Lightning. A phenomenon that is just as majestic as it is dangerous. In this tutorial, I'am going to show you in a few simple steps how to create an effective lightning effect. Open a new file in Photoshop about 400 X 400 pixels. Start with a white background, with foreground color set to white, and background color set to black.
Click on Filter + Render + Clouds. This should create what at first appears to be a cloud affect. After this click Filter + Render + Difference Clouds. This should create the dark cloud effect shown above. In the Levels Adjustment screen, move the arrow all the way to the right.
Now click on Image + Adjust + Invert and then click Image + Adjust + Levels. You should get an image similar to what I have above. To add color to the image, click Image + Adjust + Color Balance. I chose a bluish color, and her is how my work came out above.
