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Watch the tutorial
Step 1: Create a circle and center it
Start by drawing a circle with the Ellipse Tool in the Program Monitor. Hold Shift while you drag to keep it a perfect circle, and pick any fill color you like. Then center it in the middle of the frame so that the animation grows evenly in every direction.
Step 2: Keyframe the scale from zero to full screen
With the circle selected, open Effect Controls and make sure the playhead is at the start of the clip. Click the stopwatch next to Scale to create a keyframe and set the Scale value to 0, so the circle is hidden. Move forward a little in time and increase the Scale until the circle covers the whole screen. You will now have two keyframes and a circle that grows from nothing to a full frame.
Step 3: Ease the animation
Select both Scale keyframes, right click one of them and choose Ease In. Then right click again and choose Ease Out. This makes the animation start and end softly instead of moving at a constant speed, which already feels much more natural.
Smoother with EaseFlow: select the keyframes and apply a real easing curve in one click instead of dragging Bezier handles. See EaseFlow
Step 4: Fine tune the speed graph
If you want even more control, click the small arrow next to Scale to expand its settings. A value graph and a velocity graph appear. Drag the Bezier handles on the velocity graph and play around with it until the circle grows with a snappy start and a gentle finish.
Step 5: Add Turbulent Displace
Now for the liquid look. Open the Effects panel and search for Turbulent Displace. You will find it under Video Effects > Distort. Drag it onto the circle layer. The perfectly round edges become wobbly and organic, and the animation now looks like a blob of liquid.
Faster with BetterFX: skip the Effects panel. Press your BetterFX shortcut, type the first letters of Turbulent Displace and press Enter to apply it to the selected clip. Get BetterFX
Step 6: Adjust the size and amount
Open the Turbulent Displace settings in Effect Controls. Change Amount to control how strongly the edges wobble and Size to change how big the bumps are. Higher values give a bumpier, more extreme blob, and lower values keep it smooth. Experiment until you get a look you like.
Tips
- Animate the Evolution value. Adding a keyframe to Evolution makes the edges keep moving, so the blob feels alive.
- Use it as a transition. Because the blob grows to cover the whole frame, it works well as a cover transition between two clips.
- Try other colors. A bright color on a dark background looks great, and so does a white blob as a text backdrop.
FAQ
How do I make a liquid effect in Premiere Pro?
Create a circle, animate its scale from zero to full screen and apply Turbulent Displace to it.
Where is Turbulent Displace in Premiere Pro?
Search for it in the Effects panel. It sits under Video Effects > Distort.
How do I make the blob wobblier?
Increase the Amount and adjust the Size value of Turbulent Displace in Effect Controls.
Want ready-made animated graphics? Take a look at our motion graphics templates.
