{"id":41041,"date":"2014-12-28T10:33:53","date_gmt":"2014-12-28T10:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amateurphotographer.co.uk\/?p=41041"},"modified":"2015-04-27T14:31:52","modified_gmt":"2015-04-27T13:31:52","slug":"christmas-photo-project-fake-snow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/expert_advice\/christmas-photo-project-fake-snow\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Photo Project – Fake Snow"},"content":{"rendered":"

When snow and ice hit this country, it\u2019s seldom for very long \u2013 in fact, often, if you blink you\u2019ll miss it. The problem with finding a suitable picture for a Christmas card, or in fulfilling a client\u2019s request for a wintry scene, is that you really need to think about the subject and shoot it long before the pictures are required \u2013 usually in the middle of summer, when the budget will hardly fly you off to an Alpine glacier. All is not lost, though, as fortunately there\u2019s a simple solution in the Photoshop Channels and Layers palettes.<\/p>\n

To convert a summer picture to a winter scene and give it a chilly look is not a complicated procedure, but the secret to success lies in your choice of image. The technique can work extremely effectively with one scene, but have little visual impact on another. I had to experiment with a number of images before<\/p>\n

I found one that worked for me. I discovered that important criteria include features such as railings or tree branches, with highlight and shadow areas that show up the snow effect clearly. My image of Boscombe Pier in Dorset (featured) had the qualities I was looking for.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

How to Create the effect<\/h3>\n

Software needed<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

To recreate this winter transformation, we\u2019ve used Photoshop, but you should also be able to transfer\u00a0 these steps to follow the tutorial in Photoshop Elements and other image-editing programs to achieve a similar look to our version.<\/p>\n

1. Resize image<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Open your image and, in the Image<Image Size menu, change the resolution to 72ppi. Check the Constrain Proportions and Resample Image boxes. This stage is important for the snowflake size later. If the resolution is too fine, the snowflakes will appear too small.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

2. Rotate and select<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In the Image>Image Rotation menu, rotate the image 90\u00b0 clockwise (CW). With the Lasso tool, I made a rough selection of the sky and upper deck area, avoiding the foreground with the decking bolts and fixings, which don\u2019t look good with the ice effect.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

3. Add the icicle effect<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Filter>Stylize>Wind. Select Wind as your method and check direction From the right. Click ok and a fairly subtle ice effect is dragged down from the linear edges in the picture. Next, rotate the image back 90\u00b0 CCW.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

4. Adjust the Hue\/Saturation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Pull up the Hue\/Saturation palette from the Layers box and make adjustments to suit the wintry feel you are seeking to create. In this case, the settings are Hue -20, Saturation -10 and Lightness +3.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

5. Create snow<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Create a new layer and fill with black. In the Filter menu, select Noise>Add Noise, then select 100% Gaussian\u00a0 and check the Monochromatic box. Return to the Filter menu and select Blur>Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 1.0 pixels.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

6. Size the snowflakes<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Open the Levels window and set the Input Levels\u00a0 sliders to 140 lower and 142 higher. This creates\u00a0 an even distribution of snowflakes. Next, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set the Radius slider\u00a0 to 0.5 pixels.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

7. Blend the snow<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In the layers panel, change the Blending Mode to Screen.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

8. Increase the snow<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

To change the direction and intensity of the snow\u00a0 and add a little more, make a copy layer and go to Edit>Transform>Rotate 180\u00b0. Reduce the Opacity\u00a0 to 50% and winter is finally with us.<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n

The finished product!<\/p>\n\"Christmas<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you don\u2019t have a winter scene suitable for a Christmas card, fear not, as Andrew Sydenham reveals how you can fake it in a few simple steps<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":41042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[375],"tags":[],"product-category":[],"class_list":["post-41041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-expert_advice"],"yoast_head":"\nChristmas Photo Project - Fake Snow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you don\u2019t have a winter scene suitable for a Christmas card, fear not, as Andrew Sydenham reveals how you can fake it in a few simple steps\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/other.kelsey.host\/amateurphotographer\/technique\/expert_advice\/christmas-photo-project-fake-snow\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christmas Photo Project - 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