Need Help With Layers

I've always had photoshop, but I never really did anything crazy or anything. But i recently leanred how do the lightning stuff (some pretty hard stuff huh? haha). But i wanna know how to use the gradient tool to make more lightning lines but everytime I do that it goes over my first bolt and totally kills it, I wanna be able to make like a bunch of them goin different directions. And somebody already told be about makin the "electricty" stuff, but thats not what i want. I wanna be able to do them where ever i want them, and i know ill prob. have to use layers, and i really don 't know how so if anyone could help me, that would be great. thx

Welcome, instant messaging slang addict ;)

You'll need to change the blending mode of the gradient tool to acheive the results you want. You may try lighten, screen, but usually, one uses difference blending mode a few times, or using the Render>Clouds (or simply the difference clouds plug-in, while holding down the ALT key (to increase contrast))