Liquify in transparent layers in Photoshop

Late reply but in case anyone else has the same issue.

I just solved this by doing the following:

Add new blank layer 

Cmd + Alt + Shift + E (Mac)

Ctrl + Alt + Shift + E (Win)

Filter - Convert for smart filters

Hope this helps 🙂

If you want to make a wavy glass look, I would use a  displacement map, depending on what you actually want. Swirls would be challenging  but a basic wavy look should be easy. Do you have an example that you're trying to duplicate? 

Hi there,

It is not possible to use liquify on a layer which does not have a subject or is an empty transparent layer. if a mesh is already present on a layer, then you can definitely use the liquify filter. Please have a look at this article for more information: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/photoshop/using/liquify-filter.html#work_with_meshes

Regards,
Sahil