creating realistic lightning

[Gamerprinter]

Ah, I missed that. OK, then lightning, I've done that too in maps, or at least arcs of electricity.

I draw an appropriately wide line (4 - 8 pixels wide on a letter size area) in an appropriate color - white, blue, purple (whatever fits). Although like Angelize suggests I also apply a glow shadow in the same or slightly lighter color than the line itself. I often convert the line to shape, then apply both an edge feather and a slight transparency to the line shape. I often end the arc with an explosion of electricity wider than the line shape of the arc.

[Big Frank]

Just look at photographs of lightning and learn from what you see.

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/photos.htm

Just my opinion, but don't try to intellectualise ways of "generating" a "lightning-type" effect. Use your eyes. Just draw what you see.



PS. the background and foreground as as important as anything else to getting it right

[Big Frank]

Well I've taken one of LSVG's presets, used it as my shape (it was one of the most "lightning" like shapes I could find in the presets) and then applied the same drawing technique as above, but to my eye, although not terrible, the result is far from natural and smacks of "generated". Lightning is random by nature and using a fractal generator is by definition not:



It can be close, but it's not a cigar moment. This is one of the reasons why I shy away from plug-ins and their "this was created by a plugin" look.

[ber61]

Big Frank I think that is a tree branch maybe just a few tweaks and lightning but I see a tree branch.

[Big Frank]

Yeah, that was my point. You need the randomness of a lightning streak in order for it to look like, well, a lightning streak. You could use something like this lightning generator as a starting point, but I'd have to see a better result from a fractal generator to be convinced.

[Big Frank]

@angelize this should be right up your street : Blender Lightning Generator

the video a quarter of the way down is fun

[angelize]

Frank I really like your hand drawn lightning. I'll have a look at the blender link when I get a chance. I'm also interested in what methods others use to achieve a realistic look as if the lightning has been captured mid flash.

[Big Frank]

Well sadly, as usual, there's precious little involvement from the "community". This is a like what you get at most churches, a hard-core of activists and a great mulching, blobby crowd of passivity. It's an interesting topic but most people just can't be arsed to get involved. You're competing with Reality TV, Facebarf and Twitoff, after all (no, I don't "do" any of those).