How do I achieve this effect?

[John Winthrop]

I think it might just be a bunch of photos that were taken with the subject in *exactly* the same place, then heavily feathered masks revealing each one from the top left to bottom right. Then liquify applied afterwards.

Let me know if you figure it out, looks very cool.

[Mark Whitney]

[Greg Howell] “Does anybody know how I would achieive this effect? I’m thinking it started as a morph using liquify, then a pixelated gradient was used as to a time displacement?

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/–IpD_0aq4vg/TmN3kooppkI/AAAAAAAADIc/Xv9_...

am I right? Just wondering what stages were involved”

Think your on the right track. Clever effect in any case. Save out the GIF then open it in Photoshop to study frame by frame.

There’s a combo of displacements I think, temporal & spacial, then overlaid on the grids (L-R and Verticals) that are grads getting their values ramped making additive/destructive regions & then used as Track Mattes. If that makes any sense. Whew!

[Steve Bentley]

There also seems to be a bit of morphing or “reshaping” going on – look at the nose and when the mouth smiles – its more than just a displace or dissolve, the structure actually changes shape through the transition. I don’t think its a morph on the entire head though.
What a great look that gives!