Quick links to procedures on this page:

Applying the Liquid Metal dynamic plug-in

The Liquid Metal dynamic plug-in lets you paint on a layer with liquid and metal. This text uses the term "metal" to refer to the media applied — even if the settings create an effect more like water.

You can apply droplets of liquid that distort the underlying image through refraction. You can also create globs of shiny metal that flow together and move like mercury. The Refraction slider sets the difference between water and metal, which lets you achieve intermediate effects. Negative metal can be used to create holes in metal.

liquid metal

The Liquid Metal dynamic plug-in creates either liquid metal or translucent, refractive liquid.

A stroke of metal is made up of a series of discrete droplets. You can select one or several droplets and move them or change their properties.

The "handles" show the droplet’s circle and center point. Showing the handles on the droplets isn’t necessary for selecting them, but it can make your work easier. The droplets applied in the last stroke are automatically selected. Each new stroke deselects the droplets of the previous one.

The Undo feature is not available when working with metal; however, you can remove selected metal, the last metal applied, or all metal on the layer.

Metal is highly reflective. You can customize the look by using a clone source or a pattern as a reflection map. For more information, see Image cloning and sampling and Patterns.

Liquid metal tools

You can apply metal with the Brush tool, the Circular Drop tool, or the Rain feature. You can adjust the size of your brush or rain droplets. The Brush is the default applicator. You can use the Brush tool to paint with metal. You can use the Circular Drop tool to create circles of metal. The Rain feature lets you scatter metallic droplets on the layer.

 

liquid metal brush
liquid ink circle tool
liquid metal rain
To create a Liquid Metal dynamic layer Back to Top

A stroke with low spacing (left): the droplets flow together. A stroke with high spacing (right): each droplet is distinct.

 

Decreasing volume below 100% shrinks the visible portion of the droplet, "drying it up" (left). Increasing volume beyond 100% extends visibility beyond the droplet circle into the perimeter range (right).

Low settings on the Smooth slider keep droplets distinct (left); higher settings make the droplets flow together (right).

reflection refraction

Reflection and Refraction are inverted when you move the Amount slider to either extreme.

Low refraction means high reflection (left). High refraction creates translucent, refractive liquid. As Refraction nears 100%, the metal becomes transparent. The droplets look like a simple liquid — oil or water (right).

 

Enable the Surface tension check box.
In the Liquid Metal dialog box, click Rain, then click anywhere in the image to stop the rain.
If Smooth and Size settings are very high, the rain might continue for a moment after you click.
Click the Reset button.

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The Map type that you choose applies to the entire layer. You can change the type at any time.

To create negative metal Back to Top
To remove metal Back to Top

 

Press Delete (macOS) or Backspace (Windows).
In the Liquid Metal dialog box, click the Select Drops tool , select the metal, and press Delete (macOS) or Backspace (Windows).
In the Liquid Metal dialog box, click Clear.
To show metal droplet handles Back to Top

When you enable the Display Handles check box (right), you can see the droplet circles and center points.

To select metal droplets Back to Top

 

If the Display Handles check box is enabled, click the center point handle of a droplet. If handles are not displayed, click anywhere on a droplet.
Hold down Shift, and click additional droplets to add to the selection.
Hold down Shift, and click droplets to subtract from the selection.

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When a droplet is selected, the center point handle is displayed as a solid.

liquid metal droplets

Drag over the droplets you want to select.

To move metal droplets Back to Top

You can drag the center of one of the droplets to move the selected group.

To adjust the size of the Liquid Metal brush Back to Top

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You can also adjust the size of existing metal by selecting the droplets and moving the Size slider.

To apply a clone source or pattern to the Liquid Metal reflection Back to Top

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If no clone source has been specified, Corel Painter uses the current pattern as the reflection map.

The same piece of metal changes appearance when a pattern is used as the reflection map.


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