2.1 Click here to see the original image and click on the original image to return to this page.

2.2 Click here to see the effect and click on the effect image to return to this page.

3.1 Open the selected image; File>Open, and navigate to the folder holding the image to be processed and open it.

3.2 Check that the default colours in the toolbox are set for black and white as the foreground and background respectively.

3.3 Carry out any general editing work prior to creating the snow and reduce the image size to around 1035 x 690 pixels.

3.4 Copy the 'background' layer and rename it 'Cooling'.

3.5 Select the 'Cooling' layer and reduce the image saturation to reflect the snowy scene by clicking on Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation and moving the saturation slider to a value between -10 and -20.

3.6 Cool the image to reflect the snowy scene by clicking on Image>Adjustments>Photo Filter, selecting the 'cooling filter 82' from the drop menu and reducing the density to around 20%.

3.7 Create a new layer and name it 'Snow'.

3.8 Selecting the 'Snow' layer, fill it with black, by pressing Alt+Backspace.

3.9 Apply some noise by clicking on Filter>Noise>Add Noise, selecting 100% as the amount, ticking the Gaussian Distribution and Monochromatic boxs.

3.10 Add some blurr to the noise by clicking on Filter>Blur>Blurr More.

3.11 To control the amount, size and density of the snow, click on Image>Adjustments>Levels, moving the white pixels slider to the left, to a position where the histogram intersects the baseline and move the black pixels slider to the right to a position between 40 and 20 points less than the input value of the white pixels slider.

Please note that the black and white pixels sliders have initial input values of 0 and 255 respectively, as shown above the histogram.

By moving the black pixels slider towards the white pixels slider you are effectively reducing the amount of white pixels (snow) in the image. The closer the black pixels slider is to the white pixels slider, the fewer and smaller white pixels (snow) that remain. I would suggest that the black pixels slider is moved to a position with an input value of 35 points less than the white pixels slider to achieve a reasonable quantity of sizeable snow flakes. Typically my histogram is showing an input value of 150 and 185 repectively for the black and white pixels sliders.

3.12 To remove the blackness from the image, revealing the snow, set the blending mode in the layers palette to 'screen'.

3.13 To increase the size of the snow depicting closer flakes, copy the 'snow' layer and rename it 'Bigger Snow'.

3.14 To reposition and increase the the size of the nearer flakes of snow in the image, select the 'Bigger Snow' layer and select Edit>Transform>Rotate 180° and Edit>Transform>Scale, clicking on the Maintain Aspect Ratio icon and selecting 200% for 'W' or 'H' in the Options Bar.

3.15 To add some motion and direction to the snow flakes in the 'Bigger Snow' layer, click on Filter>Blur>Motion Blur, setting an angle of -80° with a distance of say 4 pixels.

3.16 To add some motion and direction to the snow flakes in the 'Snow' layer, select the 'Snow' layer and click on Filter>Blur>Motion Blur, setting an angle of -80 degrees with a distance of say 4 pixels.

3.17 Once you have achieved this effect you might want to start again and do your own thing, so here's a listing of the parameters that you might like to play with,

3.17.1 Noise Level, affects the size of the snow flakes.

3.17.2 Positioning of the black and white pixels sliders on the Levels histogram, affects the size and quantity of snow flakes.

3.17.3 Motion Blur Angle, affects the motion angle of the snow flakes depicting gusting conditions.

3.17.4 Motion Blur Distance, affects the movement speed and the density of the snow flakes a cross the image.

3.17.5 If the snow flakes appear to have lost their density in the manipulation, copy the individual snow layers and reduce their opacities in the layers palette to suit your taste.