Written by guest author Barton Damer.
Introduction:
This tutorial will show you step by step on how to create a “Badass Bling Effect” using layer styles in Photoshop. Once you create the layer style, you can easily “blingify” any layer. There is also a video tutorial as well.
Video Tutorial
STEP 1
Choose an image you want to sprinkle with golden Photoshop magic. In this case i chose a full color image of a boombox and I’m going to make it look like it is solid gold. Make the image into a grayscale image by “Desaturating” the layer in the Image/Adjustments/Desaturate menu.
STEP 2
Apply a color overlay Layer Style by clicking the FX button at the bottom of your Layers Palette.
STEP 3
Set the color overlay to a rich golden color and make sure the Blend Mode is set to Color Burn
STEP 4
Adjust your levels like so and…
Brace yourselves… We’ve got a solid gold boombox in less than 2 minutes! SUPER RAD!
STEP 5
Repeat the exact same steps for 2 different cars. I copied and flipped horizontally the radios and 90s sports car to get a symmetrical composition started.
STEP 6
We are creating a background for our composition that will look like a close of the boom box speaker shield. In Adobe Illustrator, draw 2 circles and separate them a descent width. Keep them aligned horizontally. Then choose Object/Blend/Make. You can also choose the blend tool from your tools palette.
Once you have a blend, you’ll want to open the blending options by going to Object/Blend/Blend Options or double clicking the Blend tool in the tools palette will bring up the same dialog box. Choose a # of blends that will leave some space between your circles.
STEP 7
Expand your blend by choosing Object/Blend/Expand. Now Each circle is treated individually and can be edited. Select your entire row of circles. Hold down option and drag it down a good distance. Hold down shift at the same time to keep the layer aligned vertically. Then repeat the steps to make a blend. I chose 15 steps. You can see that I have now blended my 2 rows of circles to make a grid of evenly spaced circles.
Select the entire grid and hold down option & shift while dragging on a 45 degree angle. You now have a circle pattern that should look like the pic below
Copy and paste it into your Photoshop document
STEP 8
Apply Bevel & Emboss layer style to your grid of circles. Choose Outer Bevel.
Add a black background… and get crunk!
STEP 9
This is the hardest part of the tutorial… and it’s all trial and error… at least for me it was. We’re going to create our own layer style that take a solid 2d object and make it look all bling’d out. I chose this amazing vector artwork from Go Media’s Arsenal Set 1 Crests.
First use a Gradient Overlay from the FX Layer Style tab in your layers palette. I created this gradient of different hues and values of Gold. Make sure you have contrast in your gradient.
This is what the Go Media vector crest will look like after the gradient has been applied:
Apply a Satin layer style within the same dialog box. You will want to experiment with your settings. Each object you bling out could require tweaking the settings. You will see some depth start to take place and that is important. Choose a different Contour as well. I chose this double peaked one.
Choose a Bevel and Emboss from the Layer Style window. Select Inner Bevel. Adjust the size and softness. I chose 10 and 1. Set the Shadow Mode to Color Burn and you may want to decrease the opacity.
Check the Contour Box under Bevel and Emboss. Choose a Contour. Each one will give a different look.
Choose the Texture box under Bevel and Emboss as well. Select a pattern from one of the Photoshop presets. Adjust the scale and depth and watch how it effects the Go Media Crest. Again, experiment with these settings to get something that is really starting to look like gold reflections.
At this point I feel as though the crest is a little too orange. I could go back in and adjust my gradient overlay… but then i’d have to adjust each point in the gradient where there is a color change. Instead, add a color overlay. I chose a darker desaturated green to help tone down the red in my gold layer style. I adjusted the opacity until i felt it was beginning to match the golden cars a little better.
And the last layer style for our gold effect will be to add a drop shadow to help with some depth.
Now, before you close the Layer Style box. You are going to save this style so you can reuse it on anything! Click the New Style button just below “Ok” and give your style a name. Check both boxes - Include Layer Effects & Include Layer Blending Options.
Notice now that your style appears in the Styles palette! SICK!
And your new golden style shines so bright!
STEP 10
Add more bling to your design. I chose another Go Media Vector from Set 1 Wings.
Copy and paste into Photoshop and this time… apply your new style you just finished creating.
Repeat the same step for any additional elements you want to turn into gold.
STEP 11
We’re going to add some light effects using the airbrush and a layer style. Choose a standard airbrush and set it really large. I clicked one time at 100%.
Apply a Layer Style of Outer Glow from the FX tab in the layers palette.
Choose a color for the Outer Glow. Set the Blend mode to Add. Opacity 100%
Copy that layer and then place it in front of everything. Adjust the opacity to be quite a bit lower. Then use the eraser with an air brush setting that will allow you to erase over the middle of the car and near the edges. The result gives you the look of over spill from the light source.
STEP 12
We’re going to add some sparkle to our bling using Illustrator and more layer styles. We’ll then make a custom brush from our sparkle shape and bling this piece out with tons of rad sparkly things. Create a star shape in illustrator. I chose a 5 point star and dupicated/rotated slightly to get my final sparkle shape.
http://www.gomediahost.com/zine/tutorials/bling/Adobe%20Illustrator%20CS3ScreenSnapz005.jpg
Copy and Paste it into Photoshop. Apply a Layer Style of Outer Glow. Only this time change the Blend Mode to normal and adjust the spread/size to give a faint blur around your sparkle shape.
Now option click directly on the Effect of the layer. It will bring up these options. Choose Create Layer. This will make the outer glow an actual image on the layer below your sparkly image.
Choose the layer above blurry sparkle shape. This should be the crisp sparkle. Choose Merge Down from the Layer Palette tab in the right hand corner.
Now go to Edit/Define Brush Preset.
Name your new brush.
And now you will see your new brush in the brush palette. (and you can see that I’ve created some of these before)
Click once in your desired spot to add sparkle to your bling! However… these sparkles could look even better with… another layer style applied to it! Why not? right!
Apply an outer glow with some color. Set the Blending Mode to Screen. Adjust the size/spread. Ba da boom. Ba da BLING!
To tighten this design up a little more, I’ve added the Go Media Logo complimented by an icy hot diamond because that’s how Chris Wilson likes to roll at Go Media. 
I simply applied my own style that I created earlier in the tutorial. Unfortunately, not everything is quite as successful when the style is applied to it. I actually had to tweak my style settings quite a bit to get it to match the other Go Media vectors that turned gold fairly easy.
So there you have it. Some badass blingin sparklies. Feel free to post a link to anything you blingify in your comments.
Download the Photoshop Layer Style
February 6th, 2008 at 11:11 am
great tut
and great layer style 
February 6th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
That is a great example of simple design and composition, something that would be useful in future is a basic explanation of why you have used a particular blend mode.
For example early on you explain that you set the color overlay to burn. Why? Why not say overlay or darken!
Tiling backgrounds is a darn ass knightmare!
February 6th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
BADASS STUFF…
go media is ACE… so Inspiring….
February 6th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Great tutorial, very inspiring! Thank you!
February 6th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
This is awesome. I gotta find some time now to design some *bling*. Thanks.
February 6th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
aaaaaaaaaaa that’s sick!! so nice!!
February 6th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
That’s the absolutely the most nasty Photoshop bling bling I have ever come across! Props from Denmark…
February 6th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
ANOTHER awesome tutorial from Go Media. Thanks for the tuts and the well priced download packs.
February 6th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
“For example early on you explain that you set the color overlay to burn. Why? Why not say overlay or darken!”
Color burn offered the most successful looking results (in my opinion). that’s the only reason why. i tried overlay and darken as well; but i chose color burn based on the results. no specific reason.
i would highly recommend trying many different modes on a regular basis. i’ve run into some very happy accidents by choosing a different mode than what i originally intended. the more you experiment with the modes the more familiar you will become with the way it will react.
February 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
GoMedia does it again!!!
February 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Probably “the only” good bling tutorial I have ever scene… and so useful not just stupid gold text. Awesome job!
February 6th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I’ve gotta say, I’m not usually into effects like this, but the results are really nice. I especially like the way the cars look. Well done guys.
February 6th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Nice tutorial and a good demonstration of how do use some of the features in both Photoshop and Illustrator. Other than that, when are we actually going to add bling in our designs? Haha. Unless of course you design album covers for Master P.
February 6th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Wow really nice, I will try this out
February 6th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Thanks for the graphic luv go media!!!Definitely a good tutorial!
February 6th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
awesome!
February 7th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Man you make it look so damn easy.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:53 am
damm great!! thanks. !
February 7th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Exactly i watching for tutorial. Thank You!
February 7th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Thank you. Not only for the bling, I will in all honestly never bling something, but Thank you for taking the time to go threw in detail how all the modes work, I’m a wiz at corel painter for my concept art, but I find that photoshop really adds that polish. I can’t wait to show off in the flickr user group, thanks again. Newman
February 8th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Great stuff a very clear tutorial and very creative use of the tools. You’re gifted.
February 8th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Although it may not be something I use very much, a very good tutorial with good depth and an excellent result.
February 8th, 2008 at 6:54 am
The download photoshop layer effect doesnt seem to work : (
February 9th, 2008 at 3:38 am
Prizzzopps, that ssshhhhh is of the hinges like the front door in a drug raid
February 9th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Wow that was such a great tutorial, thanks man I learned a bunch too, anyway here’s the little one I made with your help.
http://flickr.com/photos/13637617@N04/2252015063/
February 12th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Fantastic tute, reminds me of coverart from those terrible No-limit albums from the 90’s.
February 13th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Haha I remember those, Mystikal, Juvenile, those were the days!
February 14th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
woaaaaa nice tut and really usefull i’m gonna try it on my design. nice man, pretty nice
February 15th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
This is a very awesome tutorial, yet very simple in process. Very useful, and thanks for the layer style.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:03 am
a damn good tutorial. You explain how to do the particular affect, but not only that you go above and beyond to add more affects and show a good example of how it might be used. 9/10 (only because i don’t ever actually see myself using this for anything practical).
February 16th, 2008 at 2:48 am
thanks . it is really veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
nice.
February 17th, 2008 at 7:02 am
great tutorial…
February 18th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
this is a kick a** tutorial. check this site out I found out about this from a co-worker.
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://gomediazine.com
February 21st, 2008 at 11:34 am
You guys ARE Bad Ass. Thanks for this and ALL the stuff you put out there!
February 23rd, 2008 at 3:04 am
Well I started on a project using this tutorial and this is what I have so far
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12466223@N07/2284849331/
February 24th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Love it, but ran into problems right away.
You’re using an apple which i noticed on the first pic, and i’m using my Pc!!!
I’d love to find out how to do this with my adobe photoshop elements 5.0, so if anyone knows how, please tell me!
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:51 am
THIS IS DEEP! please share with me creative work in photoshop. regards Fungai, based in South Africa
March 4th, 2008 at 5:40 am
wowwwwwwwwwwww what amazing tut and style i like it so much
March 6th, 2008 at 10:24 am
This is a very nice tutorial. I have a hard time creating something like this. Thanks really helps.
March 8th, 2008 at 4:55 am
I think is very usefull for my Phone Theme Project
March 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am
fuck is great, is what i was looking for, thank you very much.
March 9th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
very useful! thank you!!!
March 10th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
great stuff
i’m waiting for your next tutorial…hehehehe
March 12th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Yeah looks very very good!
March 16th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
hi i cant get the thing in the illustrator work right in the PS , the Bevel & Emboss thing looks whole different on the dot layer
March 20th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Great tutorial, wish I had noticed the download style link before i spent hours doing it myself but a good learning experience!
April 19th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
oi
sou do brasil
nao entendi nada por que esta em inglish ou dizendo em portiguees engles
April 19th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
hi!!!
vou tentar falar um pouco ingles
mai ingles é muito dificil
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Wow!
Fab tutorial with great effects!!! Thanks.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:37 am
Thanks for tutorial..very interesting for me.. thanks
May 15th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Yea, nice tutorial. I liked so much.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:31 am
The Bling effect is marvellous.
June 16th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hello,
Just wanted to know if there is a technique using other colors. eg. Black, red,blue…etc…
Thanks! Mike
June 16th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Great tutorial, but quick question. What was the RGB code for the “gold” overlay color that you picked. I’m trying to avoid the “yellowish” color that i’m getting, and get to the GOLD that looks so awesome here.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Esta brutalll
June 28th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
i too was woundering if this only works in gold? is there a technique for black and red? thanks!
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 pm
love the art but not a very good job on the tut.
August 7th, 2008 at 7:12 am
i have to learn more about illustrator you’ve write above, please make another tuts about illustrator
August 15th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Hello,
could someone send the dots background (the “membrane”) to komplex[at]kxdesign[dot]com in psd so I can edit it myself?I was unable to create it in adobe illustrator and I am desperate :((.Thank you very much!!!
October 20th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Yes. Can’t wait to use this tutorial. Have just the project in mind. Thanks!