any ideas how this image was made?

[r4inynight]

Im just wondering what tools were used to make these buildings in background. I'm trying to do something similar as an exercise, and am stuck. in other image is my progress so far, soo you can see for yourself of what I'm babbling about.

soo, any ideas about which filters were used, was this originally a photo or not, what was done to the photo and so on, all insight is welcome.

Thanks in advance ^_^

Original
   
I think those snowflakes are an additional layer applied on top of everything, thats all I know atm.


my exercise this far xP
   
a pen doodle about the "form" of shadows, how Id like them to be. other images are about what I got on gimp atm. shadows at bottom right image are made with black layer + opacity mask (done with blend tool). I just put it on top of the building shown on top right image

[rich2005]

Something like this?



All sorts of ways but I would start off with an image search for soviet or Russian appartment blocks, that seems to me to be the style.
That can be colorized (bottom of the colour menu) screenshots https://i.imgur.com/EpP4eVH.jpg

Then given a blur to your taste Motion blur in the blur menu (maybe over applied that one )
Snow effect, easy way is use the gmic_gimp plugin http://www.gmic.eu
screenshots https://i.imgur.com/sZjF1xx.jpg

[denzjos]

One can easy make snow with Gimp :

- make a new layer transparent
- Filters / Render / Noise / Cell Noise (Scale 12)
- Colours / Invert
- Colours / Brightness - Contrast (Brightness to the left - Contrast to the right / white dots become snow)
- Colours / Color to Alpha (select black)

- To add more realistic snow
- copy the snow layer and scale the layer 30%
- copy the snow layer and scale the layer 50%

- To add wind :
- Filters / Distorts / Wind
- Filters / Blur / Linear motion Blur

   
   

[denzjos]

Real snow flocks with Gimp :

- make a new layer transparent
- Filters / Render / Noise / Cell Noise (Scale 12)
- Colours / Color to Alpha (select grey on color panel / try different shades of grey)

- To add more realistic snow
- copy the snow layer and add some blur and play with the opacity