How to Make a Snowflake Brush in Photoshop

Today, we are going to learn how to make a snowflake brush in Photoshop. You can use it to create cool overlays or add some holiday spirit to any image. It is super simple to do using a customized brush. You can use it in projects such as greeting cards, illustrations, or to add flair to your social media posts.

We are going to adjust the brush settings to create the desired effect. You will learn how to randomize the size, shape, and placement of the snowflakes. This will create a more realistic snowflake brush. Then, finally, you will be able to save it for future use.

If you would prefer to use a purchased brush, we have a helpful tutorial on installing brushes in Photoshop.

For this tutorial, we used some simple snowflake clipart to create our brush. We also used this beautiful walking in winter photo to showcase our snowflake brush.

Step 1 - Adjust Clipart File Size

Start by downloading and unzipping your files on your computer. Then, open the clipart you want to use in Photoshop.

Adjust the size of the snowflake if needed using Free Transform (Command/Control + T). Once you are done, hit Enter or click on the checkmark on the top menu.

We need to adjust the file size of our brush so it looks good but doesn’t slow down Photoshop’s performance. The size should be around 1000 x 1000 px.

Go to Image > Image Size (Option/Alt + Command/Control + I) and change the Width and Height values.

Step 2 - Make Your Image Black and White

For our image to work correctly when saved as a brush preset, we need it to be black and white.

Desaturate Your Image

First, we need to change the color into grayscale. To do this, go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate (Shift + Command/Control + U).

Add a White Background

Next, let’s add a white background. If your image already has a white background, you can skip this step.

Create a new Solid Color Fill layer using white (#ffffff) as the fill color.

The color thumbnail needs to be placed under the snowflake layer. So, select it under the Layers Panel then click + drag it below the snowflake layer.

Adjust the Levels

Next, we want to turn the snowflake image into black and white with a Levels Adjustment layer. Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels (Command/Control + L). Select the leftmost eyedropper icon (Black Point). Then click on top of the gray snowflake to sample that shade of gray and set it as black.

Now, the gray should have turned to black. You can do the same with the white point using the rightmost eyedropper if you want. When you are done, click Ok.

Step 3 - Save Your Brush as a Preset

We now want to save our brush as a preset. Go to Edit > Define Brush Preset to save your brush.

Give it a suitable name on the pop-up window.

Step 4 - Adjust Your Snowflake Brush Settings

Next, we need to test the brush preset and adjust its settings accordingly. We will begin by opening an image to apply the brush to.

Add a New Layer

Add a New Layer by clicking on the small icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel and name it Snow. This layer will allow us to add the snow into a separate layer or layers. If we need to, we can later manipulate it without affecting the original image.

Test your New Brush

To see how your newly created brush works, select the Brush Tool (B). Don’t forget to set white as the Foreground color. Then, look for your brush in the Brushes Panel. Make sure that you are working on the Snow layer by selecting it in the Layers Panel. Click on your canvas to add the snow flakes.

Adjust the Brush Settings

You can use the brush as is to add individual snowflakes. To get a more realistic look, adjust the settings to achieve a scattered burst of snow in a single stroke.

With your brush still selected, open the Brush Settings Panel (Window > Brush Settings).

In the Brush Tip Shape tab, increase the Spacing until you have a good separation between the snowflakes.

In the Shape Dynamics tab, use the following values:

• Size Jitter: 100%
• Angle Jitter: 100%
• Roundness Jitter: 80%
• Minimum Roundness: 20%

Leave the rest of the values as default.

Next, in the Scattering tab, set the Scatter value to the max (1000%) and check the Both Axes box. Leave the rest of the values as default.

Then, in the Transfer tab, set the Opacity Jitter to 20% and leave the rest of the values as default.

You can now test your brush and adjust the settings to your liking.

Save the New Brush Preset

Once you are happy with the brush, click on the small menu on the top-right side of the Brush Settings Panel. Now click on New Brush Preset.

Give this brush a new name and click Ok to save it.

Step 5 - Use Your Snowflake Brush

Now, add some snow to your image using your brush. First, make sure that you still have the Brush Tool (B) selected. Then right-click on top of your canvas to open the Brushes window.

Add a Layer of Snow

There you can adjust your brush to a smaller size (we set ours to 45 px). Then, use it to create a layer of snow. This snow is further away so it should be fairly small.

Reduce the Opacity of the Snow layer to around 70% to fade it out a bit.

Add More Layers of Snow

Next, add a new layer on top of everything and name it Snow 2. Increase the brush size to around 200 px and make a second layer of snow that is slightly larger.

Add a final layer on top, name it Snow 3 and further enlarge your brush size. This will add some extra snowflakes that appear to be closer (we set ours to 900px).

Step 6 - Add Filters for a More Realistic Look

As a final step, we are going to use some filters to smooth out the overall look and add some movement.

Apply a Motion Blur Filter

We are going to apply a Motion Blur filter to some layers. First, add some movement to the larger snowflakes and make their edges less defined. To do this select the Snow 3 layer thumbnail and go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur. Adjust the values until they look the way you want. We used a 63º Angle and a Distance of 44 pixels.

Select the Snow 2 layer and apply a Motion Blur filter to it. Remember to adjust the values to your liking. We used a 7º Angle and a Distance of 17 pixels.

Here’s our final piece. We have successfully created a Snowflake brush in Photoshop. By adjusting the settings the brush behaved in a more realistic manner. Now that our brush has been saved, we can use it for future projects.

Next, check out our other tutorials like how to turn a day photo into night or how to create a fog overlay in Photoshop.