Add a drop shadow to a PNG: shadows that follow the shape

In short: drop a PNG with a transparent background above. The tool adds a soft shadow that follows the image's shape, not its rectangle, and keeps the background transparent so the shadow blends onto whatever you place it on. Pick a style or set your own. It runs in your browser.

#How to add a drop shadow

1. Add a transparent PNG (or WebP): a product cut-out, a logo or a sticker. Or click Try it with an example.
2. Choose a style:
   • Soft, below: a gentle shadow under the object, like a product photo.
   • Lifted: further below and softer, so the object seems to float.
   • To the side: down and to the right, like sunlight.
   • Custom: set the offset, softness and position yourself.
3. Set the strength and colour.
4. Download the PNG. It's larger than the original, with room for the shadow.

#How it works

The shadow is made from the image's own transparency: a copy of its shape is filled with your colour, moved by the offset, and blurred (a three-pass box blur, close to a true Gaussian). Then the original is drawn on top. Presets scale with the image size, so they look the same on a 500 px and a 5,000 px image.

#What it needs

A transparent background. On an image with a solid background, the shadow falls behind the whole rectangle (the tool warns you). Remove the background first.

#Tips

• Product listings: a soft, subtle shadow (20–35% strength) looks natural on white. Some marketplaces have rules about main images; check them before adding shadows to a main photo.
• Dark backgrounds: a dark shadow won't show; a coloured or lighter "glow" can work instead.

#Example

The example cupcake with a soft shadow below:

A soft drop shadow

#Frequently asked questions

#Is my image uploaded?

No. The shadow is drawn in your browser.

#Why is my image bigger?

Room is added around it so the shadow isn't cut off. Use trim transparent image to remove spare space afterwards.

#Can I add an outline too?

Yes: add it first with add an outline, then the shadow here.

#Does it work with JPEG?

JPEG has no transparency, so the shadow would surround the whole rectangle. Use a PNG cut-out.