AKVIS ArtWork Tutorial: Program Workspace
 

   
Please enter your email to be kept posted on updates and discounts:
 
 
  Products     Download     Online Store     Tutorial     Support     Company      Customer Room
en  fr  de  es  pt  it  jp  ru    
 

Tutorial: AKVIS ArtWork

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:

  • 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.

  • 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
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.

  • The button opens the home page of AKVIS ArtWork.
  • 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 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 imports a list of presets (from the .artwork file).
  • The button exports presets (user settings for the image processing). You can save any number of presets to a separate file with the ending .artwork.
  • The button loads saved guiding lines (from the .direction file).
  • The button saves the guiding lines to a file with the .direction extension.
  • The button / shows/hides the guiding lines.
  • The button cancels the last operation (with the tools). It is possible to cancel several operations in a row. The hotkeys are Ctrl+Z on Windows, +Z on Macintosh.
  • The button returns the last cancelled operation. It is possible to return several operations in a row. The hotkeys are Ctrl+Y on Windows, +Y on Macintosh.
  • The button (only in the standalone version) opens the Batch Processing dialog to automatically process a series of images.
  • The button initiates image processing with the current settings. The resulting image is shown in the After tab.
  • The button (only in the plugin version) applies the result to the image and closes the plugin.
  • The button shows information about the program.
  • The button calls the Help files. The hot-key is F1.
  • The button calls the Preferences dialog box for changing the program's options.

 

Тo the left of the Image Window there is a Toolbar with the following buttons:

  • The button switches on/off the Preview Window (more about the preview).
  • Direction Tools (work under Home Deluxe/Business licenses only):

  • The button activates the Stroke Direction tool for drawing of guiding lines (in Oil and Pastel styles).
  • The button activates the Eraser tool used to erase the guiding lines, either partially or fully.
  • Post-Processing Tools (work on the After tab, under Home Deluxe/Business licenses only):

  • The button activates the Smudge tool which is used to manually refine images by removing paint irregularities (in Oil, Watercolor and Pastel styles).
  • The button activates the Blur tool which reduces image sharpness by decreasing color contrast (in Watercolor style only).

 

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
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.

  • On the Painting tab you can adjust the settings for photo-to-paint conversion.
  • On the Text tab you can add an inscription to your painting.
  • 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.

 
How It Works How It Works
   — Workspace — Workspace
   — How To Use The Program — How To Use The Program
   — Add Text to a Painting — Add Text to a Painting
   — Painting on a Canvas — Painting on a Canvas
   — Working with the Presets — Working with the Presets
   — Preferences — Preferences
   — Batch Processing — Batch Processing
Styles Styles
   — Oil Painting — Oil Painting
   — Watercolor Painting — Watercolor Painting
   — Comics Effect — Comics Effect
   — Pen & Ink — Pen & Ink
   — Linocut — Linocut
   — Pastel Painting — Pastel Painting
Examples Examples
   — Harmony: Oil Painting Portrait — Harmony: Oil Painting Portrait
   — City Canal View: Oil Landscape — City Canal View: Oil Landscape
   — Animated Comic of a Cat: Video to Cartoon — Animated Comic of a Cat: Video to Cartoon
   — Emergency Cow: Make a Poster — Emergency Cow: Make a Poster
   — Greetings from Canary Islands — Greetings from Canary Islands
   — Summer Coloured Green — Summer Coloured Green
   — Casandra's Portrait — Casandra's Portrait
   — ArtWork for Art Students — ArtWork for Art Students
   — Day At The Beach — Day At The Beach
   — ArtWork Oil Gallery — ArtWork Oil Gallery
   — Orchid: an Oil Painting of Flowers — Orchid: an Oil Painting of Flowers
   — Miniature Painting — Miniature Painting
   — Still Life With Peaches — Still Life With Peaches
   — From Flawed Photo To Work Of Art — From Flawed Photo To Work Of Art
   — Antique Collage: Comics Effect — Antique Collage: Comics Effect
   — Baroque Architecture: Linocut — Baroque Architecture: Linocut
   — Ballet Art: Trying ArtWork Styles — Ballet Art: Trying ArtWork Styles
   — Human Flower: Pen & Ink Drawing — Human Flower: Pen & Ink Drawing
   — Oil Painting With a Hand-Drawn Effect — Oil Painting With a Hand-Drawn Effect
   — A Little Secret: Two ArtWork Styles — A Little Secret: Two ArtWork Styles
   — Mythical Horse: Watercolor Picture — Mythical Horse: Watercolor Picture
   — Forest Nymph — Forest Nymph
   — Ballet Dancers — Ballet Dancers
   — Portrait of a Lady: Modern Art — Portrait of a Lady: Modern Art
   — Sunset on Lake Garda in Pastel — Sunset on Lake Garda in Pastel
   — Creating  a Semi-Processed Image Effect — Creating a Semi-Processed Image Effect
   — A Holiday In Normandy — A Holiday In Normandy
   — Orange Door: a Comic-Like Painting — Orange Door: a Comic-Like Painting

 

back to top

 

   Privacy Policy | Site Map | Search at AKVIS    
   Contact Us | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube Channel    
| English  |Français  |Deutsch  |Español  |Português  |Italiano  |日本語  |Pусский  | © 2004-2012 AKVIS. All rights reserved.