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How to Add Fake Snow to a Photo With GIMP

Create a wintry scene

By Ian Pullen Ian Pullen Writer Ian Pullen is a former Lifewire writer and an experienced graphic designer and web developer with a strong interest in free and open-source graphics software. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 23, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Design Graphic Design Photoshop Animation & Video 3D Design

What to Know

Go to Layer > New Layer > Foreground color > OK. Go to Filters > Noise > RGB Noise. Drag Value to 0.70 and Alpha to the far left.Click OK. Go to Layers > Mode > Screen, then go to Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set Horizontal and Vertical inputs to 2.Use the Eraser tool and a large, soft brush to randomize the look. Go to Layer > Duplicate Layer to make the snow effect heavier. This article explains how to add a snow effect to a photo using the free pixel-based image editor GIMP. This technique can give a wintry feel to all sorts of images and projects.

Open a Photo

If you have an image with snow on the ground, that might be a good choice, but you can produce fun and surreal effects by adding fake snow to all sorts of photos. Go to File > Open and navigate to your selected image and click on it to select it before clicking the Open button.

Add a New Layer

The first step is to add a new layer that will become the first part of our fake snow effect.
If the foreground color in the Toolbox isn't set to black, press the 'D' key on your keyboard. This sets the foreground color to black and the background to white. Now go to Layer > New Layer and in the dialog click on the Foreground color radio button, followed by OK.

Add Noise

The basis of the fake snow effect is the RGB Noise filter and this is applied to the new layer. Go to Filters > Noise > RGB Noise and ensure the Independent RGB checkbox isn't ticked. Now drag the Value slider until it's set to about 0.70. Drag the Alpha slider all the way to the left. Click OK. The new layer will now be covered with specks of white.

Change Layer Mode

Changing the layer mode is as simple as you could hope for, but the results are quite dramatic. At the top of the Layers palette, select the drop-down arrow to the right of the Mode setting and select the Screen setting. The result is quite effective as it is for the fake snow effect, but we can tweak it further.

Blur the Snow

Applying a little Gaussian Blur can make the effect slightly more naturalistic. Go to Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur and in the dialog set the Horizontal and Vertical inputs to two. You can use a different setting if you prefer the appearance and you may indeed have to if you're using an image of a significantly different resolution.

Randomize the Effect

The fake snow layer is quite uniform in its density across the whole image, so the Eraser Tool can be used to fade out parts of the snow to make it appear more irregular. Select the Eraser Tool and in the Tool Options that appear below the Toolbox, choose a reasonably large soft brush. You can now paint randomly over the layer with the Eraser Tool to make some areas more transparent than other areas.

Duplicate the Layer

The effect currently suggests quite light snow, but it can be made to look heavier by duplicating the layer. Go to Layer > Duplicate Layer and a copy of the fake snow layer will be placed above the original and you'll see that the snow seems heavier now. You can play with the effect further by erasing parts of this new layer or adjusting the Opacity slider in the layers palette. If you want a fake blizzard, simply duplicate the layer again. You can also learn how to add fake rain to a photo using GIMP, Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Tutorial to Add Fake Rain to a Photo in GIMP Greeting Card Template and Instructions for Adobe Photoshop How to Make a Torn Paper Edge in GIMP How to Apply Rubber Stamp Effects in Photoshop Elements 8 How to Create the Out of Bounds Effect in Photoshop How to Change Background Color in Photoshop How to Use the Photoshop Background Eraser Tool The 4 Best Photo Editor Apps of 2022 How to Fix Pet Eye in Your Photos How to Make a Photo Look Snowy in Paint.NET How to Add a Watermark to a Photo in Corel Photo-Paint How to Create the Dreamy Soft Focus Orton Effect in GIMP 10 Best Free Photo Editing Programs How to Add Inner Text Shadows in GIMP How to Add Snow in Photoshop How to Unlock the Background Layer in Photoshop Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies