Chrome effect

The essential chrome effect, don't leave home without it
By Colin Smith www.photoshopcafe.com


Create your type layer, or import your shape that you want to turn into shiny chrome Render type: right click/mac Cmd click the name on the layer and select "render type". This converts your text to an object, so you can apply all the filters to it.


select a dark gray for your foreground color and a light gray for your background.

Select the gradient tool (Linear, fore to background) and drag from the top to the bottom of the image. Tip: Hold down the shift key to constrain to 90 degrees.

Add a bevel to the type using the Layer style - Bevel and emboss. Your type should look like this now.

Fig. 1

 

 

 

 

Now we want to remove the layer style, but we want to keep the bevel (Merge the effect into the layer).

We do this by adding a new layer and dragging it directly underneath the layer with the effect ("Chrome" layer). See fig. 1.

Now select the "Chrome" layer thumbnail and press Cmd/Ctrl+E This merges the selected layer with the one directly under it and "renders all effects" See fig. 2
Fig. 2

Apply the plastic wrap filter. This is found under Effects>Artistic

Making the Chrome
This is where it all happens: Open Image>Adjust>Curves Cmd/Ctrl+M and make a curve like the one in the example.

Or you can click here to upload the curve if you wish

Click ok.


The top image shows the results of the curve applied to the image.

Repeat the same settings, by holding down the Alt/Option key as you open the dialog box Image>Adjust>Curves or Option+Cmd/Alt+Ctrl+M

The result will be the bottom image.

If you want, Colorize the image with the hue/saturation.

This is how it looks after applying a black background color.