Winter is a beautiful season, but photographing in this season and in snowy weather is really challenging. Of course, the difficulty of winter photography is not only due to the cold weather, but also to the technical issues of photography. However, the beauty of snowfall is something that can not be simply given up. Snow photos are usually the most memorable photos. However, what if the weather is not snowy? In this article, we will provide a step-by-step tutorial on creating a snow effect in Photoshop. At the end of the tutorial, you can create a completely natural snow effect on your photos.
The photo below is the final result of this educational article. Also note that Adobe Photoshop CC 2021 is used for this tutorial. Of course, most previous versions are enough to create a snow effect in Photoshop, and changes to different versions do not interfere with this tutorial.
Getting Started – Setting Up Files
For this tutorial, we will use the image below and we are going to add the snowfall effect to it. You can also save this photo and follow the step-by-step tutorial with us.
In the Layers panel (usually at the bottom right of Photoshop), you will see that there is only one Background layer.
Step 1: Create a blank layer above the photo
To avoid damaging and making permanent changes to the original photo, we create a new layer and make all the changes to it.
To do this, select Add new Layer from the bottom of the Layers panel.
A new layer called Layer 1 is created on top of the Background layer.
Double-click the layer name and rename it Snow. Then press Enter (on Windows) or Return (on Mac) to apply the change.
Step 2: Fill the layer with black
In the next step, we have to make the whole space of the new layer black.
Although using a pen tool is one way, there is an easier way. From the top menu of Photoshop, enter the Edit option and then select the Fill option.
In the page that opens, set the Content value to Black, as shown below, and click OK.
By doing this, Photoshop turns the Snow layer black. And since the Snow layer is on top of your background layer (main image), you only see the black image and the original image is hidden below it.
Step 3: Add the Add Noise filter
To create a snowfall effect in Photoshop, we start with the Add Noise filter.
Make sure you select the Snow layer. Now enter the Filter menu from the top menu, from the Noise section, select the Add Noise option (as shown below)
The Add Noise filter adds a number of dots to your layer. In the next steps, we turn these points into snowflakes.
Set the Amount to 25% and select the Gaussian option for Distribution. From the bottom of the screen that opens (as shown below), enable the Monochromatic option to limit all dots to black and white. Then click OK.
As you can see, Photoshop fills the Snow layer with Noise. Of course, these points are very faint at the moment, but in the next steps, we will make them clearer and better.
Step 4: Increase the size of the Noise
As we have said, so far the Noise works have been very faint, intangible and small. In this step, we are going to make them bigger by using Scale Command.
Go to the Edit section from the menu at the top of the page, and select the Scale option from the Transform section.
In the toolbar at the top of the page (as shown below), make sure the link icon between the length and height is active.
As you can see, their value is at 100%. It does not matter if you change the length or width of one of them to 400%.
Press the OK button to apply the changes, as shown below.
As you can see, the grains and noises have become much larger and more like snowflakes. But it’s too early to think of them as snowflakes.
Step 5: Crop the extra sections in the Snow layer
In the previous step, to increase the amount of Nosies, we made the size of that layer much larger. Although this is not a problem, its large size can overshadow the performance of Photoshop and slow it down a bit. The larger the file size, the slower you are. Use the following methods to shrink and remove extra areas.
Find the original layer size
Since the original dimensions of our file are the same size as the original image file, larger areas are marginalized. In other words, there are parts of the layer that you do not see. To find out the original size of the Nosie layer, select it and press Control + T. You can also do this from the top menu of the software and from Edit> Free Transform.
As you can see, the main dimensions of the layer are specified. You can see that a large part of it has been marginalized and hidden. If you do not see this box, go to the View menu from the top menu of the software and click Fit on Screen. You can also do this by pressing the Control + 0 buttons.
Now you realize how much bigger your Snow layer really is. You only saw the small one in the middle, and most of the layer size went to the edge of the gray area of ​​Photoshop. Although you did not see this section, it is part of the size of your file in Photoshop.
Use the Control + 0 or control + +/- keys to adjust the magnification of the image. In the next step, we remove the extra areas.
How to remove extra areas?
To clear the extra areas of the Snow layer, first go to the Select section from the top menu of Photoshop and select the All option. As you can see, all the sizes you see are selected.
Then enter the Image menu and select the Crop option.
As you can see, the extra sections of the layer have been deleted. Now we delete the selected part as well. Re-enter the Select menu and select the Deselect option. This can also be done using the Control + D shortcut keys.
After completing step 5, there should be no change in the appearance of your image. Because we only removed the parts outside the eye.
Step 6: Turn the S‌ now layer into a Smart Object
In this step, we are going to turn the Snow layer into a Smart Object. By doing this, all the filters and settings we make on this layer can be changed and edited later.
To do this, be sure to select the Snow layer. Then right-click on it and select Convert to smart object from the list.
The Smart Object icon will be added to the layer thumbnail (like the image below) and you will make sure that your layer is properly converted to a Smart Object.
Step 7: Change the Blend Mode of the layer and select Screen
To be able to blend the Snow layer well with the original image, change the Blend Mode of this layer from Normal to Screen.
By selecting the Screen value for Blend Mode, the black border is not displayed and only the white areas remain.
Step 8: Add the Motion Blur filter to the photo
In this step of the tutorial to create a snowfall effect in Photoshop, in order to convey the feeling of rain, we blur a few points (the same Noise) to create the feeling of being moving. To do this, use the Photoshop Motion Blur filter.
Enter the top menu of the software and from the Filters section, enter the Blur section and select Motion Blur.
A new page will open. First, set the ‌ Angle value to -65. This adjusts the angle of incidence. By selecting this value, it is as if snow falls from the top and left of the image.
The next option is Distance, which adjusts the amount of movement. The higher the value, the greater the motion blur. Higher values ​​are fine for the rain effect, but setting a value of 8 to 12 is enough to create a snowfall effect in Photoshop. Click OK at the end.
In the image below, you can see the result of the work after adding the Motion Blur filter. As you can see, the snowfall has become much more natural. Of course, in this photo, we have zoomed in a bit to see the snow better.
View and edit Smart Filters
Because we applied the Motion Blur filter to a Smart Object, Photoshop turned it into a Smart Filter. Smart filters are listed in the Layers panel, under the Smart Object layer.
The main advantage of using smart filters is that you can always re-edit them. Just double-click on their name to open the edit page for you.
Clear the filter mask
Photoshop creates a Filter Mask on smart filters by default. This mask is displayed using a white thumbnail to the left of the word Smart Filters. A filter mask is very similar to a layer mask. The only difference is that the layer mask hides part of the layer content, but the filter mask prevents filters from being applied to parts of the image.
We do not need a filter mask to teach you how to create a snowfall effect in Photoshop. Therefore, we remove it so that it does not take up extra space in the Layers panel.
To clear the layer mask, right-click on the white thumbnail and select Delter Filter Mask.
As you can see, the mask has been removed and we have better and more space in the Layers panel. Now we will continue the training.
Step 9: Add Levels Image Adjustment
In the previous stages, the number of snowflakes in the image was very high. To reduce their number and to make them a little brighter, we use Levels Image Adjustment.
To do this, go to the Image menu, then go to the Adjustment section and select the Levels option. If you have added a dedicated Adjustment panel to the Photoshop environment, you can easily select Levels.
Step 10: Fine-tune the Levels
In the Levels window you will see a histogram that shows the current color range of the image. Since we have selected the snow layer, this histogram shows only the characteristics of this layer. Like the image below, in the section below the histogram, you will see several bars. There is a black dot on the left side and a white dot on the right side. There is another point (gray) in the middle.
We have nothing to do with this handle and the gray dot at the moment and we only need to adjust the white and black dots.
To reduce the number of snowflakes, gently move the black dot to the right. As it does so, keep your eyes on the original image. You will notice that the dark spots become darker and gradually disappear completely.
Then, to make the rest of the snow clear, select the white dot on the right and drag it to the left. The further you move it to the left, the clearer the snowflakes become. You may need to adjust these two points several times to get the result you want.
Click OK when you feel the volume of snow is adequate.
The image below is the result of our work after setting the Levels. As you can see, the number of snowflakes has decreased and the number of grains left has increased.
tip:
Since we have made these settings on a Smart Object, it is still possible to change them again. As mentioned earlier, to reset Levels, you can also double-click on the Levels option in the Layers panel and under the Smart Object layer name to re-open the page (pictured below).
Step 11: Duplicate the Snow layer
In this step of teaching how to create a snowfall effect in Photoshop, we intend to give more depth to our snow effect. So we create a new layer and in this layer we want the snowflakes to be bigger and bigger. It seems that these beads are closer to the camera. To do this, we copy and paste the Smart Object layer called Snow.
In the Layers panel, click Smart Object and drag it to the Add new layer icon – as shown below
A new layer called Snow Copy is created and placed on top of the main layer. Note that this copy layer also has the same effects and filters (Motion Blur, Levels and تنظیم settings). In other words, all those layers and effects are reproduced.
Step 12: Rotate the copied layer 180 degrees
In the previous step, we reproduced the Snow layer. But because everything is exactly the same, the snowflakes completely overlap and the image does not change. To solve this problem, rotate the Snow Copy layer 180 degrees. To do this, follow the path below.
Select the Snow Copy layer. From the top menu of Photoshop, go to the Edit section and select Transform, then select Rotate 180 °.
By doing this, the snowflakes will still fall at the same size and angle, but since their placement has changed, the number of snowflakes you will see will double.
Step 13: Add the Crystallize filter to the photo
To make the snowflakes in the new layer bigger than the previous layer, we use the Photoshop Crystallize filter.
From the menu at the top of the software, enter the Filter section, select Pixelate, and then select Crystallize.
This filter breaks down the image and divides it into smaller sections and cells. At the bottom of the page that opens, you will see the Cell Size option, which we use to determine the size of each of these sections and cells. 10 to 20 will be enough to create a snowfall effect in Photoshop. Since the size of our image is relatively large, we use the number 20. But if your photo is not very large, you may want to use smaller amounts. Finally, click OK.
As you can see in the picture below, the bean seeds have become bigger and coarser.
In the Layers panel, you will see that the Crystallize filter has been added under the Smart Object. If you want to change its value, just double-click on it to reopen the filter settings page.
Step 14: Re-add the Motion Blur filter.
Since we want the larger snowflakes (Snow Copy layer) to have more movement and motion, we add Motion Blur to this layer again.
Go to Filter> Blur> Motion Blur.
Do not touch the Angle value in the page that opens. But since these snowflakes are larger than the previous step, increase the Distance value. In our opinion, something between 16 and 20 can be a good choice. However, this step will also depend on the size of your image. Finally, click OK.
Our image is now as follows and becomes more natural and beautiful at each stage.
As you can see in the Layers panel, the Motion Blur smart filter has been added with our layer and you can change it whenever you want.
Step 15: Adjust the Levels value for the second time
The tutorial on creating a snowfall effect in Photoshop is almost complete. But in the last step, we want to make the appearance of large snowflakes a little more beautiful. To do this, we add a new Levels settings filter to the Snow Copy layer. To do this, go to Image> Adjustments> Levels from the top menu of Photoshop.
As we explained in the previous steps, move the black and white dots (like in the picture below) and adjust the value you want. You can use the black dot to reduce the number of large snowflakes, and you can also use the white adjusting dot to increase their transparency. When you are done, click OK.
When done, ‌ in the Layers panel, you can see the second Level Adjustment filter, which tops your list of smart filters.
Now we have set up the big snowflakes and our training is over. You can see the final result in the picture below.
As you can see, learning how to create a snowfall effect in Photoshop is very simple. Doing all these things will take you even less time reading the whole article. This article is written in a way that even people who are not even familiar with Photoshop can use it, if you are a little familiar with Photoshop, you can go through all the steps in just a few minutes.
Source: ‌ photoshopessentials
