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PECourtejoie
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 28, 2011
Open for Voting

P: new layer style: mirror/wet floor

  • May 28, 2011
  • 7 replies
  • 759 views

Layer styles are useful because of their parametric and their non-destructive natures. Smart Filters are useful, but require the creation of a smart object beforehand.
I'd like to suggest new layer styles, of commonly used effects, that would help to automate time-consuming tasks.

Mirror would create a reflection of the layer that fades with distance, it is commonly used in the products pictures of a famous computer/tablet/music player/phone manufacturer, and is even available as a Word art in Powerpoint! Another common name for that effect is "wet floor".

Proposed settings that one would be to be able to select:
direction (bottom by default),
angle of the reflection,
starting point of the reflection (so that the object/layer can appear to be floating in the air above the reflecting surface)
distance/curve of the fade, maybe an option to desaturate, lighten/darken, and/or blur with distance)
There could also be an option to increase/decrease the width of the reflection. An additional eye candy would be to be able to distort the shadow with a map, for effects like waves, but we are way over in the cliché mode...

I hope that other users will chime in with proposed refinements, or create other threads with additional (useful and feasible) layer styles they'd like to see. (see also cast shadow)

7 replies

PECourtejoie
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 17, 2022
Inspiring
July 17, 2021

That would be outstanding. However Photoshop has a bug problem, they can't seem to shake. I'm currently using 22.3 because the latest version crashes constantly. I would love the new layer style though.

Dominik Sourcé
Inspiring
June 29, 2020
That's a great idea. It definitely has the potential to streamline some packshot workflows. 
Inspiring
February 8, 2014


Add To Blending Options Reflections It Can Be Easier On Work With Degree , Opacity, Gradient , etc.
c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 12, 2012
And yet that is not what PECourtejoie asked for.
Firstly it does not update on the fly but only on saving the SO and secondly it lacks the further options like fade.
And a few keystrokes can add up when one has to do them very often ...
Participating Frequently
January 11, 2012
You can do that manually with just a few keystrokes. If you make your original layer into a smart object before you make your duplicate for the reflection, your reflection will even update automatically as you make changes to the original.
Known Participant
June 2, 2011
I was just going to request this feature. Excellent idea.