Tutorial: AKVIS ArtSuite

Workspace

AKVIS ArtSuite can work independently as a standalone program as well as a plug-in to a photo editor.

To call the plug-in version of ArtSuite do the following: in Adobe Photoshop select the menu item Filter – AKVIS – ArtSuite; in Corel Paint Shop Pro select Effects – Plugins - AKVIS – ArtSuite; in Corel Photo-Paint use the menu command Effects – AKVIS – ArtSuite.

To launch the standalone version of AKVIS ArtSuite follow the instruction below:

On a Windows computer:
- In the main menu: press the button Start and select from the pop-up menu the command AKVIS – ArtSuite.
- Using the program's shortcut on the Desktop: put the cursor on the icon of the program AKVIS ArtSuite and double-click it with the left mouse button.
On a Macintosh computer:
- Using Finder: select the folder Applications on the side bar of the Finder window, select the application AKVIS ArtSuite and double-click it.

The workspace of AKVIS ArtSuite looks like this:

Features of the Workspace:

Most of the AKVIS ArtSuite workspace is taken by the Image Window with two tabs: Before and After. The Before tab shows the original image, the After tab shows the result. To switch between the tabs and compare the original and the resulting images, just left-click on any point of the image.

In the upper part of the window you can see the Control Panel. You can hide/show the Control Panel by clicking on the small triangle button (in the middle of the panel). The minimized panel will be shown when moving the cursor over it. You can use the Lock the Control Panel option (in the Preferences) to prevent changes and keep the panel visible all time.

The Control Panel has the following controls:

The button opens the home page of AKVIS ArtSuite.
The button (only in the standalone version) opens an image for processing. The hot-keys are Ctrl+O on Windows, +O on Macintosh.
Right mouse click on this button displays the list of recent files. You can change the number of recent documents in the program's Preferences.
The button (only in the standalone version) saves the processed image to the disk. The hot-keys are Ctrl+S on Windows, +S on Macintosh.
The button (only in the standalone version) prints the image. The hot-keys are Ctrl+P on Windows, +P on Macintosh.
The button saves presets (user settings for the chosen frame/effect). The settings are saved to a separate file with the ending .arts.
The button loads the saved user presets.
The button starts applying the chosen frame/effect to the image. Use hot-keys: Ctrl+R on Windows, +R on Macintosh.
The button (only in the plug-in version) applies the result and closes the program window of AKVIS ArtSuite. The hot-keys are Ctrl+S (+S on Macintosh).
The button calls information about the program.
The button calls help files to the program. The hot-key is F1.
The button calls the Preferences dialog box.

Moving and scaling the image is done in the Navigator. In the Navigator you can see the reduced copy of the image. A frame surrounds the part of the image visible in the Image Window; the area outside of the frame will be shaded. The frame can be dragged to display a different part of the image. To move the frame, bring the cursor inside the frame, press the left mouse button and while keeping it pressed, drag the cursor.

Additionally, you can move the image in the Image Window with the scroll bars or by holding down the space bar, then holding down the left mouse button while moving the mouse. The mouse's scroll wheel can move the image up and down, and holding Ctrl ( in Macintosh) – while using the scroll wheel will move the image left and right. Holding Alt (Option in Macintosh) will scale the image. Right-click on the scroll bar to activate the quick navigation menu.

Use the buttons and , as well as the slider to scale the image in the Image Window. By clicking on or by moving the slider to the right, you scale up the image; by clicking on or by moving the slider to the left, you scale down the image in the Image Window.

It is also possible to enter a new scale coefficient into the appropriate field. Frequently used scale coefficients can be found in a fall-down menu. You can also scale the image using hot-keys: + and Ctrl++ (++ on Macintosh) to scale up the image, - and Ctrl+- (+- on Macintosh) to scale down the image.