How To Make A Weathered Stone Background With Photoshop

This post will show how to make a weathered stone background similar to the one on this blog. Here’s how it was done:

1. Open Photoshop & create a new file 1000 px wide by 1000 px high.
2. Create a new layer above the background layer.
3. Delete the white background layer.
4. Use the Paint Can tool to paint the new layer. (It can be any color – in the next few steps, this color will be completely replaced with a stone pattern.)
5. Click on the layer’s thumbnail. This will open the Layer Style popup window.
6. Choose the Pattern Overlay style.
7. Click on the Pattern Picker, and choose the Light Marble pattern. Click OK.
   
8. Create a new layer. Right-click on this empty layer and choose the Merge Visible option. (This collapses the layer styles into a single layer.)
9. Click on the layer’s thumbnail. This opens the Layer Style popup window again.
10. Now choose the Texture style. (This is a sub-style of the Bevel and Emboss style).
11. Once more, click on the Pattern Picker, and choose the Light Marble pattern. Do not click OK yet!
12. Click to the side of the Pattern Picker to collapse the choices. Use the following settings:
    Scale: 351
    Depth: 145
13. You may wish at this time to toggle the Invert button to see which version you prefer.
14. After making your choice, click OK.
15. Create a new layer again.
16. Right-click on the new layer, and choose Merge Visible.
    
17. Click Filter > Filter Gallery > Texture > Craquelure.
18. Use the following settings:
    Crack Spacing: 80
    Crack Depth: 1
    Brightness: 10
19. Click OK.
    
20. Crop the top, bottom, and sides slightly to remove the bevelled effect around the edges.
    
21. Save the file as weatheredStoneBkg.psd. The actual background image can be saved as a GIF.