photoshop tutorial_ chrome metal text effect
TRANSCRIPT
Adobe Photoshop Tutorials, Tips and Tricks
Home Digital Photography Text Effects Artistic Techniques Textures Special Effects Free Brushes
Ads by Google Photoshop Effects Photoshop Tutorials Chrome Plugins 3D Effect Photoshop 3D Frame
Chrome Text and Frame Effect
The key to making any type of material look good in Photoshop is a combination of surface texture and lighting. For chrome,the surface is very smooth and shiny. So we need the shape and lighting to reflect that (pun intended!). The good news isthat with the addition of Layer Styles in Photoshop several versions ago, chrome is now an easy effect to achieve. The effectworks equally well on text and other objects. Here's what our final product will look like:
Photoshop CS3/CS4
Wow! Book, The
Linnea Dayton, Cri...
Best Price $34.82
or Buy New $37.79
Privacy Information
The Adobe Photoshop
CS4 Book for Dig...
Scott Kelby
Best Price $21.40
or Buy New $34.18
Privacy Information
Ads by Google Jobs in Photoshop Photoshop CS5 Chrome Effect How to Use Photoshop Photoshop Slices Web
Ads by Google Photoshop Retouching Adobe Photoshop Plugin for Photoshop Photoshop Photos Learning Photoshop
Stainless Steel Sheet Taiwan Product; Excellent Quality Best Service; No Retail! www.stainless-steel-coi ls.com
Federal Steel Supply, Inc Chrome Moly and Alloy Pipe & Tube Nationwide stocking Distributor www.FedSteel.com
Jobs in Steel Companies. New Openings Available Submit CV to Apply MonsterIndia.com
2/6/2011 Photoshop Tutorial: Chrome Metal Te…
photoshop-dragon.com/…/Chrome_Te… 1/8
Keywords: chrome text effect, shiny metal lettering, reflection effect, chrome look, chrome frame
Features Used:Text Tool, Distort Transformation, Paths, Stroke Path, Layer Styles, Drop Shadow, Bevel andEmboss, Stroke
1
We'll start with the textured background we created in the Lined Background Tutorial. You might want to follow that tutorialfirst and then come back here to add the text and chrome effect. The lined background will make a very nice reflection effect inthe chrome as we shall see. Here's our starting point:
Stainless Steel Balls www.spheretecinc.com
SS302 - 316 & 440C providing mild - great wear& corrosion resistances.
3D Letters and Logos www.arro-signs.co.uk
Brushed Stainless Steel Letters, Cast ResinLetters, 3D Letters.
Plating Barrels www.SingletonCorp.com
Manufacturing High Quality Plating Barrels ForOver Half A Century!
Adobe PhotoShop Training www.Koenig-Solutions.com
@ India's Best Place to Work for Trainers for2010
Stainless Steel BallsSS302 - 316 & 440C providing mild - great wear &corrosion resistances.www.spheretecinc.com
Federal Steel Supply, IncChrome Moly and Alloy Pipe & Tube Nationwidestocking Distributorwww.FedSteel.com
Jobs in Steel Companies1000s of Jobs in Steel. Submit Your Resume Now &Find JobsMonsterIndia.com
3D Letters and LogosBrushed Stainless Steel Letters, Cast ResinLetters, 3D Letters.www.arro-signs.co.uk
2/6/2011 Photoshop Tutorial: Chrome Metal Te…
photoshop-dragon.com/…/Chrome_Te… 2/8
2
Now we'll add our text. I wanted a blocky looking oblique font, so I picked Serpentine-Medium Oblique and set the font size to200 points. Choose white for the color and enter the desired text. Don't worry if yours didn't come out perfectly centered.We'll fix that in a moment.
3
The first part here is optional. I include it just to give you some ideas for the options you can consider when working on aproject like this.
I'd like my text to be a bit more angled than the font provides, so we'll fix that ourselves. We'll use the Distort transformation,but this transformation only works on pixel data, not text. So we first have to rasterize the text. Therefore, select Layer->Rasterize->Type. Then select Edit->Transform->Distort. Grab the middle handle on the upper edge and drag it a little ways tothe right. I also raised it a little to increase the height just a bit as well. Stop when you get the look you want.
Now let's get things nice and centered. Make sure the layer containing the text is still selected and choose the Move Tool
and use cmd-A to Select All (cntl-A on Windows). Now go to the toolbar and click the Align Vertical Centers button , then the
Align Horizontal Centers button . Then Deselect (cmd-D on Mac OS or cntl-D on Windows).
Here's how mine ended up:
2/6/2011 Photoshop Tutorial: Chrome Metal Te…
photoshop-dragon.com/…/Chrome_Te… 3/8
4
Layer Styles will give us the chrome look we want. Let's begin with Layer->Styles->Bevel and Emboss. Use these settings:
You can raise or lower the Altitude to make your text more shiny or more dull looking. The color for the Shadow Mode shouldbe a color that's a darker shade of your background color, but not black. Since I'm using a red background, I picked a dark redhere (color #6f1d10). Using a dark color from the background helps create the illusion of the background being reflected onthe text, which is important for the chrome look.
5
Now we'll add a Contour effect. The effect this gives is a matter of taste, but I like the way it flattens out the metal. To me itseems more like real chrome lettering.
2/6/2011 Photoshop Tutorial: Chrome Metal Te…
photoshop-dragon.com/…/Chrome_Te… 4/8
6
The Stroke Effect is next. The effect is subtle, but it adds a little more red around the edges to reinforce the reflection. Use acolor that's similar to your background for the color. I used #b10000. Here are the settings:
7
Lastly, we'll add a Drop Shadow. This is an important aspect to the overall effect:
Red
Bruce Will is, Morg...
New $12.99
Secretariat
Diane Lane, John M...
New $16.99
The Social Network
Jesse Eisenberg, A...
New $15.49
Masterpiece Classic
PBS
New $16.99
Zumba Fitness Total
Body Transformation
System DVD Set...
Zumba Fitness
New $64.95
Privacy Information
2/6/2011 Photoshop Tutorial: Chrome Metal Te…
photoshop-dragon.com/…/Chrome_Te… 5/8
These settings create a sort of optical illusion. When you apply these, you'll notice that there appears to be a reflection of thebackground on the right side edges of the text. This is pure illusion, but it's very effective. What's happening is that theContour setting is causing a gap in the effect that lets the background show through between the text and the drop shadow.This makes you think it's a reflection, even though it really isn't. The trick is to keep the Spread at zero and the Size small. Thismakes it seem like the shadow is at the base of the raised lettering. You can make the letters appear to be taller or shorter bychanging the Distance setting.
Here's what we have at this point:
8
Let's plus this a bit further by adding a frame. We'll do this by using the Rounded Rectangle Tool to create a path. In thetoolbar, make these selections for the settings:
First create a New Layer above the layer containing the text. Now draw out a nice rectangle around the text to form a frame.Don't worry if it isn't centered; we'll fix that in a moment. Just get it to be the right size for the text. Since you're just drawinga path, you'll only see a very thin line.
2/6/2011 Photoshop Tutorial: Chrome Metal Te…
photoshop-dragon.com/…/Chrome_Te… 6/8
9
Now we'll color the path by using the Stroke Path function. Set the foreground color to
white and select the Paint Brush tool . Pick a round brush and set the diameter ofthe brush to how ever thick you want the frame to be. I picked 21 pixels. Make sure thenew layer is still selected. Now go to the Paths palette (pictured to the right) and makesure Work Path is selected. Go to the bottom of the palette and click on the Stroke Path
button. This will use the paint brush to stroke around the entire path, leaving youwith a nice rounded 21 pixel wide border.
10
Time to center it. Choose the Move Tool and use cmd-A to Select All (cntl-A on Windows). Now go to the toolbar and click
the Align Vertical Centers button , then the Align Horizontal Centers button . Then Deselect (cmd-D on Mac OS or cntl-Don Windows). Lastly, select Merge Down. When the frame is merged with the text layer, the layer style already in that layerwill cause the effect to be applied to the frame, giving a nice looking chrome frame around the text to make a sort of licenseplate look. And here's our finished result:
2/6/2011 Photoshop Tutorial: Chrome Metal Te…
photoshop-dragon.com/…/Chrome_Te… 7/8
Thanks for visiting with the Photoshop Dragon.
More Tutorials
Home Digital Photography Text Effects Artistic Techniques Textures Special Effects Free Brushes
Enjoy this tutorial?
If so, please consider making a donation. This site isrun as a hobby and your donation will help defray thecosts and allow more tutorials to be added.
You can also support this site by trying a free Netflixtrial. Just click the link to the right. You get a free trialand this site receives a donation from Netflix.
Planning to buy something from amazon.com orBarnes & Noble? Before you begin your purchase,click one of the links to the right first, then place theitems you want in your shopping cart. You pay thesame prices you would anyway and this site receivesa donation from these retailers. It's easy!
Google Search
Web www.photoshop-dragon.com
Copyright © 2007-2010 Curt Schimmel. The contents of this web site may not be copied in any way without permission. Terms of Use andPrivacy Policy.
2/6/2011 Photoshop Tutorial: Chrome Metal Te…
photoshop-dragon.com/…/Chrome_Te… 8/8