How to Create a Stunning Winter Princess Artwork in Photoshop

Learn how to create this winter scene in Photoshop. You will learn how to blend photos and textures, create a cold blue photo effect, and more!

Final Results

Tutorial Resources

Step 1 - Background

Open the 'Background 1' image and let's crop the part we are interested in.

Duplicate the image and set it to Multiply. Opacity 80%.

Open the 'Background 2' image and put it above the other layers. Delete the part with the tree (as you see below).

Set the layer to Soft Light. Opacity 50%. As you can see on top there is a part of the tree that is not well belended. Delete it with the Erase Tool or with a Layer Mask (I prefer this method because it doesn't destroy the image).

This is what you will have.

Create a new layer. Choose a big round soft brush with low Opacity and pick Black color. Paint a vignette like the one you see in the image below and add Gaussian Blur if you want.

Set the layer to Multiply. Opacity and Fill to 80%.

We need to create a kind of ray of light. Create a new layer. You can paint it with a soft brush or use a light beams brush like this.I used this color: #ccdffb (The black background is only to make you see the light, you will not have to do it!)

I left the layer with Normal Blend but I put the Opacity at 80%. Double click on this layer and a window will pop up. Check 'Outer Glow'. Put the color #ccdffb instead of the preset yellow.

Step 2 - Lady

Extract the Lady and put her above every layer in the position you see below. (I previously worked on her skin with the Smudge Tool and liquified a bit her face).

Add a Hue/Saturation only for the lady's layer and set the Saturation to -60.

Create a new layer below the one with the Lady. Load the 'Smoke' brush and with color #999da3 paint something like the image below.

Set the layer to Linear Dodge with Opacity and Fill at 50% and this is what you'll have so far.

Create a new layer linked only at lady's layer (above the hue/sat we created before). Choose a soft brush with low Opacity and Flow. Pick the color #cad7e7 and paint some light at the edges of the lady.

Create a new layer above everything and let's paint some hair to give it volume.

Create a new layer. Pick a light color from the background and paint some light on the hair.

Step 3 - Snow

Open the 'Snow Texture' and put it above everything. Desaturate it and set the layer to Screen with Opacity 50% and Fill 80%. As you can see below I deleted some parts of the image but only because I didn't like the snow in those places.

Step 4 - Adjustments

Create a new layer. Choose the Smoke brush and paint some smoke at the bottom of the layer with color #e2ecf7. Layer is set to Normal with Opacity 60% and Fill 80%.

Create a new layer. Choose the Gradient Tool (Linear, Color #525869 to Transparent). Paint something like the image you see below.

Set the layer to Multiply.

Create a new layer. Make a texture like the one below (if you are not able get it from my PSD).

4 comments on “How to Create a Stunning Winter Princess Artwork in Photoshop”

Andrey says:

September 15, 2021 at 8:32 am

Excellent tutorial

Dr. McGarvey says:

December 18, 2017 at 10:47 am

Mediocre Tutorial

graphic design tutorials says:

July 9, 2016 at 3:06 am

Thanks for sharing.

Maidul Islam says:

September 22, 2014 at 1:00 am

Awesome! Excellent tutorial...Thanks for sharing.