Liquid transitions can make one scene appear to melt, flow, ripple, splash, or dissolve into another.

Instead of using a straight wipe or conventional dissolve, the boundary between two shots behaves more like water, ink, paint, smoke, or another fluid material.

A landscape can dissolve into spreading liquid.

A product shot can disappear behind a flowing wave.

A logo can melt into the next scene.

A circular ripple can expand across the frame and reveal a new location.

Colored paint can pour across the composition and become a transition matte.

In Adobe After Effects, many of these effects can be created without third-party plug-ins by combining native tools such as:

• Fractal Noise;
• Turbulent Displace;
• Displacement Map;
• Wave Warp;
• Roughen Edges;
• Gaussian Blur;
• Levels;
• masks;
• Shape Layers;
• Track Mattes;
• CC Glass;
• Motion Blur;
• Glow;
• expressions.

The basic principle is:

Scene A → animated liquid matte → distorted transition boundary → Scene B appears → liquid fills frame → Scene B

Once you understand how to create and animate the matte, you can build dozens of variations from the same workflow.

Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase Adobe After Effects through one of these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

What Is a Liquid Transition?

A liquid transition uses an irregular animated shape to reveal or replace one scene with another.

Unlike a standard linear wipe:

Scene A | Scene B

the transition boundary continuously changes.

It may:

bulge.

flow.

ripple.

stretch.

break apart.

merge.

curl.

distort.

This irregular movement makes the transition feel organic.

Liquid transitions are particularly useful for:

travel videos.

product videos.

beauty content.

fashion.

food videos.

music videos.

social media.

motion graphics.

logo animations.

title sequences.

abstract animation.

If you’d like to create these effects yourself, you can explore Adobe’s current After Effects options here:

Explore Adobe After Effects and current plans

Understanding the Liquid Matte

Most liquid transitions consist of three fundamental layers:

Scene A

Liquid Matte

Scene B

The Liquid Matte controls where Scene B becomes visible.

White areas reveal Scene B.

Black areas hide Scene B.

Animate the matte and you animate the transition.

This means the quality of the liquid transition depends heavily on the quality of the matte.

Project 1 — Basic Organic Liquid Wipe

Let’s create a simple flowing transition using Fractal Noise.

Step 1: Create the Composition

Create:

LIQUID_TRANSITION_MASTER

Suggested settings:

1920 × 1080.

30 fps.

10 seconds.

Import:

SCENE_A

and:

SCENE_B

Place Scene B above Scene A.

Step 2: Create the Liquid Matte

Create:

Layer → New → Solid

Rename it:

LIQUID_MATTE

Apply:

Effect → Noise & Grain → Fractal Noise

You should now see a cloudy grayscale texture.

Step 3: Increase Contrast

Inside Fractal Noise:

increase:

Contrast

and adjust:

Brightness

until you have clearly separated black and white regions.

Step 4: Increase Scale

Adjust:

Transform → Scale

inside Fractal Noise.

Larger values create larger fluid areas.

Smaller values create finer detail.

For a clean liquid transition, larger structures often work better.

Step 5: Animate Evolution

Set a keyframe for:

Evolution

Move forward.

Increase Evolution.

The texture now appears to move and change organically.

Step 6: Animate Offset Turbulence

Animate:

Offset Turbulence

so the noise travels across the frame.

For example:

left → right.

This provides the main wipe direction.

Step 7: Crush the Matte

Apply:

Levels

after Fractal Noise.

Increase contrast until the texture becomes a stronger black-and-white matte.

Step 8: Use the Matte

Use LIQUID_MATTE as:

Luma Matte

for Scene B.

Now Scene B appears through the bright areas of the animated noise.

Project Result

Scene A begins visible.

Organic shapes spread across frame.

Scene B appears through them.

Eventually Scene B replaces Scene A.

You have created the basic architecture of a procedural liquid transition.

PART 2 — CREATE A MORE FLUID EDGE

Fractal Noise alone often looks smoky or cloudy rather than liquid.

We can improve it.

Step 9: Add Gaussian Blur

Apply:

Gaussian Blur

to LIQUID_MATTE.

Blur slightly.

This smooths tiny details.

Step 10: Add Levels Again

After Blur:

apply another Levels effect.

Increase contrast.

This produces smoother rounded forms.

The sequence becomes:

Fractal Noise → Blur → Levels

This is a classic procedural matte technique.

PART 3 — TURBULENT DISPLACE

Now distort the transition boundary.

Apply:

Turbulent Displace

to LIQUID_MATTE.

Try adjusting:

Amount.

Size.

Complexity.

Evolution.

The edge becomes much more fluid.

Step 11: Animate Evolution

Animate Turbulent Displace Evolution.

This keeps the liquid boundary moving.

Project 2 — Flowing Organic Wipe

Use:

Fractal Noise.

Blur.

Levels.

Turbulent Displace.

Animate the entire matte across the frame.

The result should resemble flowing ink or liquid.

PART 4 — LIQUID SHAPE WIPE

Instead of procedural noise, start with a Shape Layer.

Create:

LIQUID_SHAPE

Draw a large circle.

Step 12: Add Turbulent Displace

Apply:

Turbulent Displace.

The circle becomes irregular.

Step 13: Animate Scale

Animate:

Scale:

0% → 400%.

Step 14: Animate Evolution

The edge continuously changes while the circle grows.

Use this Shape Layer as a matte.

Project 3 — Expanding Liquid Blob

Scene A.

Small organic blob appears.

Scene B visible inside blob.

Blob grows.

Edges move.

Scene B fills screen.

PART 5 — MULTIPLE LIQUID BLOBS

Create several circles.

Offset them in time.

Animate:

Scale.

Position.

The blobs expand and eventually merge.

Step 15: Pre-compose the Shapes

Select all blob layers.

Pre-compose as:

LIQUID_BLOBS_PRECOMP

Step 16: Blur the Precomp

Apply:

Gaussian Blur.

Step 17: Crush with Levels

Increase contrast.

The separate circles begin to merge into fluid-looking shapes.

This is sometimes called a metaball-style effect.

Project 4 — Bubble Merge Transition

Small blobs appear.

Grow.

Touch.

Merge.

Reveal Scene B.

Eventually cover the entire frame.

PART 6 — METABALL LIQUID EFFECT

The basic metaball technique is:

multiple circles → Blur → Levels

When two blurred circles approach each other, their soft edges overlap.

Levels converts the overlapping gradients into a solid connecting bridge.

The result looks like liquid droplets merging.

Animate the Droplets

Animate:

Position.

Scale.

Timing.

Create:

small droplets.

large droplets.

fast droplets.

slow droplets.

PART 7 — LIQUID DRIP TRANSITION

Create vertical liquid drips.

Use Shape Layers.

Draw:

rounded vertical shapes.

Animate them downward.

Step 18: Add Rounded Edges

Use circles at the ends of the drips.

Pre-compose.

Apply:

Blur + Levels.

Project 5 — Paint Drip Reveal

Colored liquid begins at top.

Drips move downward.

Scene B appears behind.

Eventually entire frame is covered.

PART 8 — LIQUID POUR TRANSITION

Instead of many drips:

create one large flowing mass.

Start from:

top-left.

top-right.

side.

bottom.

Animate Shape Path.

Add Turbulent Displace.

PART 9 — WAVE TRANSITION

A large liquid wave can sweep across the frame.

Create a Shape Layer.

Draw a vertical boundary.

Use:

Wave Warp.

Step 19: Apply Wave Warp

Adjust:

Wave Height.

Wave Width.

Direction.

Speed.

Step 20: Animate Shape Position

Move the shape:

left → right.

Scene B appears behind the moving wave.

Project 6 — Ocean Wave Wipe

Scene A.

Wave enters from left.

Curved liquid edge moves.

Scene B appears.

Wave exits right.

PART 10 — RIPPLE TRANSITION

A ripple can expand from a point.

Good starting points include:

water drop.

finger touch.

logo.

map location.

product.

Step 21: Create Circle

Create Shape Layer:

RIPPLE

Use:

Ellipse.

Stroke only.

Step 22: Animate Scale

0% → large.

Step 23: Duplicate Ripples

Create several rings.

Offset timing.

Step 24: Create Distortion Map

Pre-compose the ripple layers.

Use them with:

Displacement Map

on Scene A and/or Scene B.

Project 7 — Water Ripple Reveal

Drop hits water.

Circular ripple expands.

Image distorts.

Scene B gradually appears inside the expanding ring.

PART 11 — DISPLACEMENT MAP

Displacement Map can distort footage using luminance information from another layer.

Create:

LIQUID_DISPLACEMENT

Use:

Fractal Noise.

Animate Evolution.

Step 25: Apply Displacement Map

Apply to Scene A.

Choose:

LIQUID_DISPLACEMENT.

Animate:

Max Horizontal Displacement.

Max Vertical Displacement.

Transition Structure

Before:

0 displacement.

During:

strong distortion.

After:

This creates a fluid warping effect around the cut.

Project 8 — Distorted Liquid Cut

Scene A begins to warp.

Liquid matte spreads.

cut occurs.

Scene B appears distorted.

distortion settles.

PART 12 — COMBINE MATTE AND DISPLACEMENT

This is one of the strongest techniques.

Use the same procedural texture for:

transition matte.

displacement.

Now the distortion and reveal share the same movement.

This makes the effect feel more physically coherent.

PART 13 — WATER SURFACE DISTORTION

Create Fractal Noise.

Stretch vertically or horizontally.

Use as Displacement Map.

Add:

CC Glass

for highlights.

This can create a refractive water-like surface.

PART 14 — REFRACTION TRANSITION

Instead of simply revealing Scene B:

distort Scene B through the liquid boundary.

This simulates refraction.

Step 26: Duplicate Scene B

Create:

SCENE_B_REFRACTED

Apply:

Displacement Map.

Use the liquid matte.

Step 27: Keep Distortion Near Edge

Use masks or mattes so the strongest distortion appears near the transition boundary.

This is more convincing than distorting the entire scene equally.

PART 15 — GLASS-LIQUID TRANSITION

Use:

CC Glass.

Displacement Map.

Glow.

Highlights.

Create a transparent flowing surface.

Scene B becomes visible through the refracted area.

Project 9 — Glass Fluid Reveal

Transparent blob enters.

Scene B visible through distorted blob.

Blob expands.

Scene B becomes normal.

PART 16 — INK TRANSITION

Liquid doesn’t need to look like water.

Black ink works extremely well.

Use:

Fractal Noise.

Turbulent Displace.

Levels.

Step 28: Create Ink Spots

Start with several small white areas in the matte.

Step 29: Expand Them

Animate Levels or mask expansion.

Spots grow and merge.

Project 10 — Ink Spread Transition

White background.

Black ink spreads.

Scene B appears inside ink.

Ink fills frame.

PART 17 — PAINT TRANSITION

Use colorful Shape Layers.

Animate them as:

strokes.

splashes.

blobs.

drips.

Scene B appears beneath the paint.

PART 18 — PAINT SPLASH

Create multiple irregular Shape Layers.

Animate:

Scale.

Rotation.

Position.

Offset timing.

Add Motion Blur.

PART 19 — BRUSH TRANSITION

Use Shape Layer paths.

Add:

Stroke.

Use:

Trim Paths.

Animate the brush stroke across frame.

Use the stroke as a matte.

Project 11 — Painted Brush Reveal

Brush enters.

Paint stroke crosses screen.

Scene B appears behind stroke.

Additional strokes complete reveal.

PART 20 — MELTING TRANSITION

Create the impression that Scene A melts downward.

Step 30: Create Vertical Displacement

Use Fractal Noise.

Stretch the texture vertically.

Step 31: Apply Displacement Map

Distort Scene A downward.

Step 32: Create Drip Matte

Reveal Scene B from top to bottom.

Project 12 — Melting Scene

Scene A begins normal.

Edges stretch downward.

Drips appear.

Scene A melts away.

Scene B is revealed.

PART 21 — MELTING TEXT

This technique also works well with:

titles.

logos.

graphics.

Use the text as a matte.

Distort downward.

Create drips.

PART 22 — LIQUID LOGO REVEAL

Create a logo.

Fill it with moving liquid.

Then expand the liquid beyond the logo to reveal Scene B.

PART 23 — LIQUID LOGO DISSOLVE

Reverse the process.

Logo begins solid.

Edges become unstable.

Logo breaks into liquid blobs.

Blobs disappear.

PART 24 — WATER DROP TRANSITION

A single water drop can initiate the transition.

Create:

small circle.

impact.

ripple.

distortion.

expanding matte.

Project 13 — Drop-to-Scene Reveal

Scene A.

Drop lands.

Ripple expands.

Scene A distorts.

Scene B appears inside ripple.

Ripple fills frame.

PART 25 — LIQUID LENS TRANSITION

Create a moving transparent blob.

Inside the blob:

Scene B is visible.

Outside:

Scene A remains visible.

The blob behaves like a moving lens.

Step 33: Add Edge Distortion

Use Displacement Map around the blob.

Step 34: Add Highlight

Create thin bright edge.

Add Glow.

Step 35: Animate Blob

Move across frame.

Scale larger.

Eventually fill screen.

PART 26 — OIL-LIKE TRANSITION

Use:

Fractal Noise.

Colorama.

Turbulent Displace.

Glow.

Create colorful flowing patterns.

Use the luminance as a matte.

PART 27 — PSYCHEDELIC LIQUID TRANSITION

Combine:

strong distortion.

animated colors.

chromatic aberration.

Glow.

Use for:

music videos.

experimental edits.

PART 28 — CLEAN CORPORATE LIQUID TRANSITION

Liquid transitions don’t need to look chaotic.

Use:

2–3 large blobs.

minimal distortion.

brand colors.

smooth easing.

This creates a clean modern motion-graphics style.

PART 29 — PRODUCT COLOR WIPE

Match the liquid color to the product.

Example:

blue perfume bottle.

blue liquid spreads.

new product shot appears.

PART 30 — FOOD LIQUID TRANSITION

Use visual styles resembling:

chocolate.

coffee.

milk.

juice.

sauce.

Keep the effect stylized unless you’re building a full fluid simulation.

PART 31 — WATER-TO-UNDERWATER TRANSITION

Start:

above-water scene.

Create moving water boundary.

Distort frame.

Reveal underwater footage.

Project 14 — Dive Transition

Beach.

Camera approaches water.

ripple distortion.

blue liquid fills frame.

underwater footage appears.

PART 32 — SKY-TO-WATER TRANSITION

Use blue color continuity.

Sky morphs into water.

Add ripple.

Reveal ocean.

PART 33 — MAP LIQUID TRANSITION

Use liquid movement to reveal geographic areas.

Example:

map of Europe.

blue liquid spreads across countries.

data appears behind.

PART 34 — DATA LIQUID REVEAL

Use organic blobs to reveal:

charts.

statistics.

maps.

icons.

This can soften otherwise rigid infographic animation.

PART 35 — MULTI-COLOR LIQUID WIPE

Create several colored Shape Layers.

Offset them.

For example:

purple.

blue.

orange.

Each wave follows the previous one.

Scene B appears behind the final color.

Project 15 — Layered Color Wave

Wave 1 enters.

Wave 2 follows.

Wave 3 follows.

Scene B appears.

This creates a polished branded transition.

PART 36 — CREATE TRAILING LIQUID

Duplicate the main matte.

Offset in time.

Change Scale slightly.

This creates layered trailing edges.

PART 37 — ADD MOTION BLUR

Fast blobs benefit from Motion Blur.

Enable it for moving Shape Layers.

PART 38 — ADD EDGE GLOW

Useful for:

neon liquid.

energy effects.

sci-fi transitions.

Duplicate matte edge.

Blur.

Add Glow.

PART 39 — ADD HIGHLIGHTS

For water-like liquid:

create a thin bright edge.

Use:

Find Edges.

Stroke.

Glow.

or duplicate matte techniques.

PART 40 — ADD SHADOW

For opaque paint or graphic liquid:

add a subtle Drop Shadow.

This gives the liquid layer depth above the footage.

PART 41 — ADD TEXTURE

Perfectly flat shapes can look overly digital.

Add subtle:

Noise.

Fractal Noise.

grain.

PART 42 — COLOR MATCHING

The transition color should work with both scenes.

Use:

brand color.

dominant Scene A color.

dominant Scene B color.

neutral black or white.

PART 43 — EXPOSURE MATCHING

The liquid midpoint is an excellent place to hide a brightness change.

Animate Exposure beneath the matte.

PART 44 — SOUND DESIGN

Sound dramatically improves liquid transitions.

Useful sounds:

splash.

pour.

bubble.

ripple.

swish.

drip.

underwater movement.

Match Sound to Material

Water:

splash or ripple.

Paint:

thicker swish.

Ink:

soft organic spread.

Graphic blobs:

clean whoosh.

PART 45 — AUDIO BRIDGE

Begin Scene B ambience while the liquid is still covering the frame.

Example:

city scene.

liquid spreads.

ocean sound begins.

beach appears.

PART 46 — TRANSITION SPEED

Typical timing:

6–12 frames: fast graphic liquid wipe.

12–24 frames: energetic.

24–45 frames: smooth.

1–2 seconds: detailed organic animation.

PART 47 — USE EASY EASE

Select movement keyframes.

Press:

F9

Liquid animation usually benefits from smooth acceleration and deceleration.

PART 48 — OFFSET MULTIPLE ELEMENTS

Don’t animate every blob simultaneously.

Stagger them.

This creates natural complexity.

PART 49 — LOOPING LIQUID TEXTURE

If you need a reusable background:

animate Fractal Noise Evolution.

Use expressions or cycle techniques where appropriate.

PART 50 — BUILD A LIQUID CONTROL NULL

Create:

LIQUID_CTRL

Add:

Transition Progress.

Turbulence Amount.

Turbulence Size.

Edge Softness.

Distortion Amount.

Ripple Strength.

Liquid Scale.

Create Presets

Build:

LIQUID WIPE

INK SPREAD

WATER RIPPLE

PAINT SPLASH

MELT

LIQUID LENS

COLOR WAVE

ORGANIC BLOBS

Recommended Project Organization

Create folders:

SCENE_A

SCENE_B

LIQUID_MATTES

DISPLACEMENT

SHAPES

ADJUSTMENTS

AUDIO

CONTROLS

Suggested Layer Stack

LIQUID_HIGHLIGHTS

LIQUID_EDGE

SCENE_B

LIQUID_MATTE

SCENE_A

LIQUID_DISPLACEMENT

LIQUID_CTRL

AUDIO

Common Mistake: Fractal Noise Looks Like Clouds

Increase Scale.

Blur.

Use Levels.

Add Turbulent Displace.

Common Mistake: Too Much Fine Detail

Liquid usually reads better with larger connected shapes.

Common Mistake: Edges Flicker

Reduce complexity and smooth the matte.

Common Mistake: Distortion Is Too Strong

Keep the effect strongest around the transition boundary.

Common Mistake: Matte Doesn’t Fully Cover Frame

Make sure the final white area reaches every corner.

Common Mistake: Blobs Move Identically

Offset timing and vary size.

Common Mistake: Transition Feels Mechanical

Use easing and irregular movement.

Common Mistake: Too Many Colors

For professional results, limit the palette.

Common Mistake: No Sound

Even subtle liquid audio makes the effect more convincing.

Basic Liquid Transition Quick Recipe

1. Import Scene A.
2. Import Scene B.
3. Create Liquid Matte.
4. Apply Fractal Noise.
5. Increase Contrast.
6. Adjust Scale.
7. Animate Evolution.
8. Animate Offset Turbulence.
9. Add Blur.
10. Add Levels.
11. Add Turbulent Displace.
12. Use matte to reveal Scene B.
13. Animate matte across frame.
14. Add Displacement Map.
15. Distort transition boundary.
16. Match color.
17. Add Motion Blur.
18. Add liquid sound.
19. Preview.
20. Refine.

Water Ripple Recipe

Use:

circle.

animated Scale.

multiple rings.

Displacement Map.

expanding matte.

Ink Spread Recipe

Use:

Fractal Noise.

Levels.

Turbulent Displace.

animated threshold.

Metaball Recipe

Use:

multiple circles.

Gaussian Blur.

Levels.

Scale animation.

Paint Wipe Recipe

Use:

Shape Layers.

Trim Paths.

irregular edges.

brand colors.

Melt Recipe

Use:

vertical Fractal Noise.

Displacement Map.

drip matte.

downward movement.

Liquid Lens Recipe

Use:

moving blob.

Scene B inside.

Displacement Map.

highlight edge.

Five Essential Liquid Transition Exercises

Exercise 1 — Fractal Noise Wipe

Learn procedural matte generation.

Exercise 2 — Expanding Blob

Learn Shape Layer liquid animation.

Exercise 3 — Metaball Transition

Learn how Blur and Levels merge shapes.

Exercise 4 — Ripple Reveal

Learn displacement-based distortion.

Exercise 5 — Melting Scene

Combine matte animation with vertical displacement.

Master these five exercises and you’ll understand most of the principles behind procedural liquid transitions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I create a liquid transition in After Effects?

Create an animated matte using Fractal Noise or Shape Layers, distort it with Turbulent Displace, and use it to reveal the next scene.

Can I create liquid transitions without plug-ins?

Yes.

The core effects can be built with native After Effects tools.

Which effect creates the organic texture?

Fractal Noise is one of the most useful starting points.

How do I make Fractal Noise look more like liquid?

Use larger structures, Blur, Levels, and Turbulent Displace.

What is the Blur-and-Levels technique?

Blur softens overlapping shapes, while Levels increases contrast and turns them back into solid forms. This can create liquid-like merging blobs.

Can I create water ripples?

Yes.

Use animated circular shapes with Displacement Map.

Can I create paint transitions?

Yes.

Use Shape Layers, strokes, Trim Paths, and Track Mattes.

Can I create melting effects?

Yes.

Use vertically stretched procedural textures with Displacement Map and animated mattes.

Can I use a logo as part of the liquid transition?

Yes.

Liquid can fill, reveal, distort, or dissolve a logo.

Can I use liquid transitions for product videos?

Yes.

Matching the liquid colors to product or brand colors can create polished commercial transitions.

Should I add sound?

Usually yes.

Splash, ripple, pour, drip, and swish sounds can significantly improve the perceived effect.

Practice Project: Organic Liquid Landscape Transition

Create:

LIQUID_TRANSITION_MASTER

at:

1920 × 1080.

Import:

SCENE_A — Mountain Landscape

SCENE_B — Coastal Landscape

Create Solid:

LIQUID_MATTE

Apply:

Fractal Noise.

Increase:

Contrast.

Adjust:

Brightness.

Increase Fractal Noise Scale until the texture contains large organic forms.

Animate:

Evolution.

Animate:

Offset Turbulence

from left to right.

Apply:

Gaussian Blur.

Then:

Levels.

Create smooth black-and-white regions.

Apply:

Turbulent Displace.

Use moderate:

Amount.

Size.

Animate:

Evolution.

Use LIQUID_MATTE as a:

Luma Matte

to reveal Scene B.

Create:

LIQUID_DISPLACEMENT

using a duplicate of the procedural texture.

Apply:

Displacement Map

to the footage near the transition.

Animate displacement:

0 → strong → 0.

Add subtle:

Motion Blur.

Color-match the two landscapes.

Add:

soft liquid swish.

Begin:

ocean ambience

while the matte is crossing the frame.

Preview at full speed.

The viewer should experience:

mountain landscape.

organic liquid shapes begin moving across frame.

image distorts near the liquid edge.

coastal landscape appears through the liquid.

liquid fills frame.

distortion disappears.

coastal landscape remains.

That project teaches:

Fractal Noise,

procedural mattes,

Blur + Levels,

Turbulent Displace,

Luma Mattes,

Displacement Maps,

organic motion,

and:

sound design.

If you’d like to build these effects yourself, you can explore Adobe’s current After Effects options below:

Get Adobe After Effects and start creating liquid transitions, fluid wipes, ripple effects, displacement animation, and organic scene reveals

What Should You Learn Next?

After liquid transitions, the next useful technique is the ink and paint reveal.

While liquid transitions focus on flowing procedural motion, ink and paint transitions use visible artistic media:

brush strokes.

splashes.

ink spreads.

watercolor edges.

paint drips.

paper textures.

The next article will therefore be:

How to Create Ink and Paint Transitions in Adobe After Effects: Brush Strokes, Splashes, Watercolor Reveals, and Animated Mattes.

Final Thoughts

Liquid transitions are fundamentally animated matte systems.

Once you understand that principle, the effect becomes much easier to control.

Create a black-and-white matte.

Make the boundary organic.

Animate it across the frame.

Use it to reveal the next scene.

Then add displacement so the footage itself reacts to the liquid movement.

The combination of:

Fractal Noise, Blur, Levels, Turbulent Displace, Track Mattes, and Displacement Maps

is especially powerful.

From that foundation you can create:

water.

ink.

paint.

melting surfaces.

ripples.

organic blobs.

liquid lenses.

abstract color waves.

and many other transition styles.

You don’t need a complex fluid simulation for every project.

Often, a carefully designed procedural matte provides exactly the illusion you need.

Explore Adobe After Effects and start creating professional liquid transitions