For a recent project I was searching tutorials for adding a metallic effect to text and I found that most tutorials have a lot of unnecessary steps. So I’m going to tell you the simplest way to add a metallic effect to text.
Instruction:
- Open an illustrator fill, any size you want.
- Click on the type tool and choose a font (in order for this to show up you have to choose a bold font)
- Type out whatever word or phrase you want.
- Click on the rectangle tool and make a rectangle the same size as your text box.
- With the rectangle selected scroll to the drop down menu at the top and click on window.
- In the window menu, scroll down to till you see swatch libraries.
- Within the swatch library scroll over gradient and in that category you will see the option of metals.
- Click on metals and choose the metal gradient that you want.
- Select the text and place it over the rectangle that you just added the gradient to. (make sure that the text is on top of the rectangle)
- Using the selection tool select both objects together and make a clipping mask under object in the drop down box.

Editing Effect and Other Color Choices
Here is a video to show you how you can edit the metallic gradient and other metal gradient options you can choose from.


Here is a link to some other work that I’ve done! Let me know if you would like a tutorial of any of that work.
Let me know if these videos helped anyone out and if you would like me to do more.
You should definitely do more. There’s nothing like scouring YouTube for the perfect tutorial.
I can also show some videos for photoshop as well.
I enjoyed the information. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome Donnis! there is more to come….
This is a great tutorial. So helpful! Thanks for sharing.