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 plugin:

• Step 1. Open the image in your photo editor.
  
• Step 2. 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 3. 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 4. 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.

  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 5. Select the Pencil tool from the Control panel 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 Control Panel 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 6. 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 (Command 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 7. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 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+Command 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 (Command+Z in Macintosh). You can cancel the last operation with the button Undo and restore the changes with the button Redo.

  
• Step 8. Press the button to start the colorization process. The colorized image is shown in the After tab.
  
• Step 9. 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 10. Press the button to apply the colorization result to your picture and close the plugin window.
  

Before you apply and close the plugin window, you can save the color strokes into a file. It is helpful when you want to edit the photo later, for example, if you have to interrupt your work before you set colors for every object or you want to have several color version of the same black and white picture. To save the strokes 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.

Follow the instructions to colorize a photo with the standalone version of AKVIS Coloriage:

• Step 1. Launch the program AKVIS Coloriage. You can do it in the following way:
  • On a Windows computer:

    - In the main menu: press the button Start and select from the pop-up menu the command AKVIS – Coloriage.

    - Using the program's shortcut on the Desktop: put the cursor on the icon of the program AKVIS Coloriage 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 Coloriage and double-click it.

• Step 2. Open an image for editing. For this purpose, press the button and select the required file in the dialog box. The program supports images in bmp, jpg and png formats.
  
• Step 3. Select the color for the object you want to colorize.

  AKVIS Coloriage offers several ways to select colors: in the Colors palette, in the Colors 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 box 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.

  The colors on the photo will look natural if you select a less saturated color. In the Colors palette these colors appear in the lower part of the palette.

• Step 4. Select the Pencil tool from the Control panel and specify the object on the image that you want to paint in the selected color. For this purpose:
  • 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.

  Tip: If you want to have a smooth color transition (i.e., when assigning several colors for the sky or for verdure), you should draw strokes far from each other; if you want to have a sharp color transition (i.e. when assigning colors for eyes, lips, etc.) you should draw strokes close to each other so that the colors won't flow.

  

  If you want to change the color of an object on a color photo, 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, then select the Tube tool from the Control Panel and left-click on the stroke. If there are several strokes of one color and you want to change their color, activate the Magic Tube tool and click on one of these strokes.

• Step 5. 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 (Command 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 6. Repeat steps 3,4 and 5 until you set colors for all objects. If you do not select a color for an object, it will be painted in the color of the nearest object (objects).

  Use the Eraser tool to erase 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+Command in Macintosh) and click on the picture.

  If you want to cancel the last action, press the key combination Ctrl+Z (Command+Z in Macintosh). You can cancel the last operation with the button Undo and restore the changes with the button Redo.

  
• Step 7. Press the button to start the colorization process. The colorized image is shown in the After tab.
  
• Step 8. 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 9. Save the image. For this purpose press the button and in the Save As dialog box enter a name for the file, set its format (jpg, bmp or png) and indicate a folder to which you want to save the file.

• Step 10. 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 11. It is possible to print the image. For this purpose press the button , adjust print settings in the Print dialog box and press the button Print.

  The left part of the Print dialog box is the preview area where the current position of the image on the page is shown, in the right part of the dialog box the print settings are adjusted:

  • The check-boxes Album and Portrait set the page orientation when printing. The check-box Album corresponds to the horizontal page orientation (width larger than height), the check-box Portrait - to vertical.

  • The parameters Scale, Width and Height and the check-box Fit to Page set the printed size of the image. They do not influence the image itself, only its printed copy. It is possible to change the size of the printed copy by specifying the image scale in % (any value less than 100% reduces the image, any value over 100% increases it) or by setting new values for width and height in the corresponding fields. If you just want to fit the image into the page, enable the check-box Fit to Page.

  • The image in the preview area has a frame with markers that allow changing the image size manually. Put the mouse cursor to a corner marker or to one of the sides (the cursor will transform to a two-side arrow) and drag the marker or the side. To change the position of the image on the page, bring the cursor to the center of the image, press the left mouse button and move the cursor. Besides, it is possible to define the image position on the page with the parameter Move To by clicking on one of the nine squares.

  If your computer is connected to a local network with several printers or several output devices are connected to this computer, you will have to choose one of the available printers to do the job. Click Printer Setup in the dialog box Print, select a printer in the opening dialog box and adjust the printing settings.

• Step 12. Close the program AKVIS Coloriage by pressing the button .