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Creating Realistic Chrome Text in Corel Photo-Paint versions 8, 9,

10..

Other Tutorials in the Metallic Text Series:


INTR Brushed Meta Easy Chrom Complex Chrom Gol Old Gol Rus Coppe Patin
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Copyright © 2001 David Mutch & Visionary Voyager Corporation P/L

      
Introduction: This section describes how to make realistic chrome-like text in Corel
Photo-Paint versions 8+ (some slight differences in the procedure described here occur
in version 8). You can use the same procedure for objects too. The effect relies on a
    Difference merge mode and the use of the Tone Curve.
 
Main Method    |    Variations     |    Examples
 

Create a new image.


           
File > New, or use the icon .
Set the 24-bit RGB, white background, units = pixels, 500 W x 200 H, resolution 72 dpi.

 
     
Create the text 'CHROME' in a medium,
rounded font and centre it to the image.

Select the Text Tool , Change the settings on


the Property Bar, click inside your image, then
type your text.
I used AvantGarde Md BT at 96 pts in 100%
Black with a character spacing of 20.

Centre the text to the image. (Object > Arrange

> Align and Distribute or , then To Center of


Document, press OK.

Note: Use of very thick/bold fonts for the text will


cause the characters to appear to be joined
together.
 
You may need to increase the character spacing
more in such cases.

Create a mask of the text object.

To create the mask, use either Mask > Create

from Objects, CTRL+M or the icon on the


Mask/Object Toolbar.

    You can visualise the mask's marquee (Mask >  


Marquee Visible, or the icon on the
Mask/Object Toolbar).
 
Also, you can see the current mask as a
channel in the Channels Docker (CTRL+F9)
called 'Current Mask'.

Save the mask as a Channel.

Mask > Save > Save As Channel, type


in the name "Chrome Mask", then
    press OK.  

Note: A new channel called 'Chrome


Mask' will appear in the Channels
Docker, along with the Current Mask
channel.

Remove the mask.

    Mask > Remove, SHIFT+CTRL+R, or use the icon on the Mask/Object Toolbar.  

Note: The Current Mask channel disappears from the Channels Docker.

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Combine the text object with the background.


    Use either Object > Combine > Objects with Background, or CTRL+DnArrow.  

 
     
Blur the image.

Effects > Blur > Gaussian Blur.


Use a setting of 4 pixels then press OK.
 

Create a copy of the background using a mask.

Create a mask of the entire image (Mask > Select All or SHIFT+CTRL+A).
    Create a new object from the masked area of the background : Object > Create > Object:  
Copy Selection, or CTRL+UpArrow, or use the icon on the Mask/Object Toolbar.

Change the Merge Mode of the floating object.

The object above the background should be selected. If not, select it in the Objects
Docker.
Display the options in the Merge Mode drop down by clicking the arrow near the list and
choose Difference.
     
The entire image should go black.
Don't worry, everything is still there. As the floating object and the background are
currently identical, there is NO difference between them - therefore the overall full black
appearance.

Reposition the floating object using


the Offset filter.

From the Effects menu choose Distort > Offset


(PP8 users choose 2D Effects > Offset),
    change both the Horizontal and Vertical sliders  
to -4, Undefined Area = Wrap Around and
make sure the 'Shift values as % of
dimensions' checkbox is UNchecked, then
press OK.

Combine the floating object with the background.


     
Objects > Combine > Objects with Background, or CTRL+DnArrow

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Invert the image.


     
Image > Transform > Invert.

 
     
Auto Equalize the image.

Image > Adjust > Auto Equalize.


     
Adjust the Tone Curve
of the image.

From the menu, choose Image


> Adjust > Tone Curve, or use
the keyboard shortcut CTRL+T.
The Tone Curve dialogue
opens.

The Tone Curve filter lets you


perform colour and tonal
corrections by adjusting pixel
values plotted along a response
curve that appears in a graph.
The response curve represents
the balance between shadows,
midtones, and highlights. You
can modify the response curve
by adding nodes for curved or
straight lines, drawing freehand,
or using a gamma curve.
Customized Tone Curves can
be saved for later use.

The curve we want to make is


shown opposite. To make it
easier, load a preset curve first.
Click the Open Folder icon
(near the disk(save) icon). This
should open and display *.crv
files in the Tonecrve folder (if
not navigate to
...GraphicsX\Custom\Tonecrve -
where X = your version of PP
(e.g. Graphics9 or Graphics10
etc.)). Choose and open the
solarize.crv file. The solarize
curve appears in the graph.
 
Move your mouse cursor over one of the nodes on the curve. The cursor changes (a
hand in version 8 and a crosshair in versions 9 and 10). Once the cursor changes you
can click and drag to reposition the node. If you click elsewhere on the curve you will
create an extra node. If you click elsewhere in the graph you will add an extra node AND
completely shift the curve. If you mess up, just reload the solarize tone curve.
 
When you have succeeded in
changing it so it appears as
shown here, save the curve
(press the disk icon) as
chrome.crv for later use.

If you would like to use the Tone


Curve I used myself you can
download it here
(chrome_tonecurve.zip)

The resultant image should look


like this:

Load the saved mask.

Remember the mask we created and


saved at the beginning of this tutorial?
We need to use it now.
    So from the menu choose Mask >  
Load > Chrome Mask (choose it from
the list).
If the Mask Marquee Visible switch is
on you will see the mask marquee.

Expand the mask.

The altered text is now quite a lot


bigger than the original, so we need to
    expand the size of the mask a little.  

Choose Mask > Shape > Expand (vers


8-10) or Mask > Mask Outline >
Expand (versions 11+). Change the
Width to 5 pixels then press OK.

Invert the mask then apply


The Boss Effect to the image.

Choose Mask > Invert,

SHIFT+CTRL+I, or use the icon on


the Mask/Object Toolbar to invert the
mask.
     
Choose Effects > 3D Effects > The
Boss to open the Boss Effect dialogue. (mask removed for clarity here)   
Click the Reset button (or choose
Default from the presets drop down)
and change the width to 3 pixels, then
press OK. (Make sure the invert
checkbox is NOT checked).

 
      
Create an object using the mask.

Invert the mask (Mask > Invert, SHIFT+CTRL+I, or the icon).


Now cut the contents of the mask into a new object (Object > Create > Object:Cut

Selection, SHIFT+CTRL+UpArrow or use the icon on the Mask/Object Toolbar.

A new object appears in the Objects Docker.


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Clea
r the
backgroun
d.
Select the
background
    object in the  
Objects
Docker then
use Edit >
Clear (or
double-click
the Eraser
tool) to
clear it.

Duplicate the floating object.

    Select the floating object in the Object Docker.


Duplicate it (CTRL+D, or Object > Duplicate).
 
The duplicated (upper) object should now be selected in the Objects Docker.

Add a
little
reflective
coloration.

Apply a colour
effect using
the Julia Set
Explorer:
From the menu choose Effects >
Fancy > Julia Set Explorer.
The Julia Set Explorer dialogue
appears.
     
Click and hold on the small black
triangle in the preset types list near the
bottom middle of the dialogue. While
continuously pressing on your mouse
button, roll over the Corel Presets type
so the complete list of Corel Presets
appears. Choose 60's Wallpaper (at
the top of the list) then release the
mouse button. The preview and
settings in the dialogue change.
Press the OK button. Your image
should now look like this:

     
  Adjust the merge mode and opacity of the upper object.
With the upper object still selected, change its merge mode to Soft Light and the opacity
to about 40-50%.

  That's it!

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Using different Julia sets:

Alien's Head @ 80% opacity. Lava Lamp @ 60% opacity

        

Nuclear Meltdown @ 50% opacity Really Big Snowflakes @ 50% opacity

Stella Spiral, merge mode = Overlay @ 50% opacity Sunny Meltdown, Soft Light, @ 60% opacity

       

Using Layers.

Rather than use the image background as the working layer as described here you CAN
use separate layers above the background layer as your working area but with a critical
difference. There seems to be a flaw in the Difference merge mode procedure when
    using objects layers (unless this is just how PP uses it?) - There must be a white filled  
layer directly beneath the objects you are working on and it must be included when the
objects are combined (as in step 11 of the above procedures when the object is
combined with the background). If you just try to combine two object layers without a
completely full white layer below them, the difference merge mode will be lost.

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Start with a black circle with outline of 24 pixels and no fill then treated as above. The
chromed circle was duplicated, perspective transformation applied to both, then a clip
mask used to 'hide the small part behind the front piece. The final step used KPT 6 to
create two highlights (lens flares).
            

A creation from one of Shane Hunt's Corel Draw WOW books, converted into a bitmap
and then treated as above.
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INTR Brushed Meta Easy Chrom Complex Chrom Old Gol Rus Coppe Patin


O
  l
  e
  e
  Gold   d
  t
  r
  a
  END 

  -  More Tutorials  -     - Contact Me  -  

  -  Copyright © 2001 David Mutch & Visionary Voyager Corporation P/L  -  

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