Lightning Effects in Illustrator ...

Well, my main objective is to wrap complex lightning around some text, but I am conflicted about how to go about doing it;  I am new to adobe CS5, so please tolerate my ignorance. I thought about taking a vector graphic of lightning and making it into a brush, but I have no clue where to obtain a free vector file of lightning (since many such files must be paid for).  I also thought about using the pen tool to draw some complex patterns in, but then I ran into a wall when it came time to actually make it realistic.  My main problem with that was that in order to apply some effects, the segments had to be rasterized, which almost completely ruins the graphic even at 300 pixels/inch.  Also, is there a way to convert a Bitmap image into a vector one?  Could anyone point me in the right direction of how to get a realistic vector lightning effect around my text without spending money to get a file?  Thank you for your time.

You were on the right track drawing it yourself. Don't look for a cheezy instant pre-packaged effect for everything. You loose all originality with clipart and such.
The image below is from a thread a couple years ago about drawing clouds; the lightning bolt was just added as an accent.
It's just an ArtBrush consisting of a right-pointing triangle (draw a square, rotate it 45 degrees, remove one anchorpoint) to make a tapered Brush. Draw some lines, apply the Brush, set stroke weights to very thin. Vary the opacity on some of the paths. Perhaps a little bit of a blur Effect.
Don't overdo it. Keep your artwork simple and elegant.
No need for 300 PPI. A Raster Effects Setting PPI equal to your target halftone ruling is fine for such things.
JET

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