How to Create an Easy Gold Glitter Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

This tutorial will show you a super quick and easy way to create a glossy, glittering text effect using a bunch of layer styles. Let's get started!

This text effect was inspired by the many Layer Styles available on Envato Market.

Tutorial Assets

The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial:

• RockoUltraFLF font
• Unrestricted grey soft grunge by DivsM-stock
• Wastedshame Free Glitter Patterns by wastedshame

1. Create the Background

Step 1

Create a new 850 x 600px document, and duplicate the Background layer.

Step 2

Double-click the Background copy layer to apply a Gradient Overlay effect with these settings:

• Check the Dither box
• Style: Radial
• Scale: 150%
• Click the Gradient box to create the gradient fill using the colors #3d3d3d to the left and #151515 to the right.

Step 3

Place the Unrestricted grey soft grunge image on top of the Background copy layer, and then go to Edit > Transform > Rotate 90° Counter Clockwise, and resize it as needed.

After that, rename the texture's layer to BG Texture, and then change its Blend Mode to Overlay and its Opacity to 75%.

Step 4

Click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Hue/Saturation.

Step 5

Change the Hue to 155, the Saturation to -50, and the Lightness to -9.

2. Create the Text and Define the Glitter Pattern

Step 1

Create the text in All Caps using the font RockoUltraFLF, and set the Size to 200 pt.

Step 2

Duplicate the text layer, and change the copy's Fill value to 0.

Step 3

Open the glitter image you want to use from the Wastedshame Free Glitter Patterns pack, go to Edit > Define Pattern, and click OK.

This will add the glitter image as a pattern that you can find in your preset.

3. Style the Original Text Layer

Double-click the original text layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 1

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

• Size: 9
• Soften: 8
• Check the Anti-aliased box
• Highlight Mode: Vivid Light

Step 2

Add a Contour with these settings:

• Contour: Half Round
• Check the Anti-aliased box
• Range: 100%

Step 3

Add a Stroke with these settings:

• Size: 1
• Position: Inside
• Blend Mode: Color Dodge
• Fill Type: Gradient
• Click the Gradient box to create the gradient

Step 4

To create the gradient, you’ll need to click below the gradient bar to add Color Stops, and when you click each Color Stop, you can change its Color and Location values. Here are the Color Stop values used from left to right:

Color - Location

• #272727 - 0%
• #4f3662 - 32%
• #8163a6 - 67%
• #ebdffe - 100%

Once you're done creating the gradient fill, click the New button to add it to the preset you have.

Step 5

Add an Inner Shadow with these settings:

• Opacity: 35%
• Distance: 0
• Size: 27

Step 6

Add an Inner Glow with these settings:

• Blend Mode: Vivid Light
• Opacity: 100%
• Color: #999891
• Technique: Precise
• Size: 90
• Contour: Rolling Slope - Descending

Step 7

Add a Satin with these settings:

• Blend Mode: Multiply
• Color: #0d3537
• Opacity: 50%
• Angle: 90
• Distance: 50
• Size: 60
• Contour: Linear
• Check the Anti-aliased box
• Check the Invert box

Step 8

Add a Gradient Overlay with these settings:

• Check the Dither box
• Scale: 150%
• Use the same gradient fill you used for the Stroke effect

Step 9

Add a Drop Shadow with these settings:

• Color: #a3a3a3
• Opacity: 80%
• Uncheck the Use Global Light box
• Angle: 132
• Distance: 17
• Size: 35

This will style the first layer of text.

4. Style the Copy Text Layer

Double-click the copy text layer to apply the following layer style:

Step 1

Add a Bevel and Emboss with these settings:

• Size: 9
• Soften: 8
• Gloss Contour: Ring
• Check the Anti-aliased box
• Highlight Mode: Vivid Light

Step 2

Add a Contour with these settings:

• Check the Anti-aliased box.

Step 3

Add an Inner Glow with these settings:

• Blend Mode: Vivid Light
• Opacity: 100%
• Noise: 30%
• Color: #999891
• Technique: Precise
• Size: 90
• Contour: Ring - Double

Step 4

Add a Gradient Overlay with these settings:

• Check the Dither box
• Blend Mode: Soft Light
• Opacity: 20%
• Scale: 150%
• Click the Gradient box to create the gradient below:

Color - Location

• #272727 - 0%
• #575653 - 32%
• #a09d93 - 66%
• #fef7df - 100%

Step 5

Add a Pattern Overlay with these settings:

• Blend Mode: Lighter Color
• Pattern: glitter-yellow.jpg
• Scale: 50%

This will style the second text layer and add the glittering part.

5. Adjust the Final Result

Step 1

To intensify the effect, duplicate the copy text layer, and then decrease the copy 2 layer's Opacity to a value around 60%.

Step 2

Finally, add a Gradient Map adjustment layer on top of all layers.

Create the gradient fill using the colors #566d7c to the left, #9a9c8a in the middle, and #fddea2 to the right.

Then, change the adjustment layer's Blend Mode to Linear Light and its Opacity to 15%.

Congratulations! You're Done

In this tutorial, we created a simple background using a gradient fill and a texture. Then, we created two text layers and styled each of them to create the effect.

Finally, we intensified the effect and added a color adjustment layer to finish things off.

Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, and outcomes below.