Object effect · Surfaces

Kintsugi

Crack a 3D object and mend it with flowing gold seams, after the Japanese art of kintsugi. Reverse draws the gold back.

Open the studioAll object effects
  • luxury
  • craft
  • elegant
  • metal

Settings and defaults

Flow
Top → bottom
Gold
#f2c060
Cracks
4.5
Seam width
1 ×
Hairline branches
On
Front pattern
2
Duration
3.4 s

Kintsugi mends an object with gold, after the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold lacquer. A network of cracks opens over the surface and molten gold wicks along them behind a hot, glowing tip. The cracks wander like real fractures, with finer hairline branches in patches. It is a state, not an exit: the gold stays while the effect is on, and reversing draws it back and closes the cracks.

How it works

The seams are raised, so the gold catches the light like lacquered metal standing proud of the surface, with a fine glitter that keeps moving while it holds. Only the seams change; the rest of the surface keeps its own material, so ceramic stays ceramic and stone stays stone. Kintsugi adds on top of other effects, so it can mend an object that has been turned to stone.

Settings

- Gold: the colour of the seams. Warm gold by default; silver or copper tones work too. - Cracks: how many fragments the surface is broken into. - Seam width: thin hairlines or bold gold veins. - Hairline branches: the fine side cracks, on or off. - Flow: the direction the gold travels, top to bottom by default. - Front pattern, and Duration (3.4 seconds).

Use it for

Ceramics, craft and luxury brands, stories about repair and resilience, gift and editorial pages. It works on any object, from a vase to a logo. Combine it with Petrify for gold-mended stone, or compare it with the full coat of Metalize.

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Works well with

Brass

Warm yellowish brass alloy, commonly used for fixtures, instruments, and decorative hardware

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Bronze

Aged bronze with darker tones and patina effect, perfect for statues and antique objects

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Engraving

The picture as an ink engraving on paper, fine strokes laid along its own isophotes, dense where it is dark, at a depth set by brightness; a change lifts and turns every stroke to the new picture's flow like filings in a field. Use for luxury, editorial, banknote and art direction.

Image

Gold

Luxurious warm gold with high reflectivity and smooth finish, perfect for jewelry and decorative items

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Mahogany

Dark reddish-brown mahogany with a smooth, half-sheen finish. For classic furniture, libraries and luxury product scenes.

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Polished Wood

Oak-coloured wood with a high-gloss varnish that reflects the scene. For lacquered furniture, instruments and premium product details.

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