Creating Chrome Type in Adobe Photoshop

Here’s a quick technique for creating a chrome type effect in Photoshop. 

Start off with a new Photoshop document at 300 dpi. Type in the line of copy that you want to apply this effect to and then rasterize it. The type should be white in color and preferably a font that is somewhat thick. Thinner fonts don’t show the effects as well, but with minor adjustments to the layer styles, you can make it work.

In the layer styles of the type layer, set the “Bevel and Emboss” to these settings:

When you have made those changes, create a new layer below your type layer. Hold down the apple key and click on the icon of that layer to make a selection of the type. In the “Select” menu, to got “Modify–Expand” and give a pixel setting of 6.

Fill this with white. It will be larger than the layer above it, which is the effect we want.

In the layer styles of this layer, set the “Bevel and Emboss” to these settings:

With thicker fonts, the chrome effect will have a bulky look. By adjusting the settings, you can make this technique work for thinner fonts too.

If you create the file in a lower resolution, you will need to lower the settings in the layer styles to the desired effect.