How to turn a shiny metallic surface into a matte surface?

Question

How do I turn a glossy/shiny surface into a non-shiny or matte surface in Adobe Photoshop?

I have here two images. The first is the image I would like to manipulate. The second image is the look I'm going for (not to replicate everything about it, but I want to achieve the same non-shiny look for the first image).

I'm aware that what I need to do is to dampen the highlights, and lower the contrast, but my attempts at adjusting the highlights via the Shadows/Highlights... menu and the contrast via the Brightness/Contrast... menu did not succeed. Adjusting colors by means of Replace Color... also did not yield success.

What other methods or techniques should I consider?

Answer 1

Applying a gradient map as a clipping mask should achieve something like the effect you're after. This quick gradient map:

Produced this:

Answer 2

Note, you are comparing a right-lit photo with a left-lit photo, so it's going to inherently appear different.

Sample a mid-tone from the image and then add a Color Overlay Layer Style. Set the overlay blend mode to Darken and reduce opacity until you are happy.

This will simply darken highlights creating a more matte finish.

From that point you can do some minor Levels or Curves adjustment to reduce contrast in the image and perhaps reduce the Saturation a bit via a Hue/Saturation Adjustment layer.