The Liquify filter lets you push, pull, rotate, reflect, pucker, and bloat any area of an image. The distortions you create can be subtle or drastic, which makes the Liquify command a powerful tool for retouching images as well as creating artistic effects. The Liquify filter can be applied to 8‑bits per-channel or 16‑bits per-channel images.
Tools, options, and an image preview for the Liquify filter are available in the Liquify dialog box. To display the dialog box, choose Filter > Liquify. Select Advanced Mode to access more options.
- Select the Zoom tool in the Liquify dialog box, and click or drag in the preview image to zoom in; hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS), and click or drag in the preview image to zoom out. Alternatively, you can specify a magnification level in the Zoom text box at the bottom of the dialog box.
Select the Hand tool in the Liquify dialog box, and drag in the preview image. Alternatively, hold down the spacebar with any tool selected, and drag in the preview image.
In the Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, the Liquify filter is significantly faster than previous versions. The Liquify filter now supports Smart Objects, including Smart Object video layers, and is applied as a smart filter.
Another enhancement to the Liquify filter is an added behavior for the Reconstruct tool. If you hold down the alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) key while dragging the tool across a warp, the Reconstruct tool smooths a warp rather than scaling back or removing it.
The Liquify filter supports Smart Objects, including Smart Object video layers, and is applied as a smart filter. When applying the Liquify filter to a Smart Object, meshes are now automatically saved into your document. Meshes applied to Smart Objects are compressed and re-editable when reapplying the Liquify filter. Keep in mind that the embedded meshes, even compressed ones, increase the file size.
To apply the Liquify filter as a smart filter:
The Liquify filter features advanced face-aware functionality that automatically identifies eyes, noses, mouths, and other facial features, making it easy for you to adjust them. Face-Aware Liquify is great for retouching portrait photos, creating caricatures, and doing much more.
You can use Face-Aware Liquify as a smart filter for non-destructive editing. See 
Apply smart filters in Photoshop to understand how.
As a prerequisite to using Face-aware Liquify functionality, ensure that the graphics processor is enabled in your Photoshop preferences.
- Choose Edit > Preferences > Performance.
- In the Graphics Processor Settings area, select Use Graphics Processor.
- Click Advanced Settings. Ensure that Use Graphics Processor To Accelerate Computation is selected.
- Click OK.
These settings are enabled by default when you launch Photoshop for the first time. If you have questions regarding GPU usage in Photoshop, consult this document.
- In Photoshop, open an image with one or more faces.
- Select Filter > Liquify. Photoshop opens the Liquify filter dialog.
- In the Tools panel, select
(Face tool; keyboard shortcut: A). The faces in the photo are automatically identified.
- When you hover the pointer over the faces, Photoshop displays intuitive on-screen controls around them. Adjust the controls to make adjustments to the faces. For example, you can increase the eye size or decrease the face width.
- When you're satisfied with the changes, click OK.
- In Photoshop, open an image with one or more faces.
- Select Filter > Liquify. Photoshop opens the Liquify filter dialog.
- In the Tools panel, select (Face tool; keyboard shortcut: A).
The faces in the photo are automatically identified and one of the faces selected. The identified faces are also listed in the Select Face pop-up menu in the Face-Aware Liquify area of the Properties panel. You can select a different face by clicking it on the canvas or selecting it from the pop-up menu.
- Adjust the sliders in the Face-Aware Liquify area to make appropriate changes to the facial features.
Eye settings
to lock the settings for the left and right eyes together. This option helps apply symmetrical effects to the eyes.Nose settings
Mouth settings
Face Shape settings
Note:
You can use a combination of on-screen handles and sliding controls for better control over Face-Aware Liquify changes.
- Face-Aware Liquify functionality works best on facial features facing the camera. For best results, rotate any titled faces before applying the settings.
- The Reconstruct and Restore All options don't apply to Face-Aware Liquify changes. Use Reset and All options in the Face-Aware Liquify area to reset the changes applied to a selected face and all faces, respectively.
Several tools in the Liquify dialog box distort the brush area when you hold down the mouse button or drag. The distortion is concentrated at the center of the brush area, and the effect intensifies as you hold down the mouse button or repeatedly drag over an area.
Note:
Shift-click with the Warp tool, the Push Left tool, or the Mirror tool to create the effect of dragging in a straight line from the previous point you clicked.
Reconstruct tool
Reverses the distortion you’ve already added, as you hold down the mouse button and drag.
Twirl Clockwise tool
Rotates pixels clockwise as you hold down the mouse button or drag. To twirl pixels counterclockwise, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you hold down the mouse button or drag.
Pucker tool
Moves pixels toward the center of the brush area as you hold down the mouse button or drag.
Bloat tool
Moves pixels away from the center of the brush area as you hold down the mouse button or drag.
Push Left tool
Moves pixels to the left when you drag the tool straight up (pixels move to the right if you drag down). You can also drag clockwise around an object to increase its size, or drag counterclockwise to decrease its size. To push pixels right when you drag straight up (or to move pixels left when you drag down), hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag.
Brush Density
Controls how a brush feathers at the edge. An effect is strongest in the center of the brush and lighter at the edge.
Brush Pressure
Sets the speed at which distortions are made when you drag a tool in the preview image. Using a low brush pressure makes changes occur more slowly, so it’s easier to stop them at exactly the right moment.
Brush Rate
Sets the speed at which distortions are applied when you keep a tool (such as the Twirl tool) stationary in the preview image. The higher the setting, the greater the speed at which distortions are applied.
Stylus Pressure
Uses pressure readings from a stylus tablet. (This option is available only when you are working with a stylus tablet.) When selected, the brush pressure for the tools is the stylus pressure multiplied by the Brush Pressure value.
Note:
If a type layer or a shape layer is selected, you must rasterize the layer before proceeding, making the type or shape editable by the Liquify filter. To distort type without rasterizing the type layer, use the Warp options for the Type tool.
-
Click OK to close the Liquify dialog box and apply the changes to the active layer.
Click Cancel to close the Liquify dialog box without applying changes to the layer.
Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click Reset to revert all distortions to the preview image and reset all options to their defaults.
Note:
You can use the Edit > Fade command to create additional effects.
You can freeze areas that you don’t want to modify or thaw frozen areas to make them editable again. You can also invert both frozen and thawed areas.
By freezing areas of the preview
image, you protect those areas from changes. Frozen areas are covered
by a mask that you paint using the Freeze Mask tool 
. You
can also use an existing mask, selection, or transparency to freeze areas.
You can view the mask in the preview image to help you apply distortions.
Using the Freeze Mask tool
Select
the Freeze Mask tool and
drag over the area you want to protect. Shift-click to freeze in
a straight line between the current point and the previously clicked
point.
Using an existing selection, mask, or transparency channel
If you’re applying the Liquify filter to a layer with a selection, layer mask, transparency, or alpha channel, choose Selection, Layer Mask, Transparency, or Quick Mask from any of the five icons’ pop‑up menu in the Mask Options area of the dialog box. This determines how areas of the preview image are frozen or masked.
Showing or hiding frozen areas
Select or deselect Show Mask in the View Options area of the dialog box.
Changing the color of frozen areas
Choose a color from the Mask Color pop‑up menu in the View Options area of the dialog box.
When you have an existing selection, transparency, or mask in an image, that information is retained when the Liquify dialog box opens. You can choose one of the following mask options:
Add To Selection
Shows the mask in the original image, so that you can add to the selection using the Freeze Mask tool. Adds selected pixels in channel to the current frozen area.
Note:
If a selection exists, the filter limits the preview and processing to the rectangular area containing that selection. (For rectangular marquee selections, the selected area and preview are identical, so choosing Selection from the mask option menus above has no effect.)
Select the Thaw Mask tool
, and
drag over the area. Shift-click to thaw in a straight line between
the current point and the previously clicked point.To thaw all frozen areas, click the None button in the Mask Options area of the dialog box.
To invert frozen and thawed areas, click Invert All in the Mask Options area of the dialog box.
Using a mesh helps you see and keep track of distortions. You can choose the size and color of a mesh, and save the mesh from one image and apply it to other images.
To show a mesh, select Show Mesh in the View Options area of the dialog box, and choose a mesh size and mesh color.
To only show a mesh, select Show Mesh and then deselect Show Image.
To save a distortion mesh, after distorting the preview image, click Save Mesh. Specify a name and location for the mesh file, and click Save.
To apply a saved distortion mesh, click Load Mesh, select the mesh file you want to apply, and click Open. If the image and distortion mesh aren’t the same size, the mesh is scaled to fit the image.
To apply the last saved distortion mesh, click Load Last Mesh.
(Creative Cloud) Meshes are automatically saved in your document. Meshes applied to Smart Objects are compressed and re-editable.
Note:
(Creative Cloud) Embedded meshes, even compressed ones, increase file size.
You can choose to show only the active layer in the preview image, or you can show additional layers in the preview image as a backdrop. Using the Mode options, you can position the backdrop in front of or behind the active layer to keep track of your changes, or to line up a distortion with another distortion made in a different layer.
Note:
Only the active layer is distorted, even if other layers are displayed.
Showing the backdrop
Select Show Backdrop, and then choose Background from the Use menu and an option from the Mode menu.
Showing changes to the target layer without showing the backdrop
Select All Layers from the Use menu. Setting the Opacity to 0 shows only the target layer with the full effects of the Liquify filter. Setting the Opacity to a higher value shows less of the Liquify filter’s effect on the target layer.
Determining how the target layer and the backdrop are combined in the image preview
Choose an option from the Mode menu.
After you distort the preview image, you can use a variety of controls and reconstruction modes to reverse changes or redo the changes in new ways. Reconstructions can be applied two ways. You can apply a reconstruction to the entire image, smoothing out the distortion in unfrozen areas, or you can use the reconstruction tool to reconstruct specific areas. If you want to prevent reconstruction of distorted areas, you can use the Freeze Mask tool.
A. Original image B. Distorted with frozen areas C. Reconstructed in Rigid mode (using button) D. Thawed, edges reconstructed in Smooth mode (using tool)
Click Reconstruct in the Reconstruct Options area of the dialog box. Then, in the Revert Reconstruction dialog box, specify an amount and click OK.
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