Charles A Upsdell
Website Design
Portfolio: Creating Metallic Images
This describes 1 how to create metallic images, and offers information on 2 creating metallic-like images using gradient palettes.
See Also: a closely related page is Creating Metallic Text.
Note: metallics come in an infinite variety of alloys, which allows an infinite variety of metallic colours; for example, consider the following gradient gold images:
 White Gold |
 Antique Gold |
 Modern Gold |
 Gold 2019 |
 Dark Gold |
 Gold |
 True Gold |
 Bright Gold |
 Old Gold 2019 |
 Old Gold |
Note: older images were created using older, obsolete techniques, and therefore are considerably cruder and — if only time were available — should and would have been updated.
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Creating Metallic Images
My techniques for creating metallic images have evolved over time. Now I use a method of creating metallic images with masks; but at one time I had a method of creating metallic images without masks which worked well enough for many images, which is described below for gold, white gold, silver, bronze, and other images.
Note: this assumes the use of PaintShop Pro with 16M-colour images, though the palette size can be reduced after the desired image is created.
Both techniques make extensive use of gradient palettes, many of which are listed in Information About Creating Metallic-Like Images Using Gradient Palettes.
Creating Metallic Images With Masks
The procedure varies somewhat for PaintShop Pro 7 and PaintShop Pro 2019.
Note: the procedures make use of gradient fills, and creating the gradients is often easier when picking colour pairs in these images:
For example, setting the dark gradient colour to the top leftmost colour, and the light gradient colour to the colour immediately below, results in a gold (Au) gradient;
note that some gradients come in several varieties, e.g. 4 varieties of gold.
Using PaintShop Pro 7
To create a metallic-like image using masks:
Create the image in black on white, for example:
Invert the colours in the image, for example:
Turn the inverted image into a mask, for example using Masks, New, From Image:
Create a rectangle of the same size as the mask with the desired gradient pattern, for example:
Paste the rectangle over the mask, then click Select None, for example:
Voila!
Using PaintShop Pro 2019
To create a metallic-like image using masks:
Create the image in black on white, for example:
Invert the colours in the image to create the mask, for example:
Create a rectangle of the same size as the mask with the desired gradient pattern, for example:
Create a mask layer from the mask using Layers, New Mask Layer, using the Source Luminance option:
Voila!
Note that the result need not be metallic: it can have any colours within the rectangle created in step 4 (PaintShop Pro 7) or step 3 (PaintShop Pro 2019), overlaid on the mask created earlier. For example, here are a mask of a knife, a rectangle with a camouflage pattern, the resulting image of a knife, and an image of the knife after a little editing to remove jaggies:
Creating Metallic Images Without Masks
Following are descriptions for creating metallic images of flags without masks, using an older, less flexible, more difficult technique. Other metallic images can be created by minor adjustments to the techniques.
Note: these assume the use of PaintShop Pro 7.
Creating Gold Images
Gold Palettes
This method uses one of 5 gold colour palettes: a 32–colour palette used for 17–32 colours; a 16–colour palette used for 11–16 colours; a 10–colour palette used for 9–10 colours; an 8–colour palette used for 7–8 colours; and a 6–colour palette used for 1–6 colours:
Alternate, richer palettes are:
Note: some colours, like this one, come with 6 palettes, with an additional 4–colour palette for 1–4 colours; and some colours come with 7 palettes, with an additional 32–colour palette for 33–64 colours.
At step 4, only as many colours from a palette should be copied as will be needed. E.g. if 10 colours are needed, only the colours from the 10–colour palette should be copied. Here is an example of a graphic with 10 gold colours:
Radial Palettes
Most of the images are created using palettes which are linear gradients. images with radial symmetry — for example, on the Gardner Pharmaceuticals and Gardner Transport flags — are better created, however, with radial or sunburst gradients, for example:
This is how to create the gold images in flags using PaintShop Pro 7:
Create the image in #ca3 on a white background, sized to fit within the 38×38px white square, e.g.:
Create a new raster layer.
Open one of the 5 gold palettes: e.g., if the width of the image is 32, you will need half that many colours, so you will need the 16–colour palette.
Paste a subset of the chosen gold palette with a sufficient number of colours over the image, twice, mirror flipped on the right, then unflipped on the left:
On the Layer Palette, choose the Lighten option:
Merge the layers, paste the gold image into the flag, then reduce the number of colours (typically to 256), e.g.:
Note that, before or after reducing the number of colours, it may be good to touch up the image, e.g. to produce smoother edges.
Creating White Gold images
White Gold Palettes
This method uses one of 5 white gold colour palettes: a 32–colour palette used for 17–32 colours; a 16–colour palette used for 11–16 colours; a 10–colour palette used for 9–10 colours; an 8–colour palette used for 7–8 colours; and a 6–colour palette used for 1–6 colours:
Note: some colours come with 6 palettes, with an additional 4–colour palette for 1–4 colours and some colours come with 7 palettes, with an additional 32–colour palette for 33–64 colours.
At step 4, only as many colours from a palette should be copied as will be needed. E.g. if 14 colours are needed, only 14 colours from the 16–colour palette should be copied.
This is how to create white gold images which could be used in flags using PaintShop Pro 7; note that, because white gold images comprise very pale cream colours, they show up very poorly on a white background, hence would look better on a dark background:
Create the image in #ca3 on a white background, sized to fit within the 38×38px white square, e.g.:
Create a new raster layer.
Open one of the 5 white gold palettes: e.g., if the width of the image is 32, you will need half that many colours, so you will need the 16–colour palette.
Paste a subset of the chosen white gold palette with a sufficient number of colours over the image, twice, mirror flipped on the right, then unflipped on the left:
On the Layer Palette, choose the Lighten option:
Merge the layers, paste the white gold image into the flag, then reduce the number of colours (typically to 256), e.g.:
Note that, before or after reducing the number of colours, it may be good to touch up the image, e.g. to produce smoother edges.
Creating Silver images
Silver Palettes
This method uses one of 5 silver colour palettes: a 32–colour palette used for 17–32 colours; a 16–colour palette used for 11–16 colours; a 10–colour palette used for 9–10 colours; an 8–colour palette used for 7–8 colours; and a 6–colour palette used for 1–6 colours:
Note: some colours come with 6 palettes, with an additional 4–colour palette for 1–4 colours and some colours come with 7 palettes, with an additional 32–colour palette for 33–64 colours.
An alternate, richer palette is:
Note: a quick&dirty method to create a silver object from a gold object is to convert it to grey scale, then to adjust the brightness by +17.
At step 4, only as many colours from a palette should be copied as will be needed. E.g. if 14 colours are needed, only 14 colours from the 16–colour palette should be copied.
This is how to create silver images which could be used in flags using PaintShop Pro 7:
Create the image in #ca3 on a white background, sized to fit within the 38×38px white square, then convert to greyscale, e.g.:
Create a new raster layer.
Open one of the 5 silver palettes: e.g., if the width of the image is 32, you will need half that many colours, so you will need the 16–colour palette..
Paste a subset of the chosen silver palette with a sufficient number of colours over the image, twice, mirror flipped on the right, then unflipped on the left:
On the Layer Palette, choose the Lighten option:
Merge the layers, paste the silver image into the flag, then reduce the number of colours (typically to 256), e.g.:
Note that, before or after reducing the number of colours, it may be good to touch up the image, e.g. to produce smoother edges.
Creating Bronze images
Bronze Palettes
This method uses one of 5 bronze colour palettes: a 32–colour palette used for 17–32 colours; a 16–colour palette used for 11–16 colours; a 10–colour palette used for 9–10 colours; an 8–colour palette used for 7–8 colours; and a 6–colour palette used for 1–6 colours:
Note: some colours come with 6 palettes, with an additional 4–colour palette for 1–4 colours and some colours come with 7 palettes, with an additional 32–colour palette for 33–64 colours.
Alternate, richer palettes are:
Tip: a quick&dirty method to create a bronze object from a gold object is to adjust the brightness by -34 or -51, then to adjust the red/green/blue colours by 16, 8, -8.
At step 4, only as many colours from a palette should be copied as will be needed. E.g. if 14 colours are needed, only 14 colours from the 16–colour palette should be copied.
This is how to create bronze images which could be used in flags using PaintShop Pro 7:
Create the image in #ca3 on a white background, sized to fit within the 38×38px white square, e.g.:
Select the non-white part of the image, then do Colors, Adjust Brightness, -40.
Create a new raster layer.
Open one of the 5 bronze palettes: e.g., if the width of the image is 32, you will need half that many colours, so you will need the 16–colour palette..
Paste a subset of the chosen bronze palette with a sufficient number of colours over the image, twice, mirror flipped on the right, then unflipped on the left:
On the Layer Palette, choose the Lighten option:
Merge the layers, paste the bronze image into the flag, then reduce the number of colours (typically to 256), e.g.:
Note that, before or after reducing the number of colours, it may be good to touch up the image, e.g. to produce smoother edges.
Creating Copper images
Copper Palettes
This method uses one of 5 copper colour palettes: a 32–colour palette used for 17–32 colours; a 16–colour palette used for 11–16 colours; a 10–colour palette used for 9–10 colours; an 8–colour palette used for 7–8 colours; and a 6–colour palette used for 1–6 colours:
Note: some colours come with 6 palettes, with an additional 4–colour palette for 1–4 colours and some colours come with 7 palettes, with an additional 32–colour palette for 33–64 colours.
Alternate richer palettes are:
At step 4, only as many colours from a palette should be copied as will be needed. E.g. if 14 colours are needed, only 14 colours from the 16–colour palette should be copied.
This is how to create copper images which could be used in flags using PaintShop Pro 7:
Create the image in #ca3 on a white background, sized to fit within the 38×38px white square, e.g.:
Create a new raster layer.
Open one of the 4 copper palettes: e.g., if the width of the image is 32, you will need half that many colours, so you will need the 16–colour palette..
Paste a subset of the chosen copper palette with a sufficient number of colours over the image, twice, mirror flipped on the right, then unflipped on the left:
On the Layer Palette, choose the Overlay option:
Merge the layers, paste the copper image into the flag, then reduce the number of colours (typically to 256), e.g.:
Note that, before or after reducing the number of colours, it may be good to touch up the image, e.g. to produce smoother edges.
Creating Metallic-Like Images Using Gradient Palettes
Gradient palettes can be used to produce colours with metallic-like sheens, which often look richer or more vibrant, for example these metallic and non-metallic palettes:
Metallic Palettes
Gold
Silver/Grey Metals
Bronze
Copper
Brass
Non-Metallic Palettes
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Teal
Blue
Indigo
Violet
Purple
Note: the palettes may be modified from time to time to make them truer or more flexible, and so no longer match images in which older versions of the palettes were used.
Note: all these graphics are protected by copyright law. They may not be used without permission. See Legal Notices.
