Generating shadows for digital objects within digital images utilizing a height map

The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media that generate a height map for a digital object portrayed in a digital image and further utilizes the height map to generate a shadow for the digital object. Indeed, in one or more embodiments, the disclosed systems generate (e.g., utilizing a neural network) a height map that indicates the pixels heights for pixels of a digital object portrayed in a digital image. The disclosed systems utilize the pixel heights, along with lighting information for the digital image, to determine how the pixels of the digital image project to create a shadow for the digital object. Further, in some implementations, the disclosed systems utilize the determined shadow projections to generate (e.g., utilizing another neural network) a soft shadow for the digital object. Accordingly, in some cases, the disclosed systems modify the digital image to include the shadow.