SNOW GLOBE

In this tutorial you will learn how to (1) Make curtains (background for the globe); (2) How to utilize and earlier tutorial 'Bubbles' in a different setting; (3)  How to make snow; and (4) How to use different blending applications to achieve desired effects.

PART I: CURTAIN BACKGROUND

Step 1

Open new canvas: 735 x 550 (a size I use for web pages and also to allow you to add more to the final 'scene' should you so wish), 72 (or 144)  pixels, white background.  Create a new layer called and fill with a colour or your choice or use 'hex' in this example 9F3F5D

Step 2

Create a new channel. 

Step 3

Using the rectangular marquee tool, we are going to make selections and fill with white.

Step 4

Now go to Filter/Blur/Gaussian Blur and enter a value of 10

Step 5

Click back on the burgundy layer in the layers palette.  Go to Filter/Render/Lighting Effects and enter the settings below and in the texture dialog box select 'Alpha 1'.

Your canvas should now look something like this.

PART II: THE GLOBE

Those of you who have already done the bubble tutorial will be familiar with these steps.

Step 1

Create a new layer.  Using the rectangular marquee tool, make a square selection around 400 by 400 pixels from the top left corner. Go to Edit/Fill/Select 50% gray and make sure preserve transparency is NOT checked. DO NOT deselect.

Step 2

Keeping selection, go to Filter/Render/Lens Flare.  Set at 100%, 50-300mm zoom.   Make sure flare is about quarter of the way between the centre point and the top left corner.

Step 3

Still keeping selection, and the bubble layer active go to Filter/Distort/Polar Coordinates and set it to 'Polar to Rectangular'.

Step 4

Still keeping the selection, go to Edit/Transform/Flip Vertical.  Go back to Filter/Distort/Polar Coordinates and select 'Rectangular to Polar'.  You can now deselect.

Step 5

We now want to set our vertical and horizontal guides as follows:  vertical approx. 390; horizontal approx. 275.  We now want to move our bubble square so that it is centered on the guides.

Select elliptical marquee.  Place cursor directly centre where the horizontal and vertical guides meet (the cursor cross should turn a reddish color when you are centre).  Holding down the alt key on this centre point, drag a round selection around your bubble/globe.

Step 6

Hit Ctrl+J to duplicate and delete original bubble/globe layer.  Change new bubble layer to Hard Light Mode.  Voila!

You may want to resize your globe at this point.  In determining the size you want, you should bear in mind what you might want to add to the 'scene' at a later date (e.g. base, table etc).

The next part of the tutorial involves a technique which does not permit merging of layers, so it is IMPORTANT you size your globe now rather than later.  It can be done later, but you will also have to resize the snow layers.  I kept mine the same size simply for perceptual ease during the tutorial.

PART III : THE SNOW

Step 1

Create a new layer.  Using rectangular marquee draw a square selection around your globe.

Step 2

Fill the selection with white. Go to Filter/Noise/Add Noise and enter a value of 8, Gaussian, monchromatic checked.

Step 3

Go to Image/Adjust/Threshold and enter a value of 210 (this can be experimented; settings will vary depending on the density of snow effect you want). 

Step 4

Go to Image/Adjust/Invert.

Step 5

Ctrl+Click on Globe layer to make selection.  Select inverse. Hit delete key.

Step 6

On the layers palette, change the blending mode to Screen.

Step 7

We also need some snow on the bottom of the globe (if its falling it must gather :O-)

Select elliptical marquee tool and make a selection similar to this.  Fill the selection with white.

Step 8

Go to Filter/Texturizer.  Select Sandstone, settings 50%; relief 4; select light direction 'bottom right'.  Make sure Invert box is not selected. 

Step 9

Repeat this procedure, this time checking 'invert'/  Change layer opacity to 25 or 50% in order to see the bubble through the snow.  Erase excess and change opacity back to 100%.

Step 10

We also want to erase some of the snow from inside the globe so that it does not look contrived, and looks like fallen snow.

Voila!  We now have a snow globe, all ready to be dressed up with a Christmas scene and a base.  Have fun completing this!  Below is one 'I made earlier', lol :O-)