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How To Make Your Photos Pop Using Drop Shadow Borders

By
Home Stager with Sharon Tara Transformations

Looking for a way to make the photos pop in your marketing materials?

Whether it's for a flyer for a listing, a page on your website, a brochure, or photos for social media it's really easy to make a photo pop out...literally, pop out.

Here's a Before & After example:

 

I cropped, darkened the exposure, added a colored frame and drop shadow effect.

 

 

I used Ribbet, my photo editor of choice, to create the enhanced photo:

  1. Upload picture.  (see illustration)
  2. In Basic Edits, click on Crop. (see illustration)  Next to "No Restraints" click the drop down arrow and choose Square. Drag the box to position it where you want it and click Apply.
  3. Click on Exposure (see illustration) and either do Auto-Exposure or use the slide bars to adjust. Click Apply.
  4. Go back up to Menu and click Frames. (See illustration)  Choose Drop Shadow. Make distance 20, size 50, and fade 20%. Click on the white box next to Background Color and use the eye dropper tool to select a color. I clicked on the sponge in my picture to capture it's color as a background. Click Apply.
  5. Click Save on the green bar at the top. Name and save the photo.
  6. Close photo.
  7. Click on Blank Canvas.  (see illustration) Change size to something square, I did 1000 x 1000, and click OK.
  8. Open the Photo Basket (See illustration)  by clicking on down arrow.
  9. Click on Upload Photo and get that photo you just saved.
  10. Drag and Drop the photo to the white square background and drag corners to enlarge it enough to create a white border around your picture.
  11. Go back up to Menu and click Frames again. Choose Drop Shadow. Make distance 20 and size 50. Check the box next to Transparent Background.  Hit Apply
  12. Name and save the final photo.

 


 

  

 

These instructions may see intimidating, but it really is a simple process. You can follow all or some depending on your desired effects.

 

For those of you who prefer a video tutorial....

 

Everything I used in Ribbet for this transformation is FREE to all users.

 

 

Written for Dick Greenberg's  May Contest Before & After.

Comments(48)

The Temple Team
THE TEMPLE TEAM - Mooresville, NC
Specializing in Lake Norman/Charlotte/Charleston

EXCELLENT BLOG & TUTORIAL!!  Thanks for sharing!

May 23, 2017 09:01 AM
Sharon Tara

Thank you so much!

May 23, 2017 04:41 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Thank you for the tutorial. I will bookmark this post and read it again 

May 23, 2017 09:43 AM
Sharon Tara

The video may be more helpful because you can actually see the process. I hope you find it easy enough to understand. 

May 23, 2017 04:42 PM
Dorte Engel
RE/MAX Leading Edge - Bowie, MD
ABC - Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton & rest of Maryland

Dear Sharon,

Wow, what an improvement.

May 23, 2017 09:46 AM
Sharon Tara

Thank you! I love using drop shadow!

May 23, 2017 04:42 PM
Monique Ting
INET Realty Honolulu, HI - Honolulu, HI
Your agent under the sun

Sharon, thank you for sharing! I will definitively look into Ribbit for enhancing my pictures... Aloha!

May 23, 2017 02:37 PM
Sharon Tara

Happy to hear it. I hope you find it as helpful as I do!

May 23, 2017 04:43 PM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Burlington, MA
Metro Boston Homes For Sale

Sharon Tara - indeed a simple and still very effective way to bring life into some pictures. I used to have PRO account for Ribbet - and now back to standard.

May 23, 2017 08:58 PM
Sharon Tara

I use it so often and I use so many of the subscriber tools that it's worth the subscription for me.

May 24, 2017 01:26 PM
Laura Filip
Laura Filip Broker , Opening doors for All Seasons of Life - Whitesboro, TX
What can we do for you today?

Thank you for sharing the information great idea to set t he photo apart from others. 

May 24, 2017 08:24 AM
Sharon Tara

I hope you give it a try!

May 24, 2017 01:26 PM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Yep, I do this all the time. Great tutorial & example. I like it for my market graphs so they don't look so boring.

May 24, 2017 10:07 AM
Sharon Tara

Using it for market graphs is a great idea!

May 24, 2017 01:26 PM
Stephen Arnold
HomeSmart Elite Group - Scottsdale, AZ
CRS, GRI, SFR

This is terrific! I have only been using picmonkey over the past couple of years...Ribbet is an awesome tool as well!

May 24, 2017 01:50 PM
Sharon Tara

My editor of choice! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

May 25, 2017 06:45 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Sharon

Big difference between the 2 photo's . . . . Thanks on the tip for the Ribbet photo editing tool.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

May 24, 2017 07:01 PM
Sharon Tara

Certainly gets more attention and makes marketing materials more memorable!

May 25, 2017 06:45 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Sharon 

Congratulations on receiving a feature for an informative post.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

May 24, 2017 07:03 PM
Sharon Tara

Thank you Lou!

May 25, 2017 06:46 AM
Barbara Todaro
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

Good morning, Sharon Tara wow... what a great post...just saw it on a reblog by Debbie Reynolds.... I'll need to start using Ribbet....

May 25, 2017 05:22 AM
Sharon Tara

I have no doubt you would find this very helpful for all your fabulous marketing!

May 25, 2017 06:46 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Hi Sharon - I was trying to use this last night for the contest.  For some reason AR system is giving my a red X when I try to upload.

May 25, 2017 07:10 AM
Sharon Tara

The photo loader has been a frustrating nightmare for awhile now....2 weeks I think. I'm so tired of it! Hoping they get a handle on it very soon!!!!!


I've been lucky the last two Wordless Wednesdays I've done just happened to work out. But only after multiple attempts over several days. It appears to be random.

May 25, 2017 07:40 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Sharon, I use both iPiccy and Ribbet. Find that iPiccy is easier. Perhaps because I use it more. Do you know how I can remove phone lines in a photo??

May 25, 2017 07:23 AM
Sharon Tara

You are right when you say "perhaps because I use it more". I only use Ribbet and know it really well now so it's very easy for me.


If I were removing phone lines I would use the clone tool.


I have a tutorial on using it if that helps you.

May 25, 2017 07:43 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hi Sharon -- how did I miss this post?   Okay...Okay...I'll try Ribbet.  The difference is striking.  Bookmarked.  And another thing on my always list of things to do(and learn).   

May 25, 2017 07:26 AM
Sharon Tara

You can do it...I hope you will give it a try and show me the results! Put this at the top of that list of things to do!

May 25, 2017 07:38 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Rebecca Gaujot  Just in case you missed my comment within your comment:

Tutorial on Ribbet Clone Tool

May 25, 2017 07:44 AM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®

Thank you, Sharon. It looks pretty easy, at least by viewing your video. I wil try doing this tonight. Thanks again, Rebecca

May 25, 2017 12:17 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Sharon if it was not for our friend Debbie Reynolds  I would have missed this post clearly it makes a huge difference, love information like this, Endre

May 25, 2017 10:39 PM
Sharon Tara

Well I appreciate Debbie's reblog and I'm so glad you didn't miss the post! 

May 26, 2017 06:34 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

I'm fond of the frames and drop shadows offered in Ribbet and iPiccy.  I often use them!

May 26, 2017 06:12 PM
Sharon Tara

I'm always finding something new in Ribbet when I take the time to play a little.

May 27, 2017 06:55 AM
Cheryl Dukes . . . . . Intown Atlanta
Guaranteed Offer for your Home - eXp realty - Atlanta, GA

Yes, it looks much better in the second picture - good work!

May 28, 2017 08:09 PM
Sharon Tara

Thank you Cheryl!

May 29, 2017 08:20 AM
Ruth Vogt
Fairway Independent Mortgage, LLS. Equal Housing Opportunity. Regulated by the Division of Real Estate. - Colorado Springs, CO
719-592-0855 www.ReverseLoansInColorado.com

Wow! What a difference! Plus, the tutorial is awesome!! Thanks for the post (and the help!!)

May 30, 2017 12:18 PM
Sharon Tara

You are very welcome. I hope enjoy using it.

May 30, 2017 12:41 PM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

I'm excited about trying Ribbet with help from your tutorial!

Jun 04, 2017 12:07 AM
Sharon Tara

I am happy to hear it. If you need any help just let me know!

Jun 04, 2017 05:09 AM