Realistic Lightning Tutorial

2. Create a new layer, and call it "lightning branches". Now with a brush with the width of 2, draw lines going out from the main lightning.
You may also add some outter glow to this one. Do what you think look better.

3. Now create yet another layer, call this "small branches". With a brush with the width of 1, flow=50%, draw lines coming out from the "branches" (the lightning that comes out from the main lightning) and lines coming straight out from the main lightning. This gives viewers thef eeling that the lightning doesn't just end suddenly.

4. Create a new layer, call it "mini branches" and do the same thing as you did in step 3, only here with a flow of 25% and 15%. Like you see in the image below, I created the mini branches coming out from the small branches.

5. Now you are pretty much done with your lightning. You can now create whatever style lightning you want, without having to do filters etc. It is much more realistic, much more you.