Creating Curved Stone Effect on Text in Adobe Photoshop

Creating a carved stone or concrete text effect in Photoshop is a great way to add depth and realism to your designs. Instead of using Photoshop’s 3D workspace, which can be rigid and complex, we will manually craft a realistic stone effect with textures, masks, and layer styles.

By following this tutorial, you will learn: ✅ How to roughen text edges for an authentic stone look
✅ How to create realistic shadows and depth
✅ How to apply textures and lighting for maximum realism

Let’s get started! 🎨🖌️

Step 1: Setting Up the Document

1. Open Photoshop and create a New Document.
2. Set the dimensions to 3840×2160 pixels (4K resolution for high detail).
3. Choose a white background.

Step 2: Adding the Text

1. Select the Type Tool (T) and type your text.
2. Use a bold, heavy font like Chuck Noon for the best stone effect.
3. Press Ctrl + Enter (Windows) / Cmd + Return (Mac) to confirm the text.
4. Resize the text (Ctrl + T / Cmd + T) and center it.

Step 3: Creating Rough Edges

To make the text look like real carved stone, we need to roughen the edges.

1. Convert the text into a mask:
   • Create a New Layer.
   • Fill it with black using Alt + Backspace.
   • Select the text layer and Ctrl + Click on the thumbnail to create a selection.
   • Hide the original text layer.
   • Click Create Mask to apply the selection.
2. Apply Roughness with Filters:
   • Select the mask and go to Filter > Filter Gallery > Brush Strokes > Spatter.
   • Set Spatter Size to 15 and Smoothness to 15.
   • Add a Stamp Filter (Sketch > Stamp) with Light/Dark Balance at 15.

Now, the edges are rougher and more organic.

Step 4: Creating Chipped and Cracked Details

1. Apply the Crystallize Filter:
   • Filter > Pixelate > Crystallize.
   • Set Cell Size to 15.
   • This adds a chipped effect.
2. Create Big Damage Areas:
   • Duplicate the text layer (Ctrl + J / Cmd + J).
   • Rename it “Destroy”.
   • Apply Crystallize again at a larger Cell Size (80).
   • Apply Crystallize again at Cell Size (5) for smaller cracks.
   • Add Bevel and Emboss:
     • Style: Outer Bevel
     • Depth: 70
     • Size: 50
     • Highlight: Color Dodge (20%)
     • Shadow: Color Burn (60%)
     • Global Light: 60°
   • Lower the Fill Opacity to 0% to keep only the carving effect.

Step 5: Applying Stone Texture

1. Open a high-resolution stone texture (e.g., Concrete121 from TextureLabs).
2. Copy (Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C) and paste it above the text layer.
3. Create a Clipping Mask (Alt + Click between layers).
4. Adjust the Blending Mode to Linear Burn.
5. Lower Opacity to 30% for better integration.

Now, the text looks like real stone! 🏛️

Step 6: Creating the 3D Extruded Effect

1. Duplicate the “Face” Layer and rename it “Edge”.
2. Move Edge below Face.
3. Select Transform (Ctrl + T / Cmd + T) and scale it down slightly.
4. Paint missing parts manually using the Brush Tool (B).
5. Add Bevel & Emboss for Depth:
   • Depth: 300
   • Size: 70
   • Highlight: 20% (Color Dodge)
   • Shadow: 60% (Color Burn)
   • Gloss Contour: S-Curve

Now, the text has realistic depth! 🏗️

Step 7: Creating Realistic Shadows

1. Cast Shadows

1. Duplicate Edge layer.
2. Rename it “Cast Shadow”.
3. Fill with Black (Shift + F5).
4. Apply Path Blur:
   • Filter > Blur Gallery > Path Blur
   • Change Type to Rear Sync Flash
   • Adjust Speed to 150 and End Point Speed to 200
   • Angle the blur to match light direction
5. Set Blending Mode to Multiply.

2. Light Bounce (Subtle Glow)

1. Duplicate Cast Shadow and rename “Light Bounce”.
2. Fill background with White (Shift + F5).
3. Invert (Ctrl + I / Cmd + I).
4. Set Blending Mode to Color Dodge.
5. Lower Fill Opacity to 20%.

This makes the edges glow naturally, just like real stone! 🔥

Step 8: Final Adjustments

1. Add Global Contrast:
   • Create a Levels Adjustment Layer.
   • Adjust:
     • Black Point: 18
     • White Point: 244
     • Midpoint: 0.9
2. Refine Background:
   • Copy a stone texture and place it at the bottom.
   • Adjust Brightness & Contrast for better contrast with the text.

Conclusion

🎉 Congratulations! You’ve created a realistic carved stone text effect in Photoshop.