Here's a tutorial on how to create a lightning effect in Photoshop. Create an irregular line shape using the gradient that we applied to the layer to which the cloud filter has been applied. Irregular lines will form following the shape of the filter clouds. After obtaining the shape of an irregular line, then just adjust it using adjustments. The next step, of course, is to add the lightning to the photo we want. The final step is to change the blend mode from normal to Screen and adjust the size and position on the photo using the Free Transform command.
The final result.
1. Create a new Document in Photoshop
Select the File menu> New or use the shortcut Ctrl + N.
The New dialog box will open. Fill in the document name, width: 1000 pixels, height: 1000 pixels, then click the OK button.
Photo source for this Photoshop tutorial is taken from National Geographic.
Create a new document.
2. Create a new layer
Click the Create a New Layer icon located at the bottom of the panel.
Create a New Layer.
3. Apply Filter Clouds
Press the letter D on the keyboard to reset the foreground/background color to the default black for the foreground and white for the background.
Click Layer 1 then select Filter>Render>Clouds menu.
Change the blend mode to Difference.
Apply Filter Clouds.
4. Apply a Gradient
Make sure the foreground/background color is set to default by pressing the D key on the keyboard.
Click the Gradient Tool icon in the Tool Panel.
Set the Gradient tool to Foreground to Background and Linear Gradient (see image).
Settings for the gradient tool.
Click the Background layer to activate it.
Then drag on the document from left to right.
An irregular line will appear like a thunderbolt dividing the document in two.
Drag the mouse from left to right to create a lightning effect.
5. Create an Invert adjustment layer
Select the Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Invert menu or you can also click the adjustment layer icon located at the bottom of the panel, then select Invert.
The lightning will now be bright white.
invert.
6. Set By Level
Click the adjustment layer icon then click Levels or you can select the menu Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Levels.
In the Levels property, please drag the black slider to the right and the white slider slightly to the left if needed.
You should see the lightning effect is white and the surrounding background is black.
Until here, your lightning effect is finished.
Next is to add lightning to your photo.
Slide the black slider to the right.
7. Add a copy merged lightning bolt to the photo
Press Ctrl+A to select the entire lightning document.
You will see a dotted line around the document then select the Edit menu> Copy Merged.
Now the lightning photo is saved in the clipboard.
Press Ctrl+A to select the entire document.
Next, open the photo you want to add lightning to by pressing Ctrl+O.
In the Open dialog box, please select your file and then click the OK button.
Once the photo is open, press Ctrl+V keys to paste the lightning bolt onto the photo.
Lightning images will appear on still photos with a black background.
In the layer panel, Layer 1 is formed for the lightning image that we copied.
Paste the lightning image into the photo.
8. Adjust the size of the lightning using Free Transform
Click Layer 1 to activate it.
Change the blend mode to Screen.
Then press Ctrl+T to adjust the position and size of the lightning bolt.
While holding down the shift key, click in the corner of the Free Transform box and then drag inward to make it smaller.
Press enter when finished editing.
If there is a part of the lightning that we don't want, use a brush to erase it.
Use Free Transform to adjust the lightning on the photo.
9. Add a Gaussian Blur Filter
To increase the light of lightning we can use FGaussian Blur filter.
Click Layer 1 then select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.
In the Gaussian Blur dialog box, enter a value between 5 and 6 pixels. then click the OK button.
Add Gaussian Blur.
10. Add more thunderbolts
Another easy way to add lightning is to duplicate Layer 1.
Click layer 1 then press Ctrl+J.
Then press Ctrl+T to call Free Transform.
After the Free Transform box appears, drag using the mouse to move the lightning bolt to another position.
You can rotate using the mouse, of course, to add variations to the forms of lightning.
To sharpen the lightning bolt simply duplicate the layer a few times.
Add another lightning by duplicating the lightning layer (Layer 1).
Here's the end result:
How To Create Lightning Effect in Photoshop
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