Gold Backgrounds and Metallic Textures

What is in this collection

The gold surfaces include a flat brushed gold sheet, a smooth satin gold gradient, crinkled champagne gold foil, a gilded gold leaf wall with soft seams, antique gold leaf worn through to a red undercoat, gold shimmer cardstock and liquid gold satin. Silver and grey include crumpled silver foil, brushed stainless steel, matte pewter, rippled liquid chrome, crinkled holographic silver foil, antique silver pressed tin panels, galvanised corrugated metal and a gunmetal diamond tread plate. Rose gold comes as a satin metal panel, crinkled foil and a draped satin, and the warm metals include hand-hammered copper, aged copper with teal verdigris and crosshatched bronze. Pearl white metallic plaster, plus metallic glitter, satin curtains and foil fringe from other collections, round it out.

Choosing gold, silver or rose gold

For printed templates, the calmest gold backgrounds are the satin gold gradient and the brushed gold sheet: their sheen is soft and even, so text and photos sit on them cleanly. Gold leaf and antique gold leaf have more texture and suit Diwali, Lunar New Year and vintage themes. A silver background can be cool and modern, like brushed stainless steel and liquid chrome for corporate events and product launches, or soft, like matte pewter for winter weddings. The rugged end, with corrugated metal, tread plate and pressed tin, suits barn parties, car shows and speakeasy nights. A rose gold background suits bridal showers and milestone birthdays: the satin metal panel is the calmest and the crinkled foil the most party-like. For sparkle rather than sheen, see glitter backgrounds and sequin backdrops; for gold strands, see foil fringe backdrops.

Tips for using these backgrounds

• Match the warmth and the side. Gold, copper and bronze are lit warm; silver, steel and chrome are cool. Set your subject's white balance to suit, and check the light direction on each page: the brushed gold and gilded gold leaf are lit from the left, the hammered copper and bronze from the right.
• Put titles on the light end of a gradient. The satin gold gradient and the rose gold panel run from pale to deep, so place names and headings on the lighter side and photos on the darker side.
• Crop almost anywhere. Brushed, foil and leaf textures cover the frame evenly, so a 2 x 6 strip or a 4 x 6 print can come from most parts of the portrait or landscape file. Check that gold leaf seams and pressed tin medallions sit evenly before you crop.

Using gold behind a portrait? Photoshop backgrounds explains the compositing workflow in four steps.