Step 15. Click on your elf image to make it the current one, and then copy the snowflake circle from the clipboard as a new layer in the elf image. (Use the paste as new layer button if it is on your toolbar, or Edit>Paste>As New Layer.) Because the elf picture is exactly in the centre of the frame, the snow circle will cover it precisely.
Step 16. Select the Magic Wand tool. 
In the tools option box, set the tolerance figure to 15. In the layers palette you should now have, for the elf image, two layers. Merged is the picture. Layer 1 is the first snow layer. Make sure that Layer 1 is selected.
Click on any black point in the circle of flakes. All the black will be selected. Hit the delete key and then use Selections>None. Your elf image will now look like the one on the right, with a layer of snowflakes. Save the elf image. It is good practice to save your image after adding each layer, so that if some disaster occurs and PSP crashes, you will not have to redo the layers.
We are now going on to make Layer 2, but you may find it easier to switch layer 1 off, so that the flakes are no longer visible. If you leave all the flake layers visible, by the time you have added 12, the picture will have vanished under a thick layer of snow, and they will need to be switched off before we make the animation frames anyway. To switch a layer off, click on the pair of spectacles beside the layer's name in the layer palette.
Step 17. Click on the frame of the snowflakes image to make it the current one. Select the mover tool. 
The circle selection should still be in place. Right click inside the selection and move the marching ants circle up so that the top touches the next grid line up.
If you keep the circle exactly inside the grid lines, so that it is in line vertically with its previous position, the flakes will fall straight down. That is how I am doing mine so that you can see the effect at the end very clearly. But if you want the snowflakes to move a little from side to side in a natural way, you can move it a few pixels to the right or left of centre. Don't overdo the movement or the flakes will swirl so much that you will lose the downward movement. But it is very important that the top should be exactly on the horizontal grid line above its previous position. Copy the circle to the clipboard and paste as layer 2 into the elf image. Delete the black as before and resave your elf image.
Step 18. Keep repeating step 17 until you have added layer 12. The top of the selection which becomes Layer 12 will be touching the grid line immediately below the one touched by the green circle. You must not go on to make one that coincides with the green circle.
Switch all the snow layers off in the elf image, and you can now switch off the grid. (View>grid - it will be checked and clicking on grid again will uncheck it and switch the grid off.) You no longer need the snow image and you can close it.
On the next page we will add glass to the globe, and an optional base.
