In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a realistic snow globe with the effect of falling snowflakes in Photoshop using my original photos.
The final result:
This snowball effect is part of the other Snow Ball Action: Animation for Christmas and the Christmas Snowball Layout with GIF Animation, which you can see in my profile on the GraphicRiver website.
- Download the archive with materials for the lesson
- Alternative link to archive download
1. Create a Background
Step 1
First create a new document with the following dimensions 1200 px x 1200 px. Create a new layer, name this layer. Blue Rear Background (Blue Background). Using tool Fill 
(Paint Bucket Tool), fill this layer with the following color shade # d9d9d9.
Step 2
Let’s go Filter – Noise – Add Noise (Filter> Noise> Add Noise). Install Effect (Amount) by 5%, Distribution (Distribution) on Uniform (Uniform), and also put a tick in the box Monochrome (Monochromatic).
Step 3
For a filled layer, add the following layer styles: Gradient overlay (Gradient Overlay) (gradient colors #ffffff and # 000000) and Color Overlay (Color Overlay) (overlay color # 4dc4de). For layer style Color Overlay (Color Overlay), you can choose any other color that you like.
2. Create a Snow Ball Effect
Step 1
Open the original image with a snow globe in Photoshop. Move this image to our working paper with the tool Move 
(Move Tool). Apply scaling to the ball (Ctrl + T) so that it fits into the canvas dimensions if you use the same canvas sizes as the ball. Name this layer Ball (Shade). Duplicate this ball layer, name the duplicate layer. Glare (Highlight). Temporarily disable visibility of the layer Glare (Highlight).
Step 2
Change the blending mode for the layer Ball (Shade) on Multiplication (Multiply), Opacity (Opacity) layer 100%.
Press the button Create a new adjustment or fill layer (Create new fill or adjustment layer) at the bottom of the layers panel and in the appeared window select the option Curves (Curves). Click directly on the Curve line to add a control point with the following values. Output (Output) 130 and entrance (Input) 69. Add another checkpoint with the following values. Output (Output) 244 and entrance (Input) 183.
Now right click on the adjustment layer. Curves (Curves) and in the window that appears, select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask).
Step 3
Turn on layer visibility Glare (Highlight). Change the blending mode for this layer to Lightening (Screen), Opacity (Opacity) 100%.
Press the button Create a new adjustment or fill layer (Create new fill or adjustment layer) at the bottom of the layers panel and in the appeared window select the option Curves (Curves). Click on the first control point to shift it. Set the following values Output (Output) 235 and entrance (Input) 0.
Click directly on the Curve line to add a control point with the following values. Output (Output) 55 and entrance (Input) 71. Add another checkpoint with the following values. Output (Output) 114 and entrance (Input) 215.
Now right click on the adjustment layer. Curves (Curves) and in the window that appears, select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask).
Step 4
Go to layer Glare (Highlight) and then click To add layer-mask 
(Add layer mask) at the bottom of the layers panel.
Choose a tool Brush 
(Brush Tool), set a soft round brush, about 200 px brush size, brush color # 000000. Click on the layer mask to make sure that it is active, and then just paint over the center of the snow globe.
3. Add a lock
Step 1
Create a new layer below the layer. Ball (Shade). Name this layer Castle (Castle). Open the original image with the lock, copy / paste (Copy / Paste) image of the castle on the created new layer. You need to apply scaling, as well as shift the image of the castle in such a way as to get the look that you like.
Step 2
Press the button Create a new adjustment or fill layer (Create new fill or adjustment layer) at the bottom of the layers panel and in the appeared window select the option Gradient map (Gradient Map). Next, right-click on the adjustment layer. Gradient map (Gradient Map) and in the window that appears, select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask).
Change the blending mode for the adjustment layer. Gradient map (Gradient Map) on Chromaticity (Color) Opacity (Opacity) 92%. For the gradient, set the gradient colors to # 154654 and # e8fdfd.
4. Create a Snow Surface
Step 1
You can temporarily turn off the visibility of the lock layer. Choose a tool Ellipse
(Ellipse Tool). Draw a shape as shown in the screenshot below. Name this layer Snow base (Snow Base).
To layer Snow base (Snow Base) add layer style Inner shadow (Inner Shadow). The color for the shadow is # 1d2528.
Step 2
Create a new layer, name this layer. Frosty Texture (Frozen Snow Texture). Open the original frosty texture, copy / paste this texture onto the created new layer. Next, right-click on the frosty texture layer and in the window that appears, select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask).
Let’s go Editing – Transformation – Perspective (Edit> Transform> Perspective). Change perspective by pulling reference points. If you want, you can also reduce the degree Opacity (opacity) of this layer.
Go to layer Frosty Texture (Frozen Snow Texture) and then click Add layer mask (Add layer mask) at the bottom of the layers panel. Choose a tool Gradient 
(Gradient Tool), install Linear (Linear) gradient, and also set the following gradient colors: # 000000 and #ffffff. Hover over a point on the canvas where you would like to place the starting point of the gradient, and then drag the gradient to the end point. Hold down (Shift) while creating a gradient.
5. Add the Red Ribbon
Now you can turn on the visibility of the layer with the lock. Create a new layer on top of the adjustment layer. Gradient map (Gradient Map), which is located above the layer with the lock. Name this layer Red ribbon (Red Ribbon).
Download the source file bow-vector.psd, inside you will find the image of the red ribbon. You can change the color of the ribbon at your discretion. So, open the original ribbon image in Photoshop. Next, go File – Save for Web and devices (File> Save for Web and Devices), and in the window that appears, save the image with the ribbon in PNG-24 format, and also tick the box Transparency (Transparency). Add the saved PNG image to the layer Red ribbon (Red Ribbon), for this we go File – Post (File> Place).
6. Place the Image Inside the Ball
Step 1
Click on the layer Red ribbon (Red Ribbon). Hold down (Shift), click on the layer Snow base (Snow Base) to select all the layers between these two layers. Next, go Layer – New – Group of Layers (Layer> New> Group from Layers). Name the new group Castle (Castle).
Step 2
Go back to the layer Ball (Shade) while holding down the (Ctrl) key, click on the thumbnail of this layer to load the active selection. Go to layer with group Castle (Castle) and then click Add layer mask (Add Layer Mask).
Step 3
Go to layer Castle (Castle). Add a layer mask to this layer with a lock. Next, using a black brush, paint over the parts of the castle on the layer mask that you want to hide. You can use a soft round brush with varying degrees of opacity.
Step 4
If you want, you can slightly restore the original colors on the image of the castle, for this, go to the mask of the adjustment layer Gradient map (Gradient Map), which is located above the layer Castle (Castle) and with the help of a black brush, hide the correction of this adjustment layer over the areas where you would like to restore the original colors.
7. Add Falling Snowflakes
Step 1
Create a new layer inside the group. Castle (Castle). Name this layer Falling snowflakes (Falling Snow). Open the snowy texture and then copy / paste (Copy / Paste) the given texture on the created new layer. Change the blending mode for this snow textured layer to Lightening (Screen), Opacity (Opacity) layer 100%.
Step 2
If you want to enhance the effect of snowflakes inside the ball, then you can use the Snow brush. Create a new layer and with a brush Snow white, with varying degrees of opacity, add snowflakes inside the ball.
8. Create Winter Background Background
Step 1
Create a new layer. Name this layer Bokeh lights (Bokeh Lights). Open the texture with Christmas Bokeh, and then copy / paste the given Bokeh texture onto the created new layer. Next, go Filter – Blur – Gaussian Blur (Filter> Blur> Gaussian Blur). Install Radius (Radius) blur at 15 px.
Change the blending mode for the Bokeh texture layer to Soft light (Soft Light), and also reduce Opacity (Opacity) layer up to 88%.
Step 2
To the Bokeh texture layer, add an adjustment layer. Brightness / Contrast (Brightness / Contrast) as a clipping mask, to do this, click Create a new adjustment or fill layer (Create new fill or adjustment layer) at the bottom of the layers panel and in the appeared window select the option Brightness / Contrast (Brightness / Contrast). Next, right-click on the adjustment layer. Brightness / Contrast (Brightness / Contrast) and in the window that appears select the option Create clipping mask (Create Clipping Mask).
9. Adding Snowflakes
As final touches, you can create three new layers and add a snowflake effect on the edges of the canvas with the Snow brush. The color of the brush is white, and also use a different degree of opacity of the brush to create a vignette effect.
Congratulations! We have completed the lesson!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and today you learned how to create a snow globe in Photoshop in just a few simple steps.
The final result:
