Pixel Perfect Episode 27: Chrome [Discussion]

[chuckles]

Pimp my text!! We've all seen those car and videogame ads with the pimped out chromed text effect. Guess what? You don't need to go out and pay professional designers thousands of dollars for it. All you need to invest is about 10 minutes and watch this episode of Pixel Perfect and see how easy it is to get that nice shiney sparkly chrome effect.

So that is how they do it!!

-chuckles-

[silentspyder]

I feel like I could watch 100 episodes and always learn something new. I never even noticed that texture channel option in the render lights filter nor did I think you could of gotten that effect from curves.

[wolf68k]

I'm just as surprised as silentspyder.
Back with PS4 I got a WOW book that has sample files and actions and other goodies and one of the actions does chrome but this way is so much easier.

I still have and some times refer to that book too.

[chuckles]

Bert does some amazing things w/ Photoshop. Cannot wait for the next episode. :)

-chuckles-

[ajocius]

Is it possible to find Bert's files somewhere for Chrome effect? I tried, but do not get same effect after lighting. Run out of options...

[chuckles]

Is it possible to find Bert's files somewhere for Chrome effect? I tried, but do not get same effect after lighting. Run out of options...

Unfortunately this episode did not include any source files.

-chuckles-

[ajocius]

Is there anyone who reproduced this effect and can load the files somewhere? I just want to see the photoshop file (*.psd) and be able to step back and forward. I do not get the same picture after applying lighting effect. My picture gets somewhat flat. When I start applying Curves after that, it does not come near chrome effect that I see on video.

[jynx_d5]

Same here, mine is not-so-realistic too. Only thing I did differently was using Myraid vs. the Helvetica typeface that Bert used. I don't have Helvetica here unfortunatly, so I'm gonna have to try this tomorrow at work. If I get better results, I'll post them.

[ajocius]

I first used some type that was selected by default. After I got result that was not looking like on video, I figured I need to change font. Was looking on the net for Helvetica fonts. I think Bert has used Helvetica Neue as far as I can read on video file. I didn't find particularly that, but it was close match (Helvetica Neue 75 bold, or similar, can't check now). I still get the same result. I am using CS2 by the way, not CS3 if that matters. What was interesting, however, that when I was in lighting effect properties screen, I could see on the preview screen similar picture to Bert's. I would almost say it was the same. I have incresed mountainious property to 100, instead of 50 as per video, so that letters and rectangular would stand more out. I can see that happening on preview screen, however, after I click ok to apply changes to the main picture, I do not get desired effect. Letters are flat, with little lighting effect.

Hope anybody who succeded with this could post some input.

[kshep92]

Didn't know the levels dialog could be editied so... curvy-like lol. I should play around with levels more, I use it sometimes but I never thought it could have such an impact.

[silentspyder]

Wasn't it Curves not levels?

[ajocius]

It seems like everyone on this forum just watches videos, but do not try to redo Bert's examples with Photoshop....

[kshep92]

Like Bert always says - "it's not the end result, it's how I got there that's important" I think that's the purpose of the show really, to teach ppl about the features of photoshop. i don't think he necessarily means to copy his work.

[gillyg]

Have followed every frame of the chrome tut, several times...cannot get anywhere near the effects he gets on that same type... I tried; and then, let's jump to the big obstacle: how in the world can you duplicate HIS steps with the rasterized type in his curves dialog? Been there, done that to heck and beyond....push push, shove and shove,,,,the magic? that happened with the volume of that type when he played with the lighting and curves does not translate into anything that works on my end.

BTW: why does his saved selection as an alpha channel show up as black w/white when mine(CS) is the reverse?

[ajocius]

I agree the process is important, kshep92. He also said, play arround and see what result you get ... And so I try. It would be easier to ask what is the difference in the process I perform to berts, but unfortunatelly, nobody sees what I do in Photoshop trying to achieve the same result.

gillyg, I think you need to unselect RGB once you are in channel view to get white on black.

My clear question to forum readers:
DID ANYONE SUCCEED TO REPRODUCE CHROME EFFECT?

If so, can you shed some light for us trying?

[t-man]

i have to agree with you, sometimes i can't get the effect as Bert does. like this one, i can't get past setting the 'lighting effect' at all....:confused:

[thunderhunter]

hmmm....

I would have liked a tutorial on the other crome types too. somewhat like in the wow books or how to use the existing crome filter better.

bert, too bad you keep me in the dark with your latest masterpiece, the table reflection picture. you had mentioned it in ps-tv, but otherwise, nada.

oh well, at leasat chuckles keeps this forum going. thanks chucks! : )

[gubment-cheese]

Hi folks, I think Pixel Perfect is great for noobs like me! I am having a problem with the chrome tutorial vid. I know Bert states that he is using cs 2. At the point where he does control click to make the selection to make an alpha channel it seems that I cannot do this in cs 3. And if I do try to make an alpha channel I do not see the text like he shows on screen. what am I doing wrong?? I would really like to use Berts version of chrome its the best I have seen so far.

Thanks.