Web Development: How to Create a Realistic Chrome Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

How to Create a Realistic Chrome Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Final product image — What You'll Be Creating

This super easy and quick tutorial will show you how to use a couple of textures and layer styles to create a shiny, reflective chrome text effect. Let's get started!

Looking to create a similar chrome effect in Photoshop but want to save time? Hop on over to Envato Elements where you can find many chrome text effects, like this 3D Chrome Generator, as well as many Photoshop add-ons and Photoshop Actions.

Chrome Text Effect Photoshop Generator from Envato Elements

What you will learn in this chrome effect Photoshop tutorial:

How to create a chrome effect in Photoshop
How to apply a chrome effect to text
How to create a concrete background
How to make a chrome logo in Photoshop

Follow along with us over on our Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel:

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial.

Bebas Neue Bold font
AsphaltDamaged0043 Image 1 - Small (1024x768)
Bus Seats
Free Pack 6000 photoshop gradients by Supertuts007 (Load the CHROMES.grd file)

1. Define the Pattern

Step 1

Open the Bus Seats image, and then go to Filter > Distort > ZigZag. Change the Amount to 20, the Ridges to 5, and the Style to Pond Ripple.

Step 2

Go to Edit > Define Pattern, and type Reflection Pattern in the Name field.

2. Create the Background

Step 1

Create a new 950 x 650 px document, place the AsphaltDamaged0043 texture on top of the Background layer, and resize it as needed.

Step 2

Double-click the texture's layer to apply a Gradient Overlay effect with these settings:

Blend Mode: Multiply
Style: Radial
Scale: 150%
Click the Gradient box to create the gradient fill using the colors #757575 to the right and #0f0f0f to the left.

This will create a simple radial gradient.

3. Create the Text Layers

Step 1

Create the text using the font Bebas Neue Bold and set the Size to 220 pt and the Kerning to Optical. If you're wanting to apply this effect to a logo, make sure it's a Smart Object and then you can follow the tutorial to apply this effect to it instead of text.

Step 2

Duplicate the text layer, and change the copy's Fill value to 0.

4. Style the Original Text Layer

Double-click the original text layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 1

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

Size: 1
Uncheck the Use Global Light box
Angle: 30
Altitude: 16
Check the Anti-aliased box
Highlight Mode - Opacity: 100%
Shadow Mode - Opacity: 100%

Step 2

Add a Contour with these settings:

Contour: Cove - Shallow
Check the Anti-aliased box
Range: 100%

Step 3

Add a Stroke with these settings:

Size: 1
Position: Inside
Fill Type: Gradient
Use the stainless steel xx gradient fill

Step 4

Add an Inner Shadow with these settings:

Opacity: 35%
Uncheck the Use Global Light box
Angle: -115
Distance: 3
Size: 7

Step 5

Add an Inner Glow with these settings:

Blend Mode: Vivid Light
Opacity: 100%
Color: #f4f2e7
Choke: 0
Size: 3

Step 6

Add a Gradient Overlay with these settings:

Check the Dither box
Blend Mode: Color
Opacity: 90%
Check the Reverse box
Use the stove pipe 70 gradient fill

Step 7

Add a Pattern Overlay with these settings:

Pattern: Reflection Pattern
Scale: 50%

Step 8

Add an Outer Glow with these settings:

Blend Mode: Multiply
Opacity: 35%
Color: #404040
Size: 21

Step 9

Add a Drop Shadow with these settings:

Opacity: 100%
Distance: 5
Spread: 10
Size: 10

Step 10

Add another Drop Shadow with these settings:

Opacity: 80%
Uncheck the Use Global Light box
Angle: 132
Distance: 17
Size: 38

Step 11

You can go back to the Pattern Overlay effect, and then click-drag the pattern inside the text to move it around until you get a result you like.

This will style the first layer of text.

5. Style the Copy Text Layer

Double-click the copy text layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 1

Add an Inner Glow with these settings:

Blend Mode: Linear Light
Opacity: 20%
Color: #e1e1e1
Technique: Precise
Size: 5
Contour: Cove - Deep

Step 2

Add a Gradient Overlay with these settings:

Blend Mode: Soft Light
Angle: 80
Use the steel pipe 10 gradient fill

Step 3

Add an Outer Glow with these settings:

Blend Mode: Color Dodge
Opacity: 50%
Color: #ececec
Size: 21

This will style the second text layer and finish off the text effect.

6. Add an Adjustment Layer

Step 1

Click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Gradient Map.

Step 2

Check the Dither box, and then create the gradient fill using the colors #554b70 to the left, #857177 in the middle, and #d8a082 to the right.

Change the adjustment layer's Blend Mode to Soft Light and its Opacity to 20%.

Congratulations, You're Done!

In this tutorial, we applied a filter to an image and defined it as a pattern. Then, we created a simple background using a texture and a gradient overlay effect. After that, we created two text layers and styled them to create the text effect. Finally, we finished things off by adding a color adjustment layer.

Final Result