Falling Snow Tutorial

by Steve Silverman (SteveZ)
(All photographs are ©Steve Silverman)

Hugh Stockton has invited me to submit this tutorial on how to simulate falling snow using PS. There are many methods to achieve this effect but I have found the one below by far the easiest way to add realistic falling snow to your winter scenes.

Open your image and create a new layer.
Go to edit > fill > and fill entire image with white.
Go to Filter >Noise > Add Noise Move slider to 400% Under "distribution" click on Gaussian For b&w images use "monochromatic"
Next, to go Filter >Stylize > Diffuse Select "Darken Only" and Click "OK."
While Holding down the control key, Hit the "F" key a few times to adjust the intensity
Go to your layers palette and choose "screen" mode. Notice that the snow looks too sharp and unrealistic.
Go to filter > blur > motion blur. Adjusting the "angle" will help simulate directional motion of falling snow. Using the "distance" slider, you can adjust the intensity of the snow.
You can repeat this process if you like. I often make several layers of different opacities for realism.

Good luck and have fun!