Liquid Chrome effect

The silhouette inflated into liquid chrome on a satin plate, with studio reflections and a cast shadow.

Made with the Chrome filterWorks in

Liquid chrome effect on a portrait of a woman in headphones holding a CD, made with the Chrome filter in Filter Archive (Gold preset)

BeforeAfter

Chrome pours your picture into metal. The shape inflates, studio reflections run through it in bright bands, the folds shade themselves and a shadow falls on the plate. Tint it gold or rose, push the waves from a plain gloss to crushed foil, or run it on type and logos for Y2K chrome lettering.

6presets
14settings
3apps

Same effect, different presets.

8 photos, each with its own preset. Try it on yours

Liquid chrome effect on a portrait of a woman in white sunglasses with a lollipop, made with the Chrome filter in Filter Archive (Cast preset) — Cast

Liquid chrome effect on a portrait of a woman with copper red hair, made with the Chrome filter in Filter Archive (Embedded preset) — Embedded

Liquid chrome effect on a portrait of a woman with black hair, hands on her head, made with the Chrome filter in Filter Archive (Foil preset) — Foil

Liquid chrome effect on a portrait of a laughing woman with pink curly hair, made with the Chrome filter in Filter Archive (Liquid preset) — Liquid

Liquid chrome effect on a portrait of a man with silver hair and red sunglasses, made with the Chrome filter in Filter Archive (Satin preset) — Satin

Liquid chrome effect on a portrait of a man in black sunglasses, made with the Chrome filter in Filter Archive (Gold preset) — Gold

Liquid chrome effect on a portrait of a woman with red hair in a studded beanie, made with the Chrome filter in Filter Archive (Liquid preset) — Liquid

Use the liquid chrome effect in Photoshop, Affinity or Figma.

One licence covers all three: $59.99, paid once. See pricing

Photoshop

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu, pick Chrome and press Apply. The result lands on a new layer above your original.

Mac & Windows · Photoshop 2024+

Affinity

Choose Filters, Plugins, Filter Archive on a pixel layer, pick Chrome and apply it to that layer.

Mac & Windows · Affinity 3

Figma

Select an image, frame or shape, run Filter Archive and apply Chrome as a new layer or in place.

Figma Community

Settings worth touching.

MeltMetal: How far the picture is poured before it becomes metal. Small keeps every edge as a ripple in the surface; large leaves only the big forms.
WavesMetal: How many bright bands the surface runs through. One is a plain gloss, five is chrome, eight is crushed foil.
TintLight: The color of the metal. The darks and mids take it while the hot highlights stay white, as on real gold.

Plus 11 more in the panel, all editable after you pick a preset.

Liquid Chrome Effect questions.

What is a liquid chrome effect?

A liquid chrome effect turns an image or a piece of type into shiny, molten-looking metal with bright reflections, the look of Y2K chrome logos and 3D metal type.

How do I make a liquid chrome effect in Photoshop?

Open Filter Archive from the Plugins menu and choose Chrome. Start from a preset such as Cast or Embedded, adjust the settings while the preview updates, then press Apply. The result goes on a new layer and your original stays untouched.

Can I use it in Affinity or Figma?

Yes. The same Chrome filter runs in Affinity 3 on Mac and Windows, from Filters, then Plugins, then Filter Archive on a pixel layer, and in Figma on an image, frame or shape. One licence covers Photoshop, Affinity and Figma.

Which presets come with Chrome?

6 presets: Cast, Embedded, Foil, Liquid, Gold and Satin. Every setting stays editable after you pick one, and you can save a stack of filters to use again.