Liquid Lens

Liquid Lens creates a dynamic layer where you can distort and smear the underlying imagery. You can create "fun house" mirror effects, melting images, and more.

For best results, you should have interesting imagery beneath the Liquid Lens dynamic layer.

Applying Distortion

You'll use the Liquid Lens by choosing a tool, setting sliders to control the effect, then dragging in the document window to create distortion. You can change slider settings or tools, then drag again for different results. The Eraser tool lets you remove distortion.

Liquid Lens Tools

You can apply distortion with the Circle, Brush, Right Twirl, Left Twirl, Bulge, or Pinch tools. These tools function similarly, but apply different distortion effects.

The Circle

The Circle tool creates circles of distortion. Drag in the direction you want the distortion to move. Size and Spacing have no effect on the Circle tool.

The Brush

The Brush distorts in the direction you drag.

Right Twirl

Right Twirl distorts in clockwise spirals.

Left Twirl

Left Twirl distorts in counter-clockwise spirals.

Bulge

Bulge distorts outward, pushing imagery out.

Pinch

Pinch distorts inward, drawing imagery closer.

Liquid Lens Controls

You can adjust the following settings to customize the distortion effect.

• Amount-controls the degree of distortion applied. With the slider close to zero, you create minimal distortion. Negative values create distortion counter to the stroke direction. This breaks up the image more.
• Smooth-changes the blending between the distortion stroke and the unaffected imagery. Higher values make a smooth, continuous distortion. Lower values create individual dabs of distortion.

Low Smooth settings make abrupt distortions. Higher Smooth settings let distortions transition smoothly into other areas.

• Size-changes the diameter of the distortion tool and the size of rain, which scatters distortion droplets in the layer.

Samples of how the Size slider affects distortion.

• Spacing-changes the distance between distortion dabs.

Low spacing makes a smooth, continuous stroke. High spacing lets the dabs appear individually.

• Reset-restores the default settings.
• Rain-scatters distortion droplets in the layer. Raindrops distort downward, melting the image.

To create a Liquid Lens dynamic layer

1. Deselect all layers.
2. On the Layers palette, click the Dynamic Plug-ins button and choose Liquid Lens.
3. In the Liquid Lens dialog box, choose a Liquid Lens tool.
4. Use the sliders and controls to adjust the distortion effect.

Refer to "Liquid Lens Controls" for more information.

5. Drag in the document window to create distortion.

If you don't like the distortions and you want to start again, click the Clear button.

6. Click OK to end the Liquid Lens session.

• You can move the Liquid Lens layer to different regions of the document to distort other imagery.

To use Rain

1. Deselect all layers.
2. On the Layers palette, click the Dynamic Plug-ins button and choose Liquid Lens.
3. In the Liquid Lens dialog box, set the sliders to describe the distortion you want.
4. Click Rain.

Corel Painter scatters distortion droplets on the layer.

5. Click anywhere to stop the rain.

If Smooth and Size are very high, the rain might continue for a moment after you click.

Rain melts the image.

Erasing Distortion

Undo features are not available when working with the Liquid Lens. Use the Liquid Lens Eraser tool to clear distortion from an area.

To erase distortion

1. In the Liquid Lens dialog box, choose the Eraser tool.
2. Set the sliders for Size, Spacing, and Smooth to describe the type of erasing you want.

Higher Smooth settings create softer transitions from the erasure to the remaining distortion.

3. Drag in the document window.

The original underlying imagery returns.

Eraser

Remove distortion with the Eraser tool.