How To Create a Gold Text Effect in Photoshop

How To Create a Gold Text Effect in Photoshop

Tutorial Details
  • Program: Adobe Photoshop
  • Difficulty: Beginner
  • Completion Time: 30 Minutes
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Final Product What You'll Be Creating

This entry is part 3 of 19 in the Text Effects Session
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Layer styles are one of Photoshop’s most powerful and fun features. You can create all sorts of plastic, glass, water, ice, or metal styles. In this tutorial we will show you how to create a nice gold text effect using this powerful tool. Once you are done, you’ll be able to save this style and apply it wherever you like. Let’s get started!

Editor’s note: This tutorial was originally published in January of 2008.


Step 1

Create a new document, apply a Layer Style on the background layer. Add a Gradient Overlay from black to a dark brown (#443501).


Step 2

Create a new Layer and apply Filter>Texture>Texturizer. Make sure that the foreground color is white and the background is black. After that, change the Blend Mode to Multiply.


Step 3

Add some text. I used Times New Roman, and for the “A” I used the “V” letter and flipped it vertically and horizontally.


Step 4

Now we start creating our gold layer style. We’ll set up the Gradient Overlay first, as shown below.


Step 5

Now we’ll add a Stroke. For the Fill Type use Gradient. The position of the gradient will vary for different typefaces, so experiment and see what looks good.


Step 6

Add Bevel and Emboss, as shown below.


Step 7

Finally, add some Shadow, again following the specs below.


Conclusion

This a very nice example of how powerful Layer Styles are in Photoshop. Sometimes just changing some values can create a totally different effect. For this tutorial I created gold, but if you change the gradient color to variations of grey you will have silver instead of gold.

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Discussion 293 Comments

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  1. Frankie says:

    this is a terrible tutorial. it doesnt expain wich colors to pick, how to pick them, or much else.

    • Thomas Moraes says:

      Hello Frankie,

      The tutorial was for those you have some knowledge of Photoshop interface and how to use the tools mentioned in the Tutorial. Yes it would help adding the color RGB in the tutorial, i agree with you. What i did was print screened that specific peace that shows the color gradient and then in Photoshop i used the eyedrop tool. About the way the gradient was organized..i sort of went with the flow..but it would help showing the location % of the gradient and stroke gradient.

      Thanks anyways..i liked the result!!

      Thomas

  2. Spencer says:

    So.. I’m guessing the Hex # are for premium members only too from now on?

  3. Biz says:

    Nice tutorial, thank you

  4. Wasn’t this tutorial published originally few years ago?

  5. Brandon says:

    Agrees with Marijan. This is definitely a re-visit!

  6. trevor says:

    nice – I have no issues with picking my own colors. Thanks :)

  7. manfred says:

    thanks!!! really nice tutorial.

  8. abir says:

    This is a excellent tutorial on text effect in photoshop which i was looking for

  9. Natanela says:

    Correct me if I’m wrong but it’s impossible to add filter to a new layer….

  10. Rod Fewer says:

    Sweet! Can’t wait to give this a try.

  11. leona lewis says:

    he..he..he… nice brouu!

  12. Okan says:

    very nice tutorial

  13. Risma says:

    THANK YOU! IT DID REALLY WORKS!

  14. vanessa says:

    I like the end result and agree that the hex colors should have been provided. A realistic effect relies heavily upon what colors and positions you select. A work around would be to pull the screen shot off the page, open it up in Photoshop and sample (as best you can) the colors. It’s not ideal but should be close to what was used.

    Although I do have a premium account and can download the file, I sincerely hope that the colors were not omitted because it was a free tut. That wouldn’t be cool.

  15. vivek says:

    its a really good

  16. K1P57A says:

    Nice tutorial!

    Also works really nice in chrome or steel (adding some scratched texture with trans. or overlay).

    I used this tut to make a steel typo, rasterized it and deleted parts to have a second layer beneath show the “inside life” of the typo – Worked like a charm!

    Cheers,

    K1

  17. Angryman says:

    I agree with Frankie: this is a TERRIBLE tutorial. There is so little explained, a waste of time!!!!

  18. sebastian says:

    Awsome, absolutelly pro!!

    Regarding colors: why don’t you just pick up colors using the eyedropper tool from this site. I did it, and it works perfectly.

    Check this out:

    1. Restore the photoshop window (you have to have this tutorial visible under the ps window)
    2. Open color picker (anywhere you need, using gradient overlay or any other function when you have to pick up colr)
    3. Using the eyedropper click left mouse button over your workspace, and then, still holding LMB you can pick up any color from your screen. Not only from photoshop – from your browser, from your desktop, just “unclick” (sorry for my english ;) ) LMB over the color you need.

    NOTICE: If everything is correct the eyedropper coursor should’t disapper (turn into yours standard windows arrow) when you are picking up color outside from ps window.

    I don’t know if this tip works on MAC, but in windows – for sure. However – this is very useful knowledge not only for this tut.

    Thanks Thomas

  19. D says:

    The difficulty is a lie. It may be ‘easy’ for him, but for me I didn’t even know how to do anything.

    This really didn’t help me at all. Since I usually use GIMP I am unsure of Photoshop tools and how they work, even though I have Photoshop, this did not explain how I do certain things and while I was following the instructions, I it looked nothing like what you were showing me, most likely because I didn’t understand half of it.

  20. Paul says:

    Excellent tutorial.

    Contrary to those who whine and whinge, I found this very helpful. If you don’t know how to get colours from a screen shot, do a Google search for a colour picker. Clever people find answers to problems instead of complaining.

    If you believe this is an old tutorial so what? It may be old to you, but it’s new to anyone who just founded it. Try writing your own tutorials and contribute, rather than whine and post comments that don’t help anyone.

    And … If you didn’t read the title shame on you. This is a Photshop tutorial, if you use GIMP you will need to learn Photoshop, which is beyond the scope of this tutorial.

    Thanks again Fabio!

    Paul

  21. Gordon says:

    As has already been said, the end result has a very rich look to it.
    As for how to get to the final stage, God only knows.

  22. Silphie says:

    Thanks alot !!

    It was totally useful =) !

  23. DiscoDave says:

    Like Natanela, i found it impossible to add a filter to a new layer! so could not go any further than step 1.
    It looks to be a great tut & i really want to know how to do this, but as a beginner (& this states it is for beginners), i found it impossible to go any further.
    Any help would be greatly appreciated. The end result looks great :)
    Cheers
    Disco.

    • Ken W. says:

      Step 2 is optional.

      It took me about 5 mins to replicate it. Pretty awesome gradient mix. By the time you get to the drop shadow, the text really pops out.

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