Workspace
AKVIS ArtWork can work independently as a standalone program as well as a plug-in to a photo editor.
To call the AKVIS ArtWork plug-in in Adobe Photoshop select the menu item Filter -> AKVIS -> ArtWork; in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro select the menu item Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> ArtWork; in Corel Photo-Paint select the menu item Effects -> AKVIS -> ArtWork.
To launch the standalone version of AKVIS ArtWork follow the instructions:
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On a Windows computer:
- In the main menu: press the button Start and select from the pop-up menu the command AKVIS -> ArtWork.
- Using the program's shortcut on the Desktop: put the cursor on the icon of the program AKVIS ArtWork and double-click it with the left mouse button.
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On a Macintosh computer:
- Using Finder: select the folder Applications on the side bar of the Finder window, select the application AKVIS ArtWork and double-click it.
The AKVIS ArtWork workspace looks like this:
Workspace of AKVIS ArtWork
The left part of the AKVIS ArtWork window is taken by the Image Window with two tabs: Before and After. Under the Before tab you can see the original photo. The After tab shows the resulting image. You can switch between the windows by left-clicking on the tab with mouse button. To compare the original and the resulting images, click on the image and hold the button pressed - the program will currently switch between tabs.
In the upper part of the program's 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.
Тo the left of the Image Window there is a Toolbar with the following buttons:
Navigate and scale the image using the Navigator. The frame in the Navigator surrounds the area of the image which is visible in the Image Window; the area outside of the frame will be shaded. The frame can be dragged, thereby changing the visible portion of the image. To move the frame, place the cursor within it, left click the mouse, and then drag.
Navigation window
To scroll the image in the Image Window you can press the spacebar on the keyboard and drag the image with the left mouse button. Use the scroll wheel of the mouse to move the image up/down, by keeping the Ctrl key pressed – to the left/to the right, by keeping the Alt key pressed − scale the image. Right-click on the scroll bar to activate the quick navigation menu.
Use the slider or the buttons  and  , to scale the image in the Image Window. When you click on the button or move the slider to the right, the image scale increases. When you click on the button or move the slider to the left, the image scale reduces.
You can also change the image scale by entering a new coefficient into the scale field. The fall-down menu shows some frequently used coefficients.
You can use hot-keys to change the image scale + and Ctrl++ ( ++ in Macintosh) to increase the image scale and - and Ctrl+- (+- in Macintosh) to reduce the scale.
Under the Navigator there is the Settings Panel where you can choose the Style (a painting technique) and adjust its settings.
The Settings Panel has three tabs of settings: Painting, Text and Canvas.
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On the Painting tab you can adjust the settings for photo-to-paint conversion.
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On the Text tab you can add an inscription to your painting.
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On the Canvas tab you can adjust the settings for the canvas, to which the resulting image is applied.
Below, in the Presets field you can save the current settings as a preset to use them in the future. The current settings can be saved, edited, deleted. When you launch the program, it uses the settings of the last used preset.
Under the Settings Panel you can see Hints for the parameters and buttons when you hover over them with the cursor. You can choose where the hints will be shown or hide them in the program's Preferences.
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opens the home page of 
(only in the standalone version) opens an image for processing. The hot-keys are Ctrl+O on Windows, 
(only in the standalone version) saves image to the disk. The hot-keys are Ctrl+S on Windows, 
(only in the standalone version) prints the image. The hot-keys are Ctrl+P on Windows, 
loads saved guiding lines (from the .direction file).
saves the guiding lines to a file with the .direction extension.
/ 
shows/hides the guiding lines.
cancels the last operation (with the tools). It is possible to cancel several operations in a row. The hotkeys are Ctrl+Z on Windows, 
returns the last cancelled operation. It is possible to return several operations in a row. The hotkeys are Ctrl+Y on Windows, 
(only in the standalone version) opens the Batch Processing dialog to 
initiates image processing with the current settings. The resulting image is shown in the After tab.
(only in the plugin version) applies the result to the image and closes the plugin.
shows information about the program.
calls the Help files. The hot-key is F1.
calls the Preferences dialog box for changing the 
switches on/off the Preview Window (
activates the Stroke Direction tool for drawing of guiding lines (in Oil and Pastel styles).
activates the Eraser tool used to erase the guiding lines, either partially or fully.
activates the Smudge tool which is used to manually refine images by removing paint irregularities (in Oil, Watercolor and Pastel styles).
activates the Blur tool which reduces image sharpness by decreasing color contrast (in Watercolor style only).
— Workspace