Adding steps to watermark action - follow up to a previous question

[swilliams]

This is in regard to Jodie's "Watermark action drop shadow" question from Feb. 17th.  I love the looks of her drop shadow effect but am having trouble figuring out how to get that look.  I'm completely stumped and its driving me crazy.  Is it still going to be done using the canvas size step to extend the border or do I need to add this in somewhere else to get the shadow?  Sorry if I'm talking in circles.  :{

[Damien Symonds]

Are you asking how to put the drop shadow step into the action?  Or are you asking how to actually add a drop shadow in Photoshop?

[swilliams]

I guess maybe thats part of my question.  I know how to add a drop shadow in Photoshop with using different layers, but since we are adding a border to an image by way of canvas size, I wasn't really sure where or how to add the drop shadow effect.

Edited March 3, 2016 by swilliams

[Damien Symonds]

This is difficult for me to address, because I can't really tell which part of the process you don't understand.

Do you know how to add a drop shadow via the "Fx" button in the layers panel?

[swilliams]

Yes, I'm good with doing that. 

[Damien Symonds]

Ok ... so what don't you understand, exactly?

[swilliams]

I know I'm probably making this a lot harder than it has to be...obviously. 

Do I just need to go about adding a white layer with enough space to act as my border, make the shadow on the layer with the photo, then flatten and go on about the action from there?

I didn't know if I could add the shadow as part of the action or if that needed to be done before hand. 

[Damien Symonds]

Did you actually read the thread you linked?  To its conclusion?

[swilliams]

I did and even tried following it but I must have missed something in there somewhere. I'll go back and go through it again.

[swilliams]

Okay, going back over it...its the step where it says to add a Smart Object conversion, and the drop shadow.  Not sure what to do here.  I'll look more up on Smart Object conversions.

 

[swilliams]

OMG, I finally figured it out.  I was totally over thinking it and trying to add in extra steps or something.  I'm not that familiar with the Smart Object step in PS.  Now, with this, I understand its purpose a lot more.