To create this snowfall, I decided to use the Pinnacle Hollywood FX software. I chose 2 "effects": #244_Neige5s and #244_Neige10s (Snow 5s or 10s), which will be used as plug-ins. This tutorial is designed to teach you how to use these 2 "effects".

For this tutorial, I used the 4th demonstration film clip from Clowns.mpg in Studio. The image does not lend itself too well to the situation but this sequence is interesting because it has a virtually uninterrupted soundtrack, which will allow me to show you a little something extra.

To use an effect as a plug in, I will remind you briefly of the technique that we have already discussed in other tutorials (See "Tip-5 Using transition #201") . First you choose your clip, then:

• You add it to the timeline,
• You change its length,
• You duplicate it in order to have the same clip twice on the time line.

Then you must remove the soundtrack on one of the two clips in order to avoid an echo. Let me remind you briefly how to do this:

• Select the clip that musthave the soundtrack removed,
• Lock the main video track,
• Remove the soundtrack for this clip,
• Unlock the main video track.

So, which clip will we use to delete the soundtrack ?

Case 1: If you delete the soundtrack on the second clip, you will have this:

2nd case: If you delete the soundtrack on the first clip, you will have this:

Now, we will have to choose between Neige5s and Neige10s (Snow5s and Snow10s). The Neige5s transition was made to apply to a clip from 3 to 7 seconds. The Neige10s effect was made to apply to a clip of 8 to 12 seconds. But nothing stops you from using Neige10s on a 5 second clip, the snow will just fall faster ... Of course if you use Neige5s for about 10 seconds, the snow will fall more slowly.

I will leave it up to you to test all the combinations that are available to you. If your sound is not very important, you can even string together several effects. Your imagination will do the rest ...

If you have viewed the different in-depth tutorials relating to the creation and modification of HFX effects, you can also modify the "effect" we used. This change is very easy, it is sufficient to change the flight path (hence the envelope) of the null object "Chute." In modifying that envelope, you can change the wind direction that pushes the snow, and speed up or slow down the speed of the fall. I think you are able to achieve it alone now.

Then you drag the "effect"to the beginning of the second clip, and you stretch it to the end of the second clip.

If you deleted the 2nd audio track you get this:

If you deleted the 1st audio track you get this:

The drawback in the 1st case was that the soundtrack will increase in volume at the beginning of the clip and then decrease in volume at the end of effect. This may not be what you want ...

If your clip has a soundtrack that's important for project, which applies in our case, it is important to remove the first clip so as not to have the lowered volume at the beginning and end of the 2nd clip.

You have almost finished playing with the weather... You still have to save your work and make an AVI file.
Then:

• You need to insert the resulting file (AVI), which will serve as a plug-in for your overall project,
• You must remove the 2 or 3 frames on which the snow does not appear at the beginning and the end of your video.

And add a voiceover if you like, you can write a poem about snow and winter while contemplating the work you've done, for the final phase, with the 2nd clip of the film demonstration Clowns.mpg Studio.

Okay, that's it ... easy ?
{Thanks to Loosecannon for the fine tuning}