Tutorial: AKVIS Coloriage

How it works

AKVIS Coloriage can work independently as a standalone program and as a plug-in to a photo editor.

Watch a flash movie demonstrating the technique of image colorization with AKVIS Coloriage. Click here! (flash-movie, 9.4 Mb)

Follow the instructions to colorize a photo with the AKVIS Coloriage:

Step 1. Run the standalone edition of AKVIS Coloriage or open your photo editor (if you work with the plugin version of AKVIS Coloriage).
Step 2. Open an image.
- If you work with the plugin:
Open an image in your photo editor by calling the command File -> Open or using the key combination Ctrl+O.
- If you work with the standalone edition (with file in BMP, JPEG, PNG or TIFF format):
The dialog box Open source image from file appears if you double-click on the empty workspace of the program or if you click on the button on the Control Panel. You can also drag the required image into the workspace of the program.
Step 3. In plug-in version only: make sure that the image is in RGB mode. If it is not the case (a black and white image can be in Grayscale mode, while a color image in CMYK or Lab mode), switch it to RGB. (For example, in Adobe Photoshop you can switch to RGB with the command Image -> Mode -> RGB).
Attention PSP users! In Paint Shop Pro you can apply Coloriage only to the background.
If you have several layers you'll need to merge them (the command Merge All) to be able to apply the plug-in.
Step 4. In plug-in version only: call the AKVIS Coloriage plug-in. For this purpose in Adobe Photoshop select the menu item Filter –> AKVIS –> Coloriage; in Jasc Paint Shop Pro select the menu item Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> Coloriage; in Corel PHOTO-PAINT select the menu item Effects –> AKVIS –> Coloriage.
Step 5. Select the color for the object you want to colorize.
AKVIS Coloriage offers several ways to select colors: in the Colors palette, in the Color library and in the Color Selection Standard Dialog box.
To select a color from the Colors palette simply left-click on any of the palette colors. The selected color will be shown in the rectangle on the right. The gradient line above the Colors palette will show this color and its shades according to their brightness.

The Color Library contains colors that are difficult to pick out: the color of skin, hair, lips, grass, trees, stones, etc. All colors in the Color Library are divided into groups in accordance with their function. To select a color from the Color library you should:
- Select the folder with the required group of colors from the tree by left-clicking it. The colors within the group represent a gradient.
- Select a gradient by left-clicking it. As a result the chosen color appears in the upper gradient line under the Color library. The marker shows the color you clicked on.
- Select a color on the upper gradient line by left-clicking it. The marker will fix this color and the lower gradient line will show the shades of the selected color according to their brightness.
To open the Color selection standard dialog you should click on the color circle in the right upper corner of the Colors palette.

You can also select a color from the original image. For this purpose, you should activate the Eyedropper tool and left-click any point of the image, including drawn strokes.
Hint: The colors on the photo will look natural if you select a less saturated color. These colors appear in the lower part of the Colors palette.
Step 6. Select the Pencil tool from the Toolbar and draw an outline within the object that you want to paint in the selected color.
Hint: To change the brush size of the Pencil tool use the drop-out scale that appears when you press the button of the Pencil tool. Use hot keys: to reduce the brush size press the key [, to increase the brush size press the key ].
- Draw an outline within the object following the shape of it's boundaries. If the object has several colors, you should draw a line along the boundary of the object that should be painted into the selected color.
- If the object is rather large or there are sharp visible boundaries within it (lighter and darker areas, for example), draw several strokes inside the object.
- If inside the object there are details that will be painted in other colors, outline them with the main color of the object. For example, you should outline lips, eyes, buttons on a coat, etc.
If you want to change the color of a particular object on a color photo keeping other areas unchanged, use the Pencil tool to set the color for the object and then draw a closed outline around this object using the Keep-color Pencil.
To change the color of the drawn stroke you should select a new color, activate the Tube tool in the Toolbar and left-click on the stroke. If you want to change the color of several strokes having one color, activate the Magic Tube tool and left-click on one of these strokes.
Step 7. The resulting color of the colorized object depends on the brightness of the original color. For example, if you apply a dark color to a bright area, the resulting color will be bright, as the program will adjust the new color to the brightness of the original image.
If you are not satisfied with the result you can make the final color lighter or darker. For this purpose you should change the brightness range of the selected color. Take into account that the brightness range compression (especially if it is strong) will inevitably result in deterioration of the detail and deepness of an image.
The brightness range is set in the lower gradient line under the Color Library. By default the brightness range is complete, i.e. the black pixels on the image correspond to the darkest shades of the selected color, while the white pixels correspond to the lightest shades of the selected color.

To change the brightness range you should move the markers of the black and/or white points on the gradient line. Thus you set the darkest or/and the lightest possible color shade for the object. If you set a darker shade for the white marker, you will be able to color a light object into a dark color; if you set a lighter point for the black marker, you will be able to color a dark area into a light color. You can not reduce the range more than twice.

To change the brightness range for a drawn stroke you should select the required brightness range, take the Tube tool and left-click on this stroke. If you want to recolor strokes having one and the same color and brightness, select the Magic Tube tool and left-click on one of the strokes. To recolor all strokes having the same color regardless of the brightness range, use this tool with the Ctrl-key pressed on the keyboard ( on Macintosh).
When the check-box Brightness Preview is activated, you can see how the strokes with the selected color and brightness range will look on the resulting image. If the check-box is deactivated, the strokes are drawn with the solid color regardless of the selected brightness.

Check-box Brightness Preview on Check-box Brightness Preview off

Attention! Earlier versions of AKVIS Coloriage (before 4.0) worked only with complete brightness range and it was impossible to color a dark object into a light color and vice versa. Note that the strokes files (*.strokes) created in earlier versions of Coloriage are compatible with the present one.
Step 8. Repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 until you set colors for all objects. If you do not select a color for an object, it will be painted in the color(s) of the nearest area.
Use the Eraser tool to erase the drawn strokes. To remove a stroke you should activate the Eraser tool, press the Alt key (Option in Macintosh) and left-click on the stroke. If you want to remove all strokes, press the keys Alt+Ctrl (Option+ in Macintosh) and click on the picture.
You can change the brush size of the Eraser tool with the fall-out scale that appears when you press the Eraser tool button in the Toolbar.
If you want to cancel the last action, press the key combination Ctrl+Z (+Z in Macintosh). You can cancel the last operation with the button Undo and restore the changes with the button Redo.
Step 9. Press the button to start the colorization process. The colorized image is shown in the After tab.
Step 10. If you want to edit the colorization result (remove some strokes, add new strokes, change the color of the objects), activate the Before tab again and make the necessary corrections. Press the button again.
Step 11. In the last stage of work you can manually edit the processed image using the soft semitransparent Recolor Brush . It will be possible on the After tab.
Double-click on to see the settings of the Recolor Brush in a floating window. To adjust a parameter, enter a new value into the corresponding field and press the Enter key or move the slider. If you click outside the window, the list of parameters disappears.
- Diameter (1-200). The stroke width of the brush (in pixels).
- Hardness (0-100). The hardness of the outer edge of the brush. The higher the value of the parameter, the harder is the brush edge. At Hardness = 100% the brush is as hard as a pencil; at a low value of the parameter the brush strokes are soft.
- Strength (0-100). The intensity of the strokes. The higher the value of the parameter, the more intense are the colors of the applied strokes.
- Keep Brightness check-box. When the check-box is enabled, the brightness of the drawn stroke is changed to comply with the background and with the overall brightness of the image (the strokes get lighter on the light zones of the image and darker on the dark zones). When the check-box is disabled, the brightness of the strokes does not depend on the brightness of the image.
Processed image Applying the Recolor Brush

Edit the strokes using the Eraser tool. On the After tab you can adjust the following parameters:
- Diameter (1-200). The width of the erased line (in pixels).
- Hardness (0-100). The hardness of the outer edge. The higher the value of the parameter, the harder is the brush edge of the tool. At 100% the erased line has clear borders, at a lower value of the parameter the border between the processed and erased zones is smooth.
- Strength (0-100). The intensity of the tool's influence. The higher the value of the parameter, the more intense is the erasing of the lines.
Step 12. You can save the color strokes drawn on the original image into a file. For this purpose you should press the button . In this case you will be able to edit the strokes in the future by loading them with the button from the file.
Step 13. In plug-in version only: press the button to apply the colorization result to your picture and close the plugin window. The AKVIS Coloriage plugin will close and the colored image will appear in the workspace of the photo editor.
Step 14. Save the processed image.
- If you work with the plugin:
Call the Save As dialog box using the command File -> Save As or with the key combination Shift+Ctrl+S, enter a name for the file, choose the format (TIFF, BMP, JPEG or PNG) and indicate the target folder.
- If you work with the standalone edition:
Click on the button to open the Save as dialog box. Enter a name for the file, choose the format (TIFF, BMP, JPEG or PNG) and indicate the target folder.
Step 15. The standalone edition of AKVIS-Coloriage can print the image. For this purpose press the button , adjust print settings in the Print dialog box and press the button Print.
Step 16. Close the program AKVIS Coloriage by pressing the button .