Visual Effects
Lightning video effect
Crackling with electric power. Upload a photo and press Generate.
Free accounts get 3 effects a day, with a small PixelDojo watermark.
What Lightning does
It opens on you standing under a dusk sky as clouds gather behind you. You lift your hands, blue electricity sparks to life between your fingers, and by the end bolts are branching off your palms and shoulders while the light flickers across your face.
Crackling with electric power
Blue lightning crackles around your subject as storm clouds roll in. Waist-up photos work best.
Still looks like you
The video opens on your exact photo, so the face, hair, outfit and surroundings carry through the whole effect.
Movie-style effects without editing software
Effects that used to mean compositing and particle work in an editor, rendered in one pass with lighting that matches your photo.
How to make a Lightning video
- Upload a photo, or pick one from your library.
- Press Generate. There is no prompt to write; the effect is already set up.
- Your 5 second HD video is ready in a minute or two. Save it to your library or download it.
Tips for the best photo
- Use a waist-up photo with your hands in view or close to the frame, since that is where the lightning starts.
- Darker clothing makes the blue electricity pop more.
- Outdoor shots with sky behind you give the storm clouds room to roll in.
Ideas for using it
- A gamer making an intro clip for a Twitch stream.
- A cosplayer posting a power-up moment for a superhero character.
- A band teasing a heavy new single on Instagram Reels.
More effects
Lightning FAQ
Does the lightning cover my face?
No. In our test the bolts stayed around the hands and shoulders while the face stayed clear and lit by the flashes.
Do my hands need to be raised in the photo?
No. The effect brings your hands up on its own, but a photo with your arms visible gives it more to work with.
Do I need to write a prompt for Lightning?
No. Lightning is a ready-made effect: upload a photo and press Generate. The directions for the motion, camera and lighting are already built in.
How long is the Lightning video, and how long does it take?
Every effect makes a 5 second HD video that matches the shape of your photo, portrait or landscape. Most are ready in one to three minutes, and you can leave the page while it renders.
Does the video have sound?
Yes. Each clip comes with matching ambient sound effects. It does not add music, so you can lay your own track over it in any editor.
Can I use a photo of someone else?
Only photos of adults, of yourself or of people who agreed to it. Every upload goes through the same safety checks as the rest of PixelDojo.