Step 1: Create your golden gradient. Run it from a gold-tone yellow to a very deep shade of the same hue. If your program is capable, have it repeat vertically on a B - A - B basis (the dark to light, back to the dark) and move on to Step 2. Many simple paint programs permit gradients from only one hue to a second, and this B - A - B repeat will need to be set up manually (Steps 1a & 1b). When you have your golden yellow to deep brown set, apply it to a window about 300 x 300.

Step 1a: Copy the gradient you just applied, then clear the window so it is blank. Paste the image from Clipboard and resize it so that it only fills half the window from top to bottom, with the lighter section towards the center. Copy this new size.

Step 1b: Paste again from Clipboard and flip the image vertically. Position it into the window so that the lighter end blends into the half that was added in Step 1a. Now save the image you just created. Preferred formats are: BMP, PCX, PNG, TIF or TGA. Avoid a reduced-palette (like GIF) or a compressed format (like JPG) because you'll want to retain the gradient's integrity for repeated uses in the future.

Step 2: Prepare your text. Give your text a solid color that is unlike your background, shadow or any tone in the gradient. (Try hot pink.) You may want to add a tight or drop shadow and it could be done at this point.

Step 3: Create a new window close to the same size but slightly larger than your text. Don't make it too precise or you won't leave yourself any room to work with, but don't make it overly-large, either, or the gradient effect will not respond the same. Apply (or paste a copy of) your golden gradient into this new window. (When pasting, you will need to re-size it to fit the new window; don't paste only part of the gradient, use the entire image.)

Step 4: Set your background (transparent) color to the color you gave the text in Step 2, then paste a copy of your text over the gradient. Adjust its position to where the lights and darks look the most pleasing for you and de-select. That's all there is to it!

Finished Golden following the technique given here.

How would it look if it was aligned for the lighter gradient section to be higher on the lettering?

How would it look with some shaping highlight added?

This image was created along a similar route, but Kai's Power Tools was used for the gradient and Blade Pro supplied the beveled edge highlights. As you can see, the result is very similar to what we can make "by hand."

Say...what if we used one of those really fancy fonts like Champagne?

And gee...would Golden work with dingbats, too?

Hey, what about _____ ?? [fill in the blank and have fun!]