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Methods for patterning metal thin films at the microscale and nanoscale by applying the patterns to metallic and polymeric materials for use in shape and deformation measurements in a scanning electron microsope (SEM) or other high magnification imaging system are described. In one approach, thin films of metallic materials (e.g., Au, Ag, Cu, and Cr) are applied to a variety of substrates. The coated samples are then placed into a reaction vessel, where the specimens are heated and exposed to a nitrogen atmosphere saturated with selected volatile chemicals. This process results in nano-scale remodeling of the metallic films, thereby affording high contrast random patterns with different morphologies. In a second approach, thin films of metallic materials, including gold and silver, also have been applied using a simplified UV photolithographic method requiring a minimum amount of laboratory …