How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop

Nothing adds beauty to a winter photo like falling snow. While capturing falling snow in camera can be difficult, adding snow later in Photoshop is easy.

This tutorial will show you step by step how to create a falling snow effect in Photoshop and avoid performance issues with Photoshop when adding snow to larger images.

Step 1: Add a new layer for the snow

In the Layers panel , the photo is on the Background layer. Add a new blank layer above the photo by clicking the Add New Layer icon .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Click the Add New Layer icon.

Then, double-click the new layer name and rename it Snow . Press Enter on a Windows PC or Return on a Mac.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Rename layer Snow.

Step 2: Fill the layer with black color

We need to fill the new layer with black. So go to the Edit menu in the Menu Bar and select Fill.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Select Fill from the Edit menu in Photoshop.

In the Fill dialog box, set Contents to Black and click OK.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Set Contents to Black

The image is temporarily hidden from view.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
The result after coloring the layer black.

Step 3: Add noise effect to layer

To create snow, first add some noise effects to the layer.

Go to the Filter menu , select Noise then Add Noise.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Select the Add Noise filter.

In the dialog box, select Gaussian and Monochromatic at the bottom.

Then set the Amount of noise to around 25% and click OK .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Install the Add Noise filter.

Photoshop will add noise effects to the layer.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Result after adding noise.

Step 4: Adjust the noise ratio

The noise effect will eventually become our snow effect, but the problem is that it's too small. So let's adjust the noise scale by going to the Edit menu , selecting Transform , then Scale .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Select the Scale command in Photoshop.

In the Options Bar , make sure the link icon between the Width and Height fields is selected.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Link Width and Height in Options Bar.

Then change the Width to 400%. The Height will also change to 400%.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Shrink width and height to 400%.

Click the check mark on the Options Bar to accept.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Click the check mark to close the Scale command in Photoshop.

The noise effect starts to look more like snow.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Results after noise ratio adjustment

Step 5: Trim excess space

But this is something that can cause performance issues with Photoshop if you’re working with larger images. Since the example has shrunk the width and height of the noise layer by 400%, the document size is now much larger.

Notice in the Properties panel that the document width is now 10800 pixels and the height is almost 7200 pixels. This can cause problems when you start applying the noise filter because Photoshop can run out of memory.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
The document width and height are now 4 times larger.

The good news is that we don't need all that extra space so we can trim it.

To do that, go to the Select menu and choose All .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Select the Select All command

Then go to the Image menu and select Crop .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Crop the image around the selection.

Go back to the Select menu and choose Deselect .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Remove selection border.

The document is back to its original size and we can start adding some filters.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
The extra space has been trimmed.

Step 6: Convert the snow layer into a smart object

But before we add any filters, let's first convert the snow layer to a smart object. That way, the filters will be applied as smart filters, meaning we can go back and change their settings if needed.

With the snow layer selected, click the Layers panel menu icon.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Open the Layers panel menu.

Then select Convert to Smart Object .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Select the Convert to Smart Object command.

A smart object icon appears in the lower right corner of the thumbnail.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Smart object icon.

Step 7: Blend the noise effect with the photo

Still in the Layers panel, blend the noise effect with the photo by changing the Blend Mode of the smart object from Normal to Screen .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Change Blend Mode to Screen.

Blend Mode Screen hides the black areas on the layer and leaves only white noise.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Blend noise effect with photo

Step 8: Add motion to the snow

To make the snow look like it's falling, go to the Filter menu , select Blur , then Motion Blur.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Select Motion Blur filter

In the dialog box, set the Angle to the direction you want the snow to fall. I set my angle to -65 degrees so the snow falls from the top left corner.

Then adjust the amount of movement using the Distance slider . Don't set it too high or the snow will look more like rain. Lower values ​​will work better, so for example we'll set the angle to 10 pixels.

Click OK to close the dialog box.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Install the Motion Blur filter.

The Layers panel shows that the Motion Blur filter has been applied as a smart filter.

You can double-click the filter name to reopen the dialog if you want to try different settings.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Smart filters are listed below smart objects.

Also, in the Layers panel we have a new filter mask (white thumbnail) that takes up a lot of space.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Smart filter mask in the Layers panel in Photoshop

We don't need the filter mask for this effect. So let's delete it by right-clicking and selecting Delete Filter Mask .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Delete the filter mask to create a blank space in the Layers panel.

Step 9: Reduce and lighten the snow

Next, we'll reduce the amount and lighten the snow at the same time.

Go to the Image menu , select Adjustments and then select Levels.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Added Levels image adjustment.

To reduce the number of snowflakes, click on the black point slider at the bottom left of the graph and start dragging to the right.

As you drag, you will see the darker snowflakes start to disappear, leaving only the lighter snowflakes.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Drag the black point slider to reduce the number of snowflakes.

Then, to brighten the remaining snowflakes, click on the white point slider at the bottom right of the histogram and drag it to the left.

When finished, click OK to close the dialog box.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Drag the white point slider to brighten the snowflakes.

Back in the Layers panel , note that even though Levels is an image adjustment rather than a filter, Photoshop still applies it as a smart filter, meaning you can double-click its name to reopen the dialog box and change the settings if needed.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Levels are also added as a smart filter.

Step 10: Duplicate the snow layer

At this point, the initial snow effect is complete. But let's add a little more depth to it by adding a second layer of snow, this time with larger snowflakes so they look like they're closer to the camera.

In the Layers panel , create a copy of the Snow smart object by dragging it down onto the Add New Layer icon .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Duplicate the Snow smart object.

The copy appears above the original, along with copies of the smart filters so there's no need to reapply them.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
The copy includes smart filters.

Step 11: Rotate the second snow layer

Rotate the copy so that the new snowflakes don't just sit on top of the original snowflakes.

Go to the Edit menu , go down to Transform and select Rotate 180 degrees .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Select the Rotate 180 degrees command

Rotating the copy will double the amount of snow falling.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Result with rotated copy.

Step 12: Make the snowflakes bigger with Crystallize

To make these snowflakes larger than the original, go to the Filter menu , down to Pixelate and select Crystallize.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Open the Crystallize filter.

Increase the Cell Size at the bottom to somewhere between 10 and 20. For example, I'll choose 15.

Then click OK to close the dialog box.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Install the Crystallize filter.

If the snowflakes look too big or not big enough, just double click the Crystallize smart filter in the Layers panel and try different settings.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Crystallize Smart Filter.

Step 13: Add motion to the snowflakes

The only problem with larger snowflakes is that they don't have any applied movement.

So go back to the Filter menu , go back to Blur and again select Motion Blur .

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Add a second Motion Blur filter.

Keep the Angle the same so the snow falls in the same direction. But since these snowflakes are larger, increase the Distance to about 20 pixels. Then click OK.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Increase Distance for larger snowflakes.

Step 14: Reduce and lighten the large snowflakes

Finally, reduce and brighten the larger snowflakes by adding another Levels adjustment.

Go back to the Image menu , go back to Adjustments and select Levels.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Add another Levels image adjustment.

Then, just like we did before, drag the black point slider to the right to reduce the number of snowflakes and drag the white point slider to the left to brighten the remaining snowflakes.

Then click OK to close the dialog box.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Adjust the black and white point sliders.

We have the complete snow effect.

How to Add Falling Snow to Photos Using Photoshop
Falling snow added to photo using Photoshop.

That's how to add falling snow to your winter photos using Photoshop.

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