Creating a gold effect in Photoshop doesn’t need to be complicated. This tutorial will show you how to make something look gold in Photoshop – the fast way. You won’t need a gold texture and you won’t have to paint gold in Photoshop. All you need to do is follow two simple steps and you’ll be able to create gold in Photoshop!
To make something look gold in Photoshop, you'll need to follow these two easy steps:
- Step 1: Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer with decreased saturation, Normal Blending Mode & 100% Opacity
- Step 2: Add a Solid Color Adjustment Layer with a yellow color, Soft Light Blending Mode & Adjust the Opacity
In this easy Photoshop tutorial, I will show you how you can make something look gold in Photoshop, really fast. I’ve used this method to make the hummingbirds in Lisa look golden.
- Hover the mouse over the image to see the Before & After.
This easy method includes only two main steps that will allow you to create a gold effect in Photoshop. It’ll work for almost everything, apart from like really dark things.
Ok, so let’s get started!
The Starting Point: Green Hummingbird by PixieVamp-Stock on DeviantArt.
I’m going to show you this quick method using this free green hummingbird PNG image that I downloaded from PixieVamp-Stock on DeviantArt. Thank you so much to PixieVamp! 😘
STEP 1: Add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer
First of all, we’re going to add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Alternatively, you can click on the little round ‘Add new fill or adjustment layer’ icon at the bottom of your Layers Panel.
If you have several layers in your file, then create a clipping mask for the layer you want to modify. Right-click on the adjustment layer and select Create Clipping Mask from the popup. Or go to Layer in the top menu bar and select Create Clipping Mask from there.
Next, pull down the saturation slider to the very left (-100) in order to desaturate the image completely. Leave the Blending Mode set to Normal and the Opacity at 100%.
STEP 2: Add a Solid Color Adjustment Layer
In the second step, we’re going to add another adjustment layer. This time it’s a Solid Color Adjustment Layer. Repeat the same steps as above to add the adjustment layer.
Use the Color Picker to select some bold yellowish color that will create the gold effect in Photoshop. In the example, I selected a yellow with the color code #ffce49.
Once you’ve chosen the color that comes closest to the gold effect you want to create in Photoshop, switch the blending mode of the adjustment layer to Soft Light. (You can also try out Overlay to make the gold effect stronger.)
→ TOP 6 Photoshop Blending Modes Explained
Tweak the Opacity slider until you’re happy with the result. In the example, I’ve left the opacity at a full 100%.
As you can see in the picture above, the second step was basically all we needed to make something look gold in Photoshop.
Of course, we can still improve the gold effect a bit. For example, we can add something like a gold gradient to give some more depth to the overall look of the object.
So let’s move on to the fine-tuning!
Fine-tuning
Add a Black & White Adjustment layer to deepen the Gold Effect in Photoshop
In order to create more depth, intensify hightlights and shadows quickly, you can add a Black & White Adjustment Layer. Set the Blending Mode to Soft Light and tweak the Opacity until you achieve an effect that you like.
Alternatively, you can also adjust the color sliders on the Black & White Adjustment Layer for the best results. Just play around with the sliders to see what works best for your image.
Add a Solid Color Adjustment layer to fix white patches
In case you’re having some bright whitish patches in your image that didn’t react too well to the adjustment layers, like the ends of the wings and the tail in the example, I’ll now show you a way to fix that, too!
As you can see in the image below, I’ve first of all selected the brighter areas of the wings and the tail with the Lasso Tool. In order to make multiple selections, make sure to have the little double squares icon (Add to selection) selected in the top bar.
With the selection active, add a new Solid Color Adjustment Layer. Select again a yellowish color, perhaps a bit darker than the first one because you want to darken down the whites. I selected the color #ad943e.
With that done, switch the Blending Mode of the adjustment layer to Multiply and tweak the Opacity. In order to not have any sharp edges, give the layer mask a quick blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) or use a soft black brush on the layer mask to even out the color transitions.
And that was it! This is how easy it can be to make something look gold in Photoshop!
I’ve used this technique on all golden-looking things in my work Lisa that you can see below. It’s super-fast and adds a nice gold effect to almost anything!
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I hope that this tutorial on how to make something look gold in Photoshop was helpful. If you found any value in it, please feel free to share it with other artists so they can also learn from it!
If you are using anything of what I’ve showed you in this post, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @ginangiela, or post a link here in the comments. I’d love to see your creations! Make sure to sign up for my email list below so you don’t miss out on new Photoshop tutorials, perks for subscribers and other cool stuff. ♥
Very efficiently written article. It will be beneficial to everyone who usess it, including yours truly :). Keep up the good work – looking forward to more posts.
Hi Dravland, great to hear that the tutorial was helpful! I wish you lots of fun using the gold effect for your creations (: