Creating Cutout Image Effects with Photoshop

CreativePro Magazine Issue 11 coverThis article appeared in Issue 11 of CreativePro Magazine.

In this article, I’ll show you how to make a graphic style in Photoshop that simulates layers of cutout paper, in which each layer casts a shadow on the layer beneath. It has a three-dimensional appearance, giving the impression of increasing depth with each layer.

The effect is not hard to create and has the advantage that it’s easy to move elements around after the basic image has been created—and those elements can be photographs, graphics, or artwork created directly in Photoshop.

paper cutout effect in Photoshop

The technique uses multiple groups in Photoshop, each of which contains the color fill and shadow settings at the group level so the interior components are never affected directly.

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Steve Caplin is a freelance photomontage artist based in London, whose satirical illustrations have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world. He is the author of the best-selling How to Cheat in Photoshop, as well as 100% Photoshop, Art & Design in Photoshop and 3D Photoshop. He writes regularly for CreativePro and is an instructor at LinkedIn Learning. His YouTube channel 2 Minute Photoshop is a library of over 100 Photoshop tutorials, each just two minutes long, hosted at photoshop.london. When he’s not at his computer Steve builds improbable furniture, which can be seen at curieaux.com.
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