A few years ago Valve added a new feature for skin authors: now they could create even more expressive designs by adding textures that look different depending on the lighting. This shimmering effect is similar to holographic stickers, although the latter look brighter.
The skinmaker can choose to what extent this effect will appear: at zero value the skin will look completely ordinary, and at maximum value the whole surface will shimmer with iridescent colors). Now in CS2 there are more than half a dozen of such weapon designs, but not all of them show the color change.
MP9 Stained Glass
One of the first skins to which this effect was added was MP9 Stained Glass. Its surface is colored in various shades of blue and blue and resembles a mosaic made of pieces of glass. The buttstock and magazine are left metal, and a few dark red fragments complete the picture. For «glass» surfaces, the shimmering effect is particularly suitable.
M4A1-SPrintstream
The shimmering effect has been added to all skins of the Printstream series, and this is another reason for their popularity. For example, M4A1-S Printstream has most of the hull left white, but in-game, it is slightly tinted in different colors when the lighting changes. Besides, this is not the only advantage of the skin: its author is known for attention to small details and careful finishing of textures, and this work is no exception.
AK-47 Nightwish
AK-47 Nightwish looks bright in itself: the weapon's body is covered with psychedelic ornaments on a black background. Among the chaos of blue, yellow and red-purple lines you can see the head of a predatory beast with burning eyes, which occupies the central part of the machine's body. As Nextgenz skin author explains, the pearlescent effect emphasizes the surrealism of the design even more and creates the illusion of changing colors.
MAC-10 Disco Tech
This effect looks good on skins with minimalistic designs, and MAC-10 Disco Tech is an example of it. The flat sides of the case are covered with a simple geometric pattern, but thanks to the holographic effect, its color will change depending on what angle the weapon is turned. One moment the skin may appear purple-green, and the next – orange-pink. And if you get a good condition version of the skin, the shimmering colors will look especially impressive.
AUGMidnight Lily
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Another skin, on which holographic effect can be seen quite well – is AUG Midnight Lily. The body of the weapon is painted gray and covered with a lily ornament, the arrangement of which depends on the pattern index. However, it looks noticeably brighter in the game than in many screenshots, as the coloring of the flowers will change depending on the lighting.