How To Make a Realistic Coin In Photoshop

Play tutorial

217K views · 7,113 likes · 226 comments

Jump to a step in the video (23)

Click a time to play the video from there.

1. 0:00 Introduction
2. 0:27 Setting Up The Document
3. 1:21 Creating the Main Coin shape
4. 2:19 Create the background
5. 2:41 Create the Outer Ring of the coin
6. 4:05 Create the Inner Circle of the coin
7. 4:40 Create the Inner Ring of the coin
8. 6:10 Apply Layer Styles to the Main Coin Shape
9. 8:13 Apply Layer Styles to the Center Circle
10. 9:26 Apply Layer Styles to the Outer Ring
11. 10:50 Apply Layer Styles to the Inner Ring
12. 12:07 Create the Ridges of the Outer Ring
13. 15:10 Create the Circles inside the Inner Ring
14. 18:40 Type in a Circle
15. 21:41 Apply Layer Styles to the text layers
16. 22:30 Create the coin face effect
17. 26:08 Apply the face to the coin
18. 28:13 Adjust the Inner Ring Layer Styles
19. 28:52 ADjust the text Layer Styles
20. 29:25 Colorize the coin
21. 30:15 Paint Highlights on the coin
22. 31:34 Apply texture to the coin
23. 32:52 Final Thoughts

Photoshop Training Channel 2.15M subscribers on YouTube Subscribe

Want to design a realistic coin in Photoshop from scratch? You’ll build one with vector shapes, Layer Styles, circular text, and two clever filters. No 3D tools and no plugins.

This lesson remakes a tutorial Jesús first recorded in 2015, updated for Photoshop 2022 and paced for beginners. You’ll finish with an embossed outer ring, ridged edges, curved text, and a portrait engraved in the center.

What You’ll Learn

• Combining vector shapes into a coin with rings and a ridged edge
• Faking dimension with Gradient Overlay, Bevel and Emboss, and Drop Shadow
• Duplicating a shape evenly around a circle with one shortcut
• Typing text on a circular path and flipping it to the bottom of the coin
• Turning any portrait into an engraved metal relief

Requirements

Tutorial Download

Keyboard Shortcuts In This Tutorial

How To Make a Realistic Coin in Photoshop, Step by Step

The whole effect rests on one idea: draw flat vector circles, then let Layer Styles do the lighting.

Step 1: Set Up the Document

Create a new file with File > New: 1200 by 1200 pixels, resolution 72, RGB color, transparent background. Show the rulers with Ctrl R (macOS: Command R) and drag a guide out of each ruler; both should snap to the center. If they don’t, turn everything on under View > Snap.

Step 2: Draw the Coin Shapes

Select the Ellipse Tool and set the mode to Shape in the Options Bar; any fill color works, and you’ll see why. Drag from the center, holding Alt (macOS: Option) and Shift, to about 1156 pixels wide. Name it Main Coin Shape and add a black Solid Color fill layer at the bottom of the stack.

1. Outer Ring. Duplicate the shape with Ctrl J (macOS: Command J). Hold Alt (macOS: Option) so a minus icon appears, then drag a smaller circle inside to cut a hole, tapping the Spacebar to center it.
2. Center Circle. Duplicate again and shrink it by dragging a corner handle while holding Alt and Shift (macOS: Option and Shift). It will hold the face.
3. Inner Ring. Duplicate the Center Circle twice, enlarge the top copy with Ctrl T (macOS: Command T), and merge both copies with Ctrl E (macOS: Command E). Click the inner path with the Path Selection Tool and choose Subtract Front Shape.

Step 3: Add Depth With Layer Styles

Hide the other shapes, double-click beside Main Coin Shape to open the Layer Style window, and enable Gradient Overlay with the black-to-white gradient. If a color tint appears, double-click the gradient’s color stop and drag its color to zero saturation. Set the angle to 120 degrees so light comes from the top left.

Now the key trick: under Blending Options, reduce the Fill Opacity to 0. The original pixels vanish, only the Layer Style remains, and that’s why the shape color never mattered.

Copy the style by holding Alt (macOS: Option) and dragging the FX icon onto each layer, and zero the Fill Opacity each time; copying styles doesn’t copy it. Set the Center Circle’s gradient to Multiply at a lower opacity. On the Inner Ring, Jesús settled on Overlay after trying Multiply and Screen. On the Outer Ring, also enable Bevel and Emboss with its Contour, keep the 120 degree angle, and push highlight and shadow opacity to 80% with the Smooth technique, treating every value as a starting point.

Step 4: Create the Ridged Edge

Grab the Polygon Tool, set the sides to 100 and, under the gear icon, the star ratio to 1%. Drag from the center until the spikes reach the coin’s edge. For double the ridges, duplicate the polygon, rotate the copy until its lines sit between the originals, then merge the two layers.

Right-click the merged layer and choose Rasterize Layer, add a 2 pixel Stroke, then Rasterize Layer Style. Clip it to the Outer Ring with Ctrl Alt G (macOS: Command Option G). The ridges will vanish, because a base layer filled by its own Layer Style hides clipped layers; uncheck Blend Clipped Layers as Group in the Outer Ring’s Layer Style window to bring them back. Finish with Fill Opacity 0 and a Bevel and Emboss.

Step 5: Duplicate Circles Around the Coin

Draw a small circle and place it at the top center of the coin, nudging with the arrow keys. Press Ctrl T (macOS: Command T), enable the Reference Point checkbox in the Options Bar, and drag it to the canvas center so the layer rotates around the coin’s center.

Divide 360 by the number of copies; for 40 circles, that’s 9. Type 9 into the angle box, commit, then press Ctrl Alt Shift T (macOS: Command Option Shift T) repeatedly to duplicate and rotate 9 degrees at a time until the copies ring the coin. Copy the Outer Ring’s styles onto this layer, zero the Fill Opacity, and flip the bevel direction down so the circles look stamped in.

Step 6: Type Text in a Circle

Set the Ellipse Tool to Path mode and drag a circle from the center to act as the text baseline. Hover the Horizontal Type Tool over the path until a squiggly line joins the cursor, click, and type. Jesús uses Adobe Caslon Pro Bold at 112 points. Keep the text center-aligned, then drag its midpoint to the top of the coin with the Path Selection Tool.

Duplicate the layer and drag downward across the path to flip the text inside the circle at the bottom, then transform the path with Ctrl T (macOS: Command T) until the baseline sits back on the text. Edit the bottom line, commit with Ctrl Enter (macOS: Command Return), copy the Outer Ring’s styles onto both text layers, and zero each Fill Opacity.

Step 7: Turn a Photo Into the Coin Face

Open your portrait, unlock the background layer, and click Remove Background in the Properties Panel. Right-click and choose Convert to Smart Object, then:

1. Desaturate with Image > Adjustments > Black & White.
2. In Filter > Camera Raw Filter, reduce Texture and Clarity to melt away detail, then raise Sharpening in the Detail tab and drag Masking far right so only edges stay crisp.
3. In Filter > Filter Gallery, open the Sketch folder and choose Bas Relief. Match the light to top left; Detail 11 and Smoothness 5 worked here.
4. Run the Camera Raw Filter again, adding Texture, Clarity, and contrast, raising highlights and lowering shadows so the relief pops.

Then Convert to Smart Object again, which freezes the result so scaling won’t re-render the filters at a new size. Drag the face into the coin document just above the Center Circle and clip it with Ctrl Alt G (macOS: Command Option G). If it disappears, uncheck Blend Clipped Layers as Group again. Scale it to fit, then add a gentle Bevel and Emboss and a soft, slightly noisy Drop Shadow. The raised Inner Ring and the text deserve Drop Shadows too.

Step 8: Color, Highlight, and Texture

Hold Ctrl (macOS: Command) and click the Main Coin Shape thumbnail to load it as a selection. Create a group named Color at the top of the stack and click the Layer Mask icon, so everything inside affects only the coin. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, check Colorize, and dial in a gold tone; a Levels adjustment layer handles contrast.

For a metallic glint, click once on a new layer with a large, soft white Brush. In its Blending Options, set the Blend Mode to Color Dodge, uncheck Transparency Shapes Layer, and lower the Fill slider, not the Opacity, until the highlight glows. Finally, place a metal texture inside the group below the Hue/Saturation layer, set it to Multiply at around 40% opacity, and hide the guides with Ctrl ; (macOS: Command ;).

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Realistic Coin in Photoshop Is Ready

You built a convincing metal coin without a single 3D tool, using techniques professional work relies on constantly: the Fill Opacity 0 trick, copied Layer Styles, clipping masks, and the duplicate-and-transform shortcut. Swap the portrait, text, and color to mint anything from a medallion to a game token.

Keep tweaking the depth, shadows, and texture until the metal reads right. Watch the video above to see every step in real time.

Pro Training

Selections and Masking Mastery

Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.

View the Course

Related Links

• Blending Modes Explained
• How To Remove a Background In Photoshop
• How To Create a 3D Pop Out Effect in Photoshop
• Turn Your Signature Into a Watermark in Photoshop

Final Image

Drag the slider to see before and after

BeforeAfter