The Liquify tool is actually one of the most useful tools for editing photography. It’s basically a unique filter that allows you to distort or warp a photo without losing the original quality. Allow me to explain what all the mini-tools in the Liquify tool set are all about.
For Pixlr X’s Liquify tool, you’ll be able to distort an image in four different ways – push, enlarge, shrink, and swirl right or swirl left. If you mess up and want to undo some steps (but not all of them), there’s always the handy Restore button in the same sidebar.
Tip 1: Clicking Restore won’t ‘restore’ your image entirely back to its original state. When you select the Liquify tool’s Restore button and then click on specific parts of your image, it will return your distortions back one step in your action history based on where you’ve clicked.
If you want to start over completely, just click the Undo button. But if you’re tired of clicking it until your image returns to its original state, I suggest making a duplicate layer of your original image so you can return to it whenever you mess up.
Liquify Tool Size
Now, let’s get into the Size, which naturally refers to the size of your Liquify brush. Basically, you’ll be running that brush (or your mouse cursor) over the parts of the photo that you want to distort. Certain cases require a smaller brush size, and other times you’ll need to upsize.
Strength
Adjusting the Strength slider on the Liquify tool sidebar allows you to determine how ‘strong’ or ‘weak’ you want your distortions to be. Simply put, let’s say you’re going with 75% on the slider with the Enlarge tool selected. That means the strength of your Enlarge tool will be at 75%. Play around with the adjustments to suit what you’re going for when editing your photo.
Density
Adjusting Density in the sidebar changes the amount of ‘area of effect’. While that sounds like a gaming term, in Pixlr X, this option allows you to adjust the range of the Liquify tool brush.
Tip 2: If you’re experiencing some lag while you work on distorting your image, don’t worry! And also, don’t click or turn off your browser – the Liquify tool is working on distorting your pixels based on your selections. Just wait a little bit to allow the tool to achieve the effects you need.
Tip 3: By any chance, if you need to shut your browser, don’t worry about saving your work. Pixlr X automatically saves the work of up to 10 of your latest projects in your browser. Clearing your browser cache and cookies will delete your projects though, so be careful about that. 🙂
