How to Add Snow in Photoshop

Create a falling snow effect in Photoshop and add realistic snow to your winter photos. A step-by-step tutorial.
► NEW PS 2024 VERSION HERE: • Add Snow to Your Photo...
Nothing adds to a winter photo like falling snow. But capturing those falling snowflakes with your camera can be a challenge. And what do you do if it wasn't snowing? Thankfully, it's easy with Photoshop to create your own snow effect and add the snow later, as I show you step-by-step in this tutorial.
I'm using Photoshop 2023 but any recent version will work. For older versions like CS6, check out my original snow effect video: • Photoshop Snow Effect:...
Join my Patreon: / photoshopessentials
Written tutorial and PDF: bit.ly/3iOJUeM
Get Photoshop 2023: prf.hn/l/dlXjD2w
Image used in this video: prf.hn/l/yOWb9Qw
Check out my new AI music channel: / @retro_music_rewind
How to Add Snow in Photoshop
0:00 Intro
0:21 Add a new layer
0:44 Fill the layer with black
1:00 Add noise
1:31 Increase the noise size
2:02 Convert the Snow layer into a smart object
2:34 Blend the noise into the image
2:49 Add motion to the snow
3:34 Editing a smart filter's settings
3:53 Deleting the filter mask
4:21 Reduce and brighten the snow
5:32 Make a copy of the Snow layer
6:01 Rotate the layer
6:15 Make the new snowflakes bigger
6:53 Add motion to the larger snowflakes
7:21 Reduce and brighten the snow again
► These related videos use the same steps to create other effects:
1. Add RAIN to your photos: • Add Rain to your Photo...
2. Add STARS to a night sky: • Add Stars to your Nigh...
► Visit my Photoshop Essentials website for more tutorials:
www.photoshopessentials.com
#photoshopeffects #photoshoptutorial

[@namtranle3108]

It is helpful to me, thank you very much!

[@TaleOfTwoIdiots]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@shortified22]

Thanks man, really helped out.

[@cfr1205]

Very clever special effects process, Steve. Thanks for sharing. As always, a well explained tutorial.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks Frank. I always look forward to your feedback.

[@sunrosejkt]

Fantastic...love it..looks so natural...thanks

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

You're very welcome! This is one of my favorite effects, and it's super easy to create. Thanks for watching!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

► NEW PS 2024 VERSION HERE: th-cam.com/video/Iwmct1sS8do/w-d-xo.html
Hi everyone, Steve here. In this video, I show you how easy it is to add falling snow to your winter photos with Photoshop! This update to my original snow effect video from a few years ago is for Photoshop 2023 or any recent version. Check out these other videos as well that use many of the same steps to create other effects, like adding rain (th-cam.com/video/_vWPnbJq8Zs/w-d-xo.html) or adding stars to a night sky (th-cam.com/video/o0gYwyJoAv4/w-d-xo.html). As always, thank you so much for watching!

[@heddybell]

Thank you so much. Can't wait to try this.

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Let me know how it works out!

[@heddybell]

@@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel I have just done it Steve and it looks great! The photo I chose was one taken at a Garden Centre recently where they had a lovely indoor Christmas display - with a family member standing in front. Now I have added snow - the photo looks terrific! Thank you!

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

@@heddybell That's great! So happy to hear it worked out. :)

[@timovirmavirta3560]

Hi ! Amazing video !
at 6:15 when I try to make the second layer of snowflakes bigger, the option Filter -> Pixelate -> Cristallize is gray and unable to select, Photoshop allows me to select only Facet, Fragment and Mosaic. Any idea how to fix this ?

[@wlcrashes]

Amazing stuff. I can't believe your video hasn't gained at least a million views :(

[@blazingphoenix1000]

I noticed it asked me to save it as a PSB because the size was too big is that because of using noise

[@shoaibmadrasi5481]

nice

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks! And thanks for watching!

[@suyuan31]

Hi, Steve,
I have the same questions, when I try to make the second layer of snowflakes bigger, the option Filter -> Pixelate -> Cristallize is gray and unable to select, Photoshop allows me to select only Facet, Fragment and Mosaic. Any idea how to fix this ? Thanks. Yuan

[@TheJomadi]

👍👍

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Thanks! I hope it's helpful.

[@TheJomadi]

@@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel it was helpfull thank you very much

[@maxphunn6189]

Hello! I am working my way through this tutorial and when I try to add the crystalize filter, I get a "not enough ram memory to complete the task" message. The computer is brand new with 32 GB, 2 x 16 GB, DDR5, and nothing else is running. Isn't that enough memory?

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

First thing to check would be the current size of your document with all the layers added. In the lower left of the document window is a status area showing info about your document. Click the arrow to the right of the info and choose Document Sizes from the top of the menu. Two sizes will be shown. The size on the right (the larger of the two) is the size with your layers added. What does it say?

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

Here's a way to fix the problem. After you fill the "Snow" layer with noise and scale it up by 400%, but before you convert the layer to a small object, make sure the "Snow" layer is active. Then go to Select > All, then Image > Crop, and then Select > Deselect. This will crop away everything on the layer that's outside the canvas and keep the document's file size much smaller. You can then convert the layer to a smart object and continue with the remaining steps.

[@maxphunn6189]

@@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel Thank you for responding. I am really enjoying the way you teach. Well, it must be really big because it is even too big to save LOL. The Doc size is 95.3M/3.07G

[@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel]

That is a big file. But the real problem is that along with needing the RAM to hold the document itself in memory, Photoshop needs lots of additional RAM for all of its calculations. My PC has 32 GB of RAM as well but I do run into issues occasionally.

[@maxphunn6189]

@@PhotoshopEssentialsChannel Doing this allowed me to finish the project. Thank you. Would starting with a jpeg instead of bringing a raw file over from Lightroom be a better thing to do?