You can create an amazing chrome text effect by using the techniques described in this tutorial.

Click here to open a sample image.

Go to next page

To create the chrome text effect, you need to create a displacement map. Using the sample image, create a mask from the text object, save it to disk, and save it to an alpha channel for later use.

  1. Click the Object Picker tool from the Toolbox.
  2. Click the text object to select it.
  3. Click Mask menu, Create From Object(s).
  4. Click Mask menu, Save, Save To Disk.
  5. In the Save A Mask To Disk dialog box, choose the drive where you want to save the mask.
  6. Double-click the folder where you want to save the mask and type a filename in the File Name box
  7. Choose a file type from the Save As Type list box, and click Save.
  8. Click Mask menu, Save, Save As Channel.
  9. In the Save Mask As Channel dialog box, click OK.

Go to next page

Remove the mask temporarily, and apply the Emboss filter to the text object and the image background

  1. Click Mask menu, Remove.
  2. Click Effects menu, 3D Effects, Emboss.
  3. In the Emboss Color section of the Emboss dialog box, click the Gray button.
  4. Move the Depth slider to 5, and the Level slider to 100.
  5. Type 270 in the Direction box, and click OK.
  6. Ensure that the tab for the Objects Docker window appears in the Application window.
    If it doesn't, click View menu, Dockers, Objects.
  7. Drag the tab of the Objects Docker window fully across the CorelTUTOR window.
    When you release the mouse, the Objects Docker window is undocked from the Application window so you can see it and CorelTUTOR at the same time.
  8. Click the Background thumbnail in the Objects Docker window.
  9. Click Effects menu, Repeat, Repeat EffectEmboss.

Go to next page

Reload the mask and apply the Glass filter.

  1. Click Mask menu, Load, Alpha #, where # is the number that was assigned to the channel when you saved it.
  2. Click Effects menu, 3D Effects, Glass.
  3. In the Glass dialog box, click the Reset button, and click OK.

Go to next page

Save the image and close it.

  1. Click File menu, Save As.
  2. In the Save An Image To Disk dialog box, choose the drive where you want to save the image.
  3. Double-click the folder where you want to save the image.
  4. Type a filename in the File Name box.
  5. Choose a file type from the Save As Type list box, and click Save.
  6. Click File menu, Close.

Go to next page

Open a new image with the same dimensions and resolution as the displacement map image.

Click here to open a sample image.

Go to next page

Fill the image with a metallic-looking fill and apply the Displace filter.

  1. Click Edit menu, Fill.
  2. In the Edit Fill And Transparency dialog box, click the Fountain Fill button, and then click the Edit button.
  3. In the Fountain Fill dialog box, choose Green Metallic from the Presets list box.
  4. In the Options section, type 90 in the Angle box, and click OK.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Click Effects menu, 2D Effects, Displace.
  7. In the Displace dialog box, click the Load button.
  8. In the Load Displacement Map Files dialog box, locate the image you saved previously, and click Open.
  9. Move the Vertical slider to 100, and click OK.

Go to next page

Now load the mask that was saved previously, invert it, and apply The Boss filter.

  1. Click Mask menu, Load, Load From Disk.
  2. In the Load A Mask From Disk dialog box, locate the mask file you saved earlier, and click Open.
  3. Click Mask menu, Invert.
  4. Click Effects menu, 3D Effects, The Boss.
  5. In The Boss dialog box, choose Wet from the Style list box.
  6. Move the Width slider to 3, and click OK.

Go to next page

Create an object from the mask and apply a drop shadow.

  1. Click Mask menu, Invert.
  2. Click Object menu, Create, Object: Copy Selection.
  3. Click Object menu, Drop Shadow.
  4. In the Object Dropshadow dialog box, type 130 in the Direction box.
  5. Type 0.07292 in the Offset box.
  6. Move the Opacity slider to 75, and the Feather Width slider to 12.
  7. Choose a color for the shadow from the color picker, and click OK.

Now you have learned how to create a fabulous chrome text effect. Here's an example of what your image might look like.


Click here for more cool effects.