Winter Digital Backdrops

What is in this collection

Snowy outdoor scenes include a birch grove forming a natural arch, a frosted stone archway in snowy woods, a white gazebo by a frozen lake, a white sleigh in a lantern-lit pine glade, a glass igloo under the northern lights, a blue glacier ice cave and an alpine chalet balcony over snowy peaks. Cosy rooms with snowy windows include a bay window seat, French doors onto a snowy terrace, a pale blue room with a sash window, a cottage boot room with a sledge and wellies, a barn conversion great room and a pink apres-ski lounge. Frosted studio sets include an ice blue hydrangea wall, a silver hoop with white pampas, hanging paper snowflakes over a velvet chaise and a carved ice throne. There are also snowy front doors and porches, a Hanukkah window and porch lit with candles, a winter onederland arch, a newborn sled set and an ice hockey rink.

Winter photography backgrounds beyond Christmas

Many of these scenes have no Christmas decorations, so they keep working from January to March: the birch grove, the stone archway, the frozen lake gazebo, the glass igloo, the ice cave, the alpine balcony and the pale blue room. They make good winter photography backgrounds for couples, children's portraits and seasonal minis long after the tree comes down. For decorated trees and wreaths, see Christmas. For an all-white, silver and ice blue look, see Winter Wonderland. Hanukkah scenes are also in the Hanukkah collection. For a plain snowy texture behind text in a template, try snow backgrounds.

Tips for using these scenes

• Cool the subject for snow. The outdoor snow scenes have cool, soft light, often with no strong direction. Lower your subject's white balance a little and add a touch of blue to the shadows. The rooms with fires and lamps are warm, so check the scene page first.
• Sink the feet into the snow. Where people stand on snow, mask the bottom of the shoes slightly and add a soft blue-grey shadow. A light falling-snow layer over the whole composite ties subject and scene together.
• Use the barn great room for the whole family. The barn conversion great room takes seven or more people. The log cabin porch, gazebo, marble staircase, chalet balcony, boot room and hockey rink take four to six. The arches, igloo, ice cave and sleigh are best for one to three.

Snowy scenes are bright, so a poor cut-out shows as a dark halo round the hair; the Photoshop guide shows how to clean up edges and blend the subject in.