake.

Lower opacity for white backgrounds

On pure white, an opacity around 35 to 50 percent looks grounded without going muddy. A heavy black shadow on white draws the eye away from the product itself.

Step 4: Export and sanity-check

Export the result, then look at it small, the size it will appear in a listing. The shadow should read as subtle contact with the surface, not a separate dark blob. Adjust opacity down if it competes with the product.

Result: a cut-out bottle that looked pasted onto white now has a soft, low shadow beneath it, so it appears to rest on a real surface and the whole image feels like a proper studio shot.