Tutorial: AKVIS ArtWork

Harmony: an Oil Painting Portrait

The program AKVIS ArtWork is designed to imitate different painting techniques. The first version of the program offers oil painting. In the next versions the choice of techniques will be expanded. In this tutorial we will convert a photo of a girl into an oil painting.

Please follow these steps:

• Step 1. Open an image in your photo editor by calling the command File -> Open.
  
  Original image
• Step 2. Call the plugin version of AKVIS ArtWork. In Adobe Photoshop select the menu item Filter -> AKVIS -> ArtWork; in Paint Shop Pro select the menu item in Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> ArtWork; in Corel PHOTO-PAINT select the menu item Effects -> AKVIS -> ArtWork.

  A sample of the image processed with the current preset will be shown in the Preview Window. The program uses the settings of AKVIS Default preset or of the last used preset. The default values usually offer a good result, but you can adjust them to fine tune the result.

• Step 3. Adjust the stroke parameters.

  Simplicity = 3 (a value higher than 3 will smooth away the stripes on the sweater).

  To make the strokes more expressive increase their length, width and curvature:

  Stroke Curvature = 71;
  Max Stroke Length = 37;
  Stroke Thickness = 6.

  Default settings	Large strokes

  For the strokes to be apparent, increase the value of the parameter Stroke Density, it will increase the number of strokes. If a random stroke is out of place (for example, across the nose), and the Stroke Direction is not available, you can change the value of Stroke Density until you get the best version.

  Stroke Density = 86;
  Stroke Intensity = 5;
  Microdetails = 15.

  The image will look better if we make the colors brighter:

  Saturation = 25.

• Step 4. Add an inscription on the Text tab.
• Step 5. Click on to process the image with the new settings. The result will be shown on the After tab.
  
  Oil Painting
• Step 6. Click on to apply the result of conversion and close the plugin's window. Now put the image into a frame and the painting is ready.
  
  Oil Painting in a Photo Frame
  (click on the image to see a larger copy)