Shadows in Photoshop

A basketball was the object I used for this shadow project.

Overview

For our latest project, we cast a realistic shadow using Photoshop. I chose a basketball for my object, and I followed the video tutorial to create the shadow, add the gradient, soften the edges by using the 'Gaussian blur' effect. I then changed the opacity to 80% to allow the shadow to further blend in to its environment. 

Reflection

I think I did a pretty good job in creating the shadow, especially considering the fact that this is the first time we've done a project of this nature. On top of that, I don't like Photoshop and think it's very confusing, so I'm glad there was a tutorial to help guide us along in our steps and direct our design process. One thing that I'm still debating is the shadow underneath the basketball. I feel like it should be there due to the angle of the light source and the shape of the object, but at the same time, it just doesn't look quite right. Either way, I think I did a fine job considering this was our first time creating shadows in Photoshop.