In this tutorial you will learn how to create a metal texture for games. There are many different ways of creating a metal look, and each has it's place. This particular one is best used on weapons, especially gun barrels.
Step 1: Create a new image, size isn't much concern, as you'll most likely be using this texture on a image map of a weapon. But for the purpose of me demonstrating this technique I'll be using an image of width=400 and height=200, I have also made the image transparent to start with, this is optional, and will not affect the end result.
Step 2: Set the foreground colour to R:90 G:90 B:90 and the background colour to R:70 G:70 B:70, then render clouds (FILTER>RENDER>CLOUDS).
Step 3: Now go to FILTER>ARTISTIC>SPONGE and use the settings 0/0/1.
Step 4: After using the SPONGE filter you should have dark and light patches, we need to even them out abit so go to IMAGE>ADJUSTMENTS>BRIGHTNESS/CONTRAST and use the settings Brightness: -10 Contrast:-70. COngrats, you now have made a basic metal texture, but we can go further, so follow on.
Step 5: The above texture is alittle bland, so we'll add some detail, firstly some shine. Select the DODGE tool and use the settings Size:200px with Hardness:0% Range:Highlights Exposure:25% and click in the top-right corner. Now select the BURN tool and use these settings; Size:200px with Hardness:0% Range:Midtones Exposure:20% and click in the bottom-left corner.
Step 6: Change the BURN tools settings to Size:25px with Hardness:0% Range:Midtones Exposure:20% and burn the top and bottom the height of the brush. Select the DODGE tool and use the settings Size:13px with Hardness:0% Range:Highlights Exposure:10% and do the same as with the BURN tool except repeat this 2 or 3 times, you should have a few pixels at the top and bottom that are dark, and just under/above that is lightened.
Step 7: Still lacking some detail, this time we're going to add scratches to help give it a 'used' look. Hopefully you've still got the DODGE tool selected, if not, select it. Then change the settings to Size:1px with Hardness:100% Range:Shadows Exposure:10%-15%, then just randomly draw some lines.
You've now got your very own metal texture, with lighting and scratches, the lighting doesn't have to be done like we have here, but I added it to show you what can be done. The scratches help to add that 'used' look, as you'd expect from a weapon.
Below is what I ended up with, you'll notice I added text that seems to be cut out of the metal, it justs adds a finished feel to the tutorial, maybe in a future tutorials I'll show you how to do the text. You might also notice that this sites header looks similar to the finished product from the tutorial, well I did use pretty similar techniques, and to be honest I reckon this final image looks better than the header.
Anyway thanks for reading this tutorial, hope it comes in handy and is used lovingly.