The Advanced Lightning effect creates simulations of electrical discharges. Unlike the Lightning effect, Advanced Lightning doesn't self-animate. Animate the Conductivity State or other properties to animate the lightning.

The Advanced Lighting effect includes the Alpha Obstacle feature, with which you can make the lightning go around designated objects.

This effect works with 8-bpc color.

Lightning Type

Specifies the characteristics of the lightning.

Note: The type determines the nature of the Direction/Outer Radius contextual control. In the Breaking type, the branches are focused toward the Direction point as the distance between Origin and Direction increases.

Origin

Specifies the point of origin for the lightning.

Direction, Outer Radius

This control changes depending on the Lightning Type:

Not In Use

The Direction or Outer Radius control is not available if Lightning Type is Vertical.

Outer Radius

Specifies the distance that the lightning travels from its origin. This control is enabled if Omni or Anywhere is selected as the lightning type. Use it to terminate the lightning at a defined distance from the origin.

Direction

Specifies the direction that the lightning will travel. This control is enabled if any of the following lightning types are selected: Direction, Strike, Breaking, Bouncy, and Two-Way Strike.

Conductivity State

Changes the path of the lightning.

Core Settings

These controls adjust various characteristics of the lightning’s core.

Glow Settings

These controls adjust the lightning’s glow.

Note: To disable the glow, set Glow Opacity to 0. This setting can speed up rendering time significantly.

Alpha Obstacle

Specifies the influence of the original layer’s alpha channel on the path of the lightning. The lightning attempts to wrap itself around opaque areas of the layer’s alpha channel, seeing them as an obstacle.

Note: If Alpha Obstacles is set to a value other than 0, it's not always possible to preview the correct result in less than full resolution; full resolution may reveal new obstacles. Be sure to check the result in full resolution before final rendering.

Turbulence

Specifies the amount of turbulence in the lightning path. Higher values result in a more complex strike containing more branches and forks, and lower values produce simpler strikes with fewer branches.

Forking

Specifies what percentage of a branch is forked. Its value is influenced by Turbulence and Alpha Obstacle settings.

Decay

Specifies the amount of continuous decay or dissipation of the lightning strength and influences where the opacity of the forks begins to fade.

Decay Main Core

Decays the main core along with its forks.

Composite On Original

Composites the lightning with the original layer using the Add blending mode. When deselected, only the lightning is visible.

Complexity

Specifies the complexity of the turbulence in the lightning.

Min. Fork Distance

Specifies the minimum pixel distance between new forks. Lower values create more forks in the lightning. Higher values result in fewer forks.

Termination Threshold

Specifies the level at which a path terminates, based on resistance in the atmosphere and possible alpha collision. At lower values, the path terminates more easily when encountering resistance or alpha obstacles. At higher values, the path more persistently moves around alpha obstacles.

Note: Increasing Turbulence or Complexity values causes resistance to increase in some areas. These areas change as conductivity changes. Increasing the Alpha Obstacle value causes resistance to increase at alpha edges.

Main Core Collision Only

Calculates collisions only on the main core. The forks aren’t affected. This control is relevant only if you select Alpha Obstacle.

Fractal Type

Specifies the type of fractal turbulence used to create the lightning.

Core Drain

Specifies the percentage by which the core strength is drained when creating a new fork. Increasing this value reduces the opacity of the core where new forks appear. Because forks draw their strength from the main core, decreasing this value reduces the opacity of the forks as well.

Fork Strength

Specifies the opacity of the new fork. This amount is measured as a percentage of the Core Drain value.

Fork Variation

Specifies the amount of variation in the opacity of the fork and determines how much the fork opacity deviates from the amount set for Fork Strength.