Continuous, conducting metal patterns can be formed from metal nanoparticle containing films by exposure to radiation (FIG. 1). The metal patterns can be one, two, or three dimensional and have high resolution resulting in feature sizes in the order of micron down to nanometers. Compositions containing the nanoparticles coated with a ligand and further including a dye, a metal salt, and either a matrix or an optional sacrificial donor are also disclosed.