After Effects Lightning.

[Shawn Shaffer]

I was thinking of something more like this.
https://i2.wp.com/www.cgmeetup.net/home/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Making-of-The-Amazing-Spider-Man-2-Electros-Bolts-8.jpg

[Shawn Shaffer]

Just incase the link didn’t work https://i2.wp.com/www.cgmeetup.net/home/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Making-of-The-Amazing-Spider-Man-2-Electros-Bolts-8.jpg

[Don Lee]

Hey Shawn,
Here is a tutorial on using the advanced lightning effect and creating star wars like lightning.

https://www.surfacedstudio.com/tutorials/adobe-after-effects-lightning-tutorial

[Walter Soyka]

[Shawn Shaffer] “After effects isn’t getting results I want. Is there a plugin that could help, or am I better off using a 3D program?”

Good work rarely comes from the use of a single effect. VFX thinking is all about imaging your end result, breaking it down into steps, and using the right tool for each step in the chain. Advanced Lightning alone won’t do the trick; you may want to combine it with some particle effects, blurs, glows, color adjustment, etc.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Shawn Miller]

What Walter, said. Effects like this are more about building the look up from a number of unique qualities, than finding a single, uber plugin that can create the effect for you. Andrew Kramer from Video Copilot does a good job of explaining this concept and walking through his thought process, as he goes through many of his tutorials. Your question brought this one to mind.

https://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/sci-fi_weapon_fx/

Shawn

[Joseph W. bourke]

Shawn –

Here’s how to get the effect you’re looking for without too much work:

https://www.videocopilot.net/blog/2016/03/new-plug-in-saber-now-available-100-free/

It’s a free plugin from Video Copilot called Saber. Although it was initially planned for light saber effects, the number of presets for other types of effects is astonishing! And it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it.

Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com

[Shawn Shaffer]

Thanks for all the suggestions I should’ve been a little more clear. I know about building up the look.
I shouldve used a different picture,
it’s https://i0.wp.com/www.cgmeetup.net/home/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Making-of-The-Amazing-Spider-Man-2-Electros-Bolts-4.jpg
I’m tryna get these types of individual layers to add more depth to it, and have have a more natural life type of feeling to the lightning.

[Shawn Miller]

[Shawn Shaffer] “Thanks for all the suggestions I should’ve been a little more clear. I know about building up the look.
I shouldve used a different picture,
it’s https://i0.wp.com/www.cgmeetup.net/home/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Making-of...
I’m tryna get these types of individual layers to add more depth to it, and have have a more natural life type of feeling to the lightning.”

I think you’re looking for a combination of a lightning, particles (with motion blur) and noise… though, you could probably make something like this with Particular alone.

Shawn

[Richard Garabedain]

With one effect i can tell you SABER from video co pilot. if you animate some text full of these ______ or ——– and animate those on a mask source using the energy preset on saber you could get some pretty gnarly results…

[Richard Garabedain]

I meant with masks ..not text