How to create snowflakes in the GIMP

Watch a six minute, no sound walkthrough on Vimeo!

Step 1:

the GIMP hides Advanced Options as a default

If you want to add falling snow to an image or render, remember that realistic falling snow is soft-edged, and that the bigger the flakes, the softer and more indistinct their edges will be. Hard edges tend to denote rain, hail, sleet or dandruff. Go to File >New and create a new image at 512×512 pixels. Click Advanced Options, and select Foreground (black by default) in the Fill With dropdown.

Step 2:

Darken with the Curves function

Create a brush (or a layer if you don’t want to save as brush) for the snow closest to a viewer’s eye first: Go to Layer>New. Set it to screen. Fill it with black. Go to Filters>Render>Clouds>Solid Noise, and set it as follows: Detail 10, Randomize Seed checked, Tileable checked, size set to x16 and y 16, and details to 10. Go to Colours>Curves, and drag the curve to around x180 and y to 95

Step 3:

Soften with Gaussian Blur

Add a little more detailing by adding some noise. Go to Filters>Noise> RGB Noise. Uncheck Correlated Noise and Independent RGB. Grab the R slider, and drag it to about 0.70 – the Green and Blue sliders will follow. Click OK. Go to Colours>Brightess and Contrast, and slide the contrast slider all the way to the right. Go to Filters>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set it to between 7 and 15 horizontal and vertical.

Step 4:

Use Motion Blur to make the snow look dynamic

Go to Colours> Levels and set the left slider to 50, the middle to 1, and the right one to 153.  Click OK.  You may have to tweak Contrast or Curves a little to make the flakes brighter. Go to Filters>Blur> Motion Blur, and set it to Linear, with a 10-20 length, and an angle of 45 to denote motion. Tweak with Contrast or Curves again as needed

Step 5:

You can easily save any GIMP image as a brush

If you want to save this as a brush, set the layer to screen, and delete the layer under. Go to File>Save As…, and click Select File Type. Select GIMP brush, and save the brush in GIMP 2.0sharegimp2.0brushes as snow_front. Click on the paintbrush icon in the Toolbox, and the Refresh brushes icon in the lower right to refresh the brushes. Change mode as needed when using the brush.

Step 6:

For background falling snow, create a new document as in Step 1. Create a new layer, and fill it with black. Go to Filters>Noise> RGB Noise. Using the settings from step 3, drag the sliders to 1, and then use Filters>Noise>Gaussian Blur and set both horizontal and vertical to 5. Now go to Colours>Brightness–Contrast, and set the contrast between 30 and 50, depending on how dense you want the flakes. Use Filters>Motion Blur to soften them a little, at length 5 and angle 45. Tweak the contrast as needed, and make them “pop” a little by using Colours>Curves upwards, at 167 x 160. To simulate proper snowy weather, create several brushes or layers with varying density. Remember to make your sky dark, low, and soft if you are aiming for a heavy snowfall.

A mix of foreground and background snow will make the image more dynamic

Quick Tip: For stylized snowflakes, go to Filters>Render>Nature>IFS Fractal – try creating a few new triangles and arranging them in a circle, with one in the middle

Download Conditions and terms of use

By downloading the file you agree to not sell, re-distribute or republish any of the content contained in the file. Using the content to add snow to your own (commercial) images is perfectly fine, though

Download asphalt for the GIMP here!

No exceptions without written permission. Files are copyright Cirstyn Bech-Yagher. Feel free to contact me regarding this:-)