Task 9 How to Distort an Image with Liquify

Liquify is a fun, interactive set of controls that enables you to push and smudge the pixels in an image, creating a brushed-in, fluid distortion. The entire process feels something like finger painting because you can vary the brush size and pressure as you work, create masks to preserve certain areas, and revert to any set along the way.

1. Open the File

Select File, Open and select the file you want to modify.

2. Select Liquify

Select Filter, Liquify to launch the Liquify interface window.

3. Protect Image Areas

Select the Freeze Mask tool from the toolbar on the left of the window, specify the brush size and pressure in the Tool Options section, and brush a mask over the areas you want to protect. The distortion effect will not be applied to the areas you freeze. (Make sure that the Show Mask check box is enabled in the View Options section so you can see the mask as you paint.)

4. Distort the Image

Select any of the distortion brushes from the toolbar. From the Tool Options section, select a brush size and pressure and then paint the effect into the image. Drag the brush with a circular motion and let the effect build to the desired intensity. The distortion tool options include Warp, Turbulence, Twirl, Pucker, Bloat, Push, and Mirror. Hold the Alt/Option key when painting to reverse the direction of the distortion.

5. Reconstruct the Original Image

To diminish or erase the effect from step 4, select the Reconstruct tool and select the desired mode from the Reconstruction Options section. Brush over the distorted area until the effect is reduced or eliminated. Use the Mode menu in the Reconstruction Options section to control the linear and expressive aspects of the reconstruction. You can also click the Reconstruct button to gradually restore the entire image all at once based on the option in the Mode menu.

6. Modify the Protected Area

To modify the mask created in step 3 so you can make further modifications, select the Thaw Mask tool from the toolbar and brush over the mask to erase or lighten it. You can continue to apply distortions, erase them, and adjust the mask until you achieve the desired effect. Click OK to close the Liquify window.

How-To Hints

When All Else Fails, Restore All!

If the distortion gets out of hand and you want to go back to where you started, click the Restore All button in the Reconstruction Options section of the Liquify window. Similarly, you can click the None button in the Mask Options section to completely erase an existing mask.

Viewing Options

To control how effects and masks are presented in the Liquify window, make modifications in the View Options section. You can control the presentation of the image, the mesh grid that controls the actual distortion, and the mask visibility and color. You can even save the mesh grid and reapply it to another image. In addition, because the Liquify command is applied to a single layer, you can also turn on the visibility of other layers in the image so you can view the effect against the backdrop of the overall image.