Photoshop has many tools and effects at its disposal which are specfically designed to perform specific tasks. Though at this point of mixed editing and fusion photography techniquies we find that a digital image is a mix up of many effects and tools blended together to give us an anamorphous exquisite result.

Well lets come back to our topic today, i.e photoshop liquify tool and its sub categories. This tool is a bit of intimidating enhancer for photoshop users. Let us see why and how this esteemed filter can be used and utilised for our purpose.

This tool is used for enhancing and retouching specific portions of the photograph by photoshop users. This filter can be used for push,bloat,reflect,pull and pucker the image pixels. So let us begin with the basic aspect of this tool.

Before we begin just remember that Photoshop liquify filter can be applied to any bitmap imge but it cannot be used with smart objects.

In order to start with Liquify filter, Open Photoshop then just select the “Filter” tab and select “Liquify…” from the sub category below it. You can also use this short cut key combination [Shift + Ctr + X] in keyboard.

These are the main sub categories which jointly constitues the liquify tool. Let us see what each of them are meant for:

1. Brush Size: This option sets the brush width by which will be distorting or modify our image.
2. Brush Pressure: It determines the distortion speed which are made while we drag the tool inside the preview image. If we want to make the changes to occur slowly we will be using a low brush. This would enable us to pause the transition that are occurring at our own ease and that too at the right time.
3. Brush Rate: This determines the speed of distortion applied, when we keep some tool (Say for example TWIRL tool) stationary inside the image preview. Hence a higher setting enables quick distortion whereas a lower one enables slower distortion.
4. Brush Density: This feature enables us to control the brush feathers functionality at the edge. While using brush remember that effects are more stronger in the centre and lighter on the edges of the brush.
5. Turbulent Jitter: This option controls the Turbulence intensity applied on the scrambled pixels of the image.
6. Mask Option: This panel is placed at right hand side to liquify window option. It allows us to chose Layer Mask, Quick Mask, Selection and transparency in-order to create masks for the image. We can edit previously made masks and Replace, Intersect, Invert, Add or subtract by selecting them directly.
7. Select Stylus Pressure: Just not to be confused if you don’t find it in you panel as this is only for stylus tablets.It is used for reading pressure from the stylus tabs.
8. Forward Wrap Tool: This tool is the basic option which we may use for dragging pixels forward as we drag on the image. The brush size (Brush Option in the right hand side of the panel) determines the number of pixels pushed to the drag motion. More pixels shall be pushed forward if the brush is larger. It is mandatory to select “OK” button after applying the effects so as to save the altered image.
9. Twirl Tool: The functionality of this tool is to rotate the pixels in clockwise direction as we drag or click. To reverse the effect we need to just select the “Alt” key as we click through the image. Here too the brush rate value determines the speed by which the distortion is done while cursor is position fixed. Inrder to get a faster effect just enter higher values to the Brush rate.
10. Bloat and Pucker Tool: This tool is very useful when we want to deflate or inflate our image from a specific portion or entirely as a whole. The bloat tool drags pixels further away from the centre point while the Pucker tool squeezes pixels more nearer the centre point of the image.
11. Push Tool: There are two types of push tool. Horizontal and vertical.As the name suggests, the vertical tool drags pixels to the left while we are moving the tool up and it drags the pixels to the right while we are moving the tool down. If we drag the cursor clockwise/anticlockwise around an object with this tool the size increases/ decreases thereby. Similarly, Horizontal tool moves the pixels up if we drag it to the right and moves the pixels down if we drag it to the left.
12. Mirror Tool: As the name suggests this tool works like a mirror. The pixels directly perpendicular to the stroke direction the mirrored pixels are generated below and similarly for the pixels on the right the mirrored pixels are generated on the further reverse to the right of the image. Togenerate an inverse mirror effect just hold the Alt key while applying the effect with this tool.
13. Reconstruct All Tool: This tool is of great help when we need to reconstruct some left over areas which needs some more modifications. Liquify tool provides many creative ways to reconstruct an image. This can be achieved by selecting “Restore all” Button from the Reconstruct Panel option.
14. Reconstruct Option and Tool:This Reconstruct tool facilitates us to apply a brush inorder to reconstruct specific areas of the prev stage of the distorted images. The reconstruction Mode is set to Revert by default. So if we use this function by default the image will revert back to the original state.There is much more to this option and in order to discuss about it we will be needing some more big discussions. I will leave it for the next time but promise to write soon about it as soon as i get some time.
15. Auto Reconstruct: As the name suggests this tool labelled as “Reconstruct” button on the option panel automatically reconstructs our image with the available options selected from the list pane.
16. Masks: There are two types of masks viz. Freeze Mask and Thaw Mask. These two options are very helpful to keep some of the portion of the image unchanged form the overall transitions. To use this just select the Freeze mask underneath the tool-bar and paint over the areas which you don not want to change. Whereas the Thaw Mask works in a reverse manner acting like a magic eraser for the freezed image. Now you can make this work like any other tools listed under the Liquify tool and with the help of this you can control the overall brush functionalities such as Brush density, size as well as pressure of impact.When you have masked an area and apply these options the masked or the Freezed area remains unaltered.
    
17. Masks ans Mesh View: This option can be switched between visible and hidden mode in the view panel. Its a two dimensional grid. We can decrease or increase the size of the mesh and color change can be applied as well. We have discussed so many tools above and most of them (Other than Reconstruct tool) can be saved as Mesh. You can do this by selecting the “Save Mesh” option available as button from the OPtion Panel.It can be loaded and applied or reapplied to other images as well.
18. Backdrops: They show subsistent layers other than the main layer which is being edited at that point of time. If you are working under multiple layers and want to edit the underneath layer just select the layer you want to edit and just select the Liquify Filter Window. Click on the “Show Back Drop” Check box to show additional layers and deselect to hide them again.You can also make it transparent according to your suitability.

The Photoshop Liquify Tool can overall be rated as one of the most worked over tool with image editing. It is easy yet versatile to work with and the best part is that you can easily make your image look the way you want with powerful options it provides on its panel.But remember not to let yourself slip beyond the Ethics and Moral responsibility while morphing/editing/ distorting while developing an image. If this article helped you out in any way do rate it and still if you find something unable to understand feel free to mail me via the contact section. Make your imaginations come to life. Good-luck.