AKVIS News 2013

May 8, 2013
AKVIS Refocus 3.5 Becomes Faster! Improved Image Processing Speed for Blur Effects

AKVIS Refocus has been updated to version 3.5.

The software works in three modes: Refocus, Tilt-Shift, and Iris Blur. In first mode, the program improves sharpness of out of focus images. The program can process the entire photo or bring into focus only the selected part to make the subject stand out against the background. Two other modes let you add bokeh and lens blur effects to your photos.

Version 3.5 offers an advanced algorithm with the improved image processing speed for Tilt-Shift and Iris Blur modes. The improvement is especially noticeable when using the larger values of the Blur parameter (>30).

Minor bugs have been fixed.

Download AKVIS Refocus v.3.5 for Windows and Mac OS X!

The software is available as a standalone program and as a plug-in to image editors (Photoshop and others).

Registered users of Refocus can upgrade to version 3.5 for free by downloading and installing the new version.

April 25, 2013
Spring Frames for Your Photos - 50 New Exciting Designs for AKVIS ArtSuite!

We are glad to announce a new frame pack for AKVIS ArtSuite - Spring Pack!

AKVIS ArtSuite is an impressive collection of versatile frames and effects for photographs. The software lets you frame your photos, make personalized greeting cards and posters, decorate your family album. The program contains many templates and texture samples for any goal - from classic wooden frames to festive decorations, fabric, brick, and even animal world patterns. You can create a frame with ragged edges, a page curl, etc. It can be a wooden frame with figured carving or a frame with an ornament. Thanks to the large number of effects and a rich pattern library, the software can generate an endless variety of effect versions.

You can extend the features of the program and enrich your collection of frames by adding extra themed frame packs of Hand Painted Frames created by professional artists specifically for use in ArtSuite.
Using these frames in ArtSuite you can easily frame your photographs! Just place a photo into a frame, and press the Run button; the edges will be smoothed and hidden to fit the frame, and you will get a stylish and impressive framed picture.

The brand new Spring Pack includes 50 hand painted frames of excellent quality.
Greeting the Spring season, refreshing and incentive! It means beginning, rebirth and rejuvenation. At this glorious time full of blossoms we celebrate wonderful festivals such as Carnival and Easter. Our frames make you feel nature's great awakening, warm rays of the sun, exciting scent of the spring, and love in the air, and hear songs of birds.
Take a look at the thumbnails of the new frames.
You can buy 50 lovely Spring Frames for only $12!

Now 8 themed packs are available: Baby Pack, Wedding Pack, Travel Pack, St.Valentine Pack, Sports Pack, Christmas Pack, Winter Pack, and the new Spring Pack! These frames are offered for a pretty modest price and are intended for those who are interested in beautifully designed frames.
Also, a Free Set of Frames, a collection of enchanting designs for any occasion, is available for download without charge and registration.

Note: You can use the additional frame packs only in the Standalone version of AKVIS ArtSuite, not in the Plugin. To add the frame packs (zip files) in ArtSuite just copy them into a folder selected in the program's preferences. Read the instructions on how to install and register the frame packs.

April 12, 2013
AKVIS AirBrush v.1.0: Incredible Airbrush Drawings from Photos!

We are glad to announce the release of our new (18th) program - AKVIS AirBrush v.1.0!

AKVIS AirBrush is photo to painting software that makes an airbrush drawing from a photo.

Airbrushing is a painting technique based on the use of a special tool called an air brush or spraying gun. Since it’s a touch free technique, it allows the painter to add light strokes, minor details, and blurry edges. The result is impressive and looks great, often reaching photographic quality and incredible realism. The airbrush art is widely used in auto body industry, for adding graphics to cars, motorbikes, and helmets. It can also be used for decorating mobile phones, computers and home electronics, for creating T-shirt designs or fingernail art.

Airbrushing makes it possible to turn any regular item into a work of art. It has already become a new trend in modern art. Airbrush paintings look great and catch the eye with unprecedented clarity and level of detail.

AKVIS AirBrush automatically transforms a photograph into your own fine art masterpiece which looks like made with a special airbrush tool.

The software works as an artistic filter creating stylish colorful airbrush designs from images using chosen settings of photo-to-painting conversion. Now you do not need to perform complex manual work, drawing lines and details with tools. Just choose one of the AirBrush presets or play with the effect settings. The program will do all work like a real artist!

AKVIS AirBrush is equipped with 40 ready-to-use presets which help you start working. They can be applied "as is" or can be modified. The program lets you save your favorite photo-to-painting settings as a preset and use them further. It's possible to import and export your presets. You can share your favorite settings with other fans of this exciting technique.

The software offer Batch Processing feature that lets you automatically process a series of images. It is useful when dealing with a lot of photos or when creating a video (to process all frames automatically).

AKVIS AirBrush can be used as a standalone program and as a plugin to a photo editor. The plug-in is compatible with Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Corel Paint Shop Pro, etc. Have a look at the compatibility page for more details.

Download AKVIS AirBrush v.1.0! You can use it during the 10 day trial period free of charge.

The software runs on Windows XP/Vista/Win7/Win 8 and on Mac OS X 10.4-10.8, both 32 bit and 64 bit.

The functionality of the program depends on the license type. Note that color changing feature is only available for Home Deluxe and Business licenses. During the trial period you can try all options and choose the license you like. Please consult the comparison table for more details about license types and versions of AirBrush.

The brand new program sells for 49.00 USD for Home version (either Plugin or Standalone, all features except color changing), for 69.00 USD for Home Deluxe (Plugin and Standalone, all features included), and for 89.00 USD for Business (Plugin and Standalone, all features included, for commercial use).

AKVIS AirBrush is available in the Alchemy All-in-One Bundle.

Attention! Special Offer for Our Valued Customers (till July 15):
Those of our registered users who have bought at least one AKVIS program get a 20% discount on AKVIS AirBrush. The customers who have purchased all 17 AKVIS programs get a 50% discount on the new product! Please write to us to validate your discount.

March 12, 2013
AKVIS HDRFactory V.3.5: Fantastic High Dynamic Range Images!

We have released the new version of AKVIS HDRFactory - v.3.5!

AKVIS HDRFactory is an efficient program for creating High Dynamic Range pictures. It also makes photo correction by enlivening colors on an image.

The name of the program can be taken literally, as HDRFactory is a real workshop for the production of fascinating HDR images. With HDRFactory you can come very close to reality and even go beyond it by creating stylized images with fabulous colors and unique effects.

The software can also imitate the HDR effect on any photo that is useful if you don't have a series of images with different exposures. Just load a single image into HDRFactory and admire the result!

The software is available as a standalone application as well as a plugin for Photoshop and other graphics editors, for Windows and Macintosh.

In Version 3.5:

• Added Crop tool to the standalone version. The Crop tool allows cutting off unwanted areas in the created HDR image and reducing its size. It lets you improve the composition, align the edges in a crooked photo, make a square from a rectangular or contrariwise.
• Added support for RAW images from some Canon cameras (CR2): Canon EOS 6D, Canon EOS 600D, Canon EOS 1100D, Canon PowerShot S100.
• Fixed bugs in both Win and Mac versions.
• Improved compatibility with Windows 8.

Download AKVIS HDRFactory v.3.5 for Mac and Windows.
You can try all features of the software during the 10-day trial period!

Upgrade Information:

Registered users of HDRFactory can upgrade to version 3.5 for free.

February 26, 2013
AKVIS Refocus 3.0: New Effects to Blur the Background of a Photo!

AKVIS Refocus v.3.0 has been released! The software improves sharpness of out of focus images. The program can process the entire photo or bring into focus only the selected part to make the subject stand out against the background.

Now it's also possible to add bokeh and lens blur effects to your photos!

The software keeps up-to-date on cutting-edge technologies and offers brand new image processing modes Tilt-Shift and Iris Blur. The features of the previous versions are now available in the Refocus mode.

AKVIS Refocus v.3.0 works in three modes:

• Refocus mode makes blurred photos sharp and clear. You can re-focus the entire image or only selected parts.
  Even if a photo looks sharp enough, there is always room for improvement. To draw attention to certain details, it's possible to use selective focus. Using special tools you can separate the subject from the background; to achieve a more realistic selective focus effect you can sharpen one part of the photo and blur the rest.
• Tilt-Shift mode allows leaving a sharp strip in the image, adding gradual blur at the edges, with smooth transitions between the regions and with bokeh effects. This mode gives the objects on the photo a "toy" look. It blurs the outer parts and makes the objects appear as if they are miniature models. In real photography, you can achieve this effect with special tilt-shift camera lenses. Using AKVIS Refocus you can bring any photo into a world of miniatures!
• Iris Blur mode creates shallow depth-of-field effect, blurring the background while keeping the subject in focus. In contrast to the previous mode, this one lets you specify the shape of the sharp area (ellipse, rectangle). Real photographers can achieve this effect by opening aperture and using different lenses. With this program you can create a blur background in a click.
  Note: This mode is only available under Home Deluxe and Business licenses.
  During the trial period you can try all features of the software free of charges.

Also, in the new version:

• Added Image View Modes - various options for displaying the original and processed images, Before and After states.
• Improved RAW processing, added support for images from Canon cameras (CR2): Canon EOS 6D, Canon EOS 600D, Canon EOS 1100D, Canon PowerShot S100.
• Improved compatibility with Windows 8.
• Fixed bugs.

Download AKVIS Refocus v.3.0 for Windows and Mac OS X!

AKVIS Refocus is available as a standalone program and as a plug-in to image editors (Photoshop and others).

Registered users of Refocus can upgrade to version 3.0 for free by downloading and installing the new version.

February 8, 2013
AKVIS ArtSuite 9.5 & New Winter Frames Bring Magic Into Your Life!

We are pleased to announce AKVIS ArtSuite v.9.5 and a new frame pack for this program - Winter Pack!

AKVIS ArtSuite is an impressive collection of versatile frames and effects for photographs. The software makes it easy to give a photo an original look, and to add elegance and style to a portrait. Available as a standalone product and a plugin for Photoshop, ArtSuite lets you apply an endless number of creative effects!

AKVIS ArtSuite lets you frame your photos, make personalized greeting cards and posters, decorate your family album. The program contains many templates and texture samples for any goal - from classic wooden frames to festive decorations, fabric, brick, and even animal world patterns. You can create a frame with ragged edges, a page curl, etc. It can be a wooden frame with figured carving or a frame with an ornament. With ArtSuite you can easily frame your photographs!

You can also apply the artistic effects: convert a photo into a B&W image and add a sepia effect, replace or correct colors on an image, add a texture, turn a photo into a halftone picture giving it a retro comic book look, and much more.

It's possible to extend the features of the program and enrich your collection of frames by adding extra themed frame packs of hand painted frames created by professional artists specifically for use in ArtSuite.

In Version 9.5:

• The new Winter Pack has been released for the standalone version of ArtSuite.
  The brand new pack includes 50 hand painted high quality frames. Winter is the most wonderful time of the year. These beautiful photo frames will take you into a magical winter dream! Feel the cold and celebratory winter beauty with sparkling snowflakes and snow covered branches, in the company of snowmen and beasts of the forest!

  Take a look at the thumbnails of these new frames.
  You can buy the Winter Frames for only $ 12 USD!

  Now 7 themed packs are available: Baby Pack, Christmas Pack, Wedding Pack, Travel Pack, St.Valentine Pack, Sports Pack, and the new Winter Pack.

• Fixed bugs in both Win and Mac versions:
  • the bug of incorrect displaying of patterns in the Library;
  • the bug in the plugin that happened after the Crop tool was used in the image editor;
  • the bug on the first use of the program (with "empty textures");
  • the bug when switching from Hand Painted Frames to the Effects.
• Added the possibility (for Hand Painted Frames) to display the name of the pack and the frame in the program's window title.
• Improved compatibility with Windows 8.

Registered users of ArtSuite can upgrade to version 9.5 for free! Download the new version and install it. Your license will work.

We offer a fully-functional 10 day trial for AKVIS ArtSuite v.9.5.

You can use the Free Pack even during the trial period of ArtSuite, just download the file, it does not require registration. As for the other packages, they will only be available after payment.

Do not forget to pay attention to the St.Valentine Pack. It's just the right time!
There are many ways to show your loved ones that you care. But an image speaks a thousand words. Create a personalized greeting card, decorate your photo! This inspiring pack includes 50 hand painted frames decorated with hearts and flowers! The pack is designed for those in love and for those who want to make an original gift for their family and friends. These frames are sure to bring warmth to your most special photos.
Buy Valentine Frames for $ 12 USD!

Note: You can use the additional frame packs only in the Standalone version of ArtSuite, not in the Plugin. To add the frame packs (zip files) in ArtSuite just copy them into a folder selected in the program's preferences.
Read the instructions on how to install and register the frame packs.

January 29, 2013
AKVIS MultiBrush 7.0: Digital Creative Workshop. New Image Editing Tools!

AKVIS MultiBrush is rich in features and easy-to-use image editing software. It is an all-in-one photo enhancement and portrait retouching solution. The software is a real digital creative workshop where you can edit a portrait, restore an old image, draw funny details on a photo or create a painting.

The program offers two sets of tools: Standard (retouching) and Artistic (painting) brushes. It's possible to edit image channels and work with layers, which open up practically unlimited possibilities for editing digital photos. One of the most useful features of MultiBrush is full control of the history of all actions through checkpoints which can be used to quickly return to any state of an image.

AKVIS MultiBrush is available as a standalone program and as a plug-in to image editors, for Windows and Macintosh.

The new version comes with many improvements, offers more flexibility, awesome new features and tools!

In Version 7.0:

• Added the selection tools to specify an editing area on an image: Rectangular Selection, Elliptical Selection, Lasso, and Polygonal Lasso.
• Added the Crop tool that lets you remove unwanted areas and improve the focus and the composition in your photos.
• Added the Move tool that helps to drag and reposition objects on layers.
• Added the Text tool that lets adding text to an image, and a special text layer.
• Added the new option to the Eyedropper tool - a color ring which helps to select colors more precisely.
• Added the alignment tools (Rulers, Grid, and Guidelines) that help to precisely position objects.
• Added the selection channel to the Channels palette.
• Added a new Layer Blend Mode - Linear Dodge.
• Added the color selection button to the Toolbar. It displays the current color and calls the Select Color dialog box.
• Added the support for AKVIS format which contains the state of the image at the moment it was saved, all layers (raster, artistic, text) and groups, with their properties, and manually created checkpoints (in History).
• Added the HotKey Manager that helps to customize keyboard shortcuts for tools and commands. The button that opens the Hot Keys dialog box has been added to the program's Preferences.
• Reorganized the workspace, added the possibility to minimize the sections in the Settings Panel (Navigator, Tools options, Palettes).
• Improved compatibility with Mac OS X 8 and Windows 8.
• Fixed bugs in both Win and Mac versions.

Download AKVIS MultiBrush v.7.0 for Windows and Mac OS X!

Upgrade Information:

Owners of old versions can upgrade to v.7.0 for free! Download the new version and install it.

The users who do not have the registered version yet, can download the software and test it for 10 days free of charge.