Tutorial: AKVIS MakeUp

How It Works

AKVIS MakeUp improves portraits and adds glamour to photos, giving them a professional look. The software lets retouching small defects on a skin, making it radiant, beautiful, pure and smooth as you can see on highly artistic images.

You can get a result with AKVIS MakeUp quickly and easily. It saves you from the long and laborious task of several stages (manipulating layers, masks, textures, filters, blur and noise, and blending modes).

Compare these image fragments before and after using AKVIS MakeUp (hover the cursor over the image to see the original version):

Cover Face

AKVIS MakeUp can run as a standalone program and as a plug-in in a graphics editor.

Follow these steps to improve an image in AKVIS MakeUp and give it a more glamourous look:

Step 1. Run the standalone edition of AKVIS MakeUp or open your photo editor (if you work with the plugin version of AKVIS MakeUp).
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 (or +O on Macintosh).

- If you work with the standalone edition:

The dialog box Select File To Open 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.
The Standalone edition of AKVIS MakeUp supports RAW, JPEG, PNG, BMP, and TIFF file formats.
Step 3. In plug-in version only: call the AKVIS MakeUp plugin select the menu item Filter -> AKVIS -> MakeUp in Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements; in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro select the menu item Effects -> Plugins -> AKVIS -> MakeUp; in Corel Photo-Paint select the menu item Effects -> AKVIS -> MakeUp.
Step 4. The first time the program is opened it will be in Express mode, with a simplified interface and a minimal set of sliders, which help to quickly obtain a satisfactory result.

The AKVIS MakeUp window (Express)

Experienced users who are familiar with the capabilities of AKVIS MakeUp can switch to Advanced mode. Switch to this mode by clicking the Advanced button in the Control Panel: the interface's appearance will change, granting access to the full functionality of the program.
Note: All features and parameters work in Express mode. Some are hidden and use default values or those of a chosen preset.

The AKVIS MakeUp window (Advanced)

When an image is loaded into the program a face mask is created automatically. This mask is used during the skin correction process. By default the mask is not visible separately from the original image (Invisible).
To view the mask on a White, Black, or Transparent Background, select the appropriate option from the drop-down list.

Show Mask Modes

Mask on a White Background Mask on a Black Background Mask on a Transparent Background

Making the mask visible allows you to see exactly where processing will be applied, and, for Home Deluxe and Business licenses, the manual mask correction tools become available: the Drop Area tool and the Keep Area tool .
You can learn more about the mask correction tools in this example.

The result will be shown in the Before tab in the Preview Window.
The Preview Window is represented by a dotted frame. You can drag the frame or draw it anew on any part of the image, thus analysing different parts of the photo.
To compare the processed sample with the original photo, left-click on the image in the preview area.

Preview Window

It's possible to change the size of the quick preview area in the program's Preferences .
Step 5. If you are not happy with the automatic result, change the settings and/or manually modify the mask.
The parameters in the Settings Panel are grouped into three tabs: Smoothing, Correction, and Effects.

Smoothing Tab
First three parameters help to improve an image by eliminating small defects.
- Force (0-100) affects how strongly the smoothing effect is applied to the image. The higher the value the greater the effect on the skin's texture.
  
  Force = 10 Force = 90
- Detail (0-100) lets keeping details on the image.
  
  Detail = 10 Detail = 90
- Fade (10-100) affects the degree of the influence of the mask on the image. The lower the value, the weaker the effect. At a value of 10 the image will not be smoothed.
  
  Fade = 10 Fade = 90
Tone Mask:
There are two ways to create a tone mask: Auto and Manual. In the first method the program will detect the area of the face automatically, while the second method requires you to manually select the skin color which the program will use as a basis for creating the mask.
To select a color from the image, first left-click over one of three square cells. The cell will then contain a dotted selection, and when the cursor is dragged over the image it will take the form of a eyedropper. To select a color just click with the eyedropper over the face. Double left-clicking over a cell opens the color selection dialog. Right-clicking a cell removes its color.
You can adjust these Tone Mask parameters:
- Density (0-100) affects the number of pixels stored in the mask.
  
  Density = 10 Density = 90
- Color Range (0-100) changes the number of colors used in the mask.
  
  Color Range = 10 Color Range = 80
- Feathering (0-100) smoothes the edges of the mask to enhance the transition between treatment zones.
  
  Feathering = 0 Feathering = 90
Correction Tab
The parameters in the Correction tab offer additional ways of image processing.
- Sharpness (-50 to 50) adjusts the clarity of the image by changing the contrast of adjacent pixels. Values in the negative range smoothen the image while values in the postive range sharpen it.
  
  Sharpness = -40 Sharpness = 40
- Brightness (-100 to 100) affects how the image is illuminated. At higher values the image is brigher while at lower values it is darker.
  
  Brightness = -40 Brightness = 40
- Contrast (-50 to 50) increases (at values greater than 0) or decreases (at values less than 0) the difference between light and dark areas of the image.
  
  Contrast = -50 Contrast = 35
- Hue (-100 to 100) is used to change the color tone.
  
  Hue = -20 Hue = 20
- Saturation (-100 to 100) changes the intensity of color from a neutral gray to the brightest color.
  
  Saturation = -50 Saturation = 50
Effects Tab
Using the Effects tab you can apply creative effects (Glamour Glow and Vignette) to change the mood of your picture and make it look more magical, romance, or dramatic.

Without Effects Adding Effects
Step 6. To process the entire image, click on or on the After tab. After processing it is possible to switch between tabs by pressing the left mouse button on any point of the image.

Processing result

Step 7. You can also use the Post-Processing Tools on the After tab:
- the History Brush tool which restores areas to their original state (it lets you edit the result without correcting a mask), and
- the Spot Remover tool which removes small imperfections on an image: stains, dust, etc. You can also use it to retouch portraits. It can "heal" skin problems. Just click with the tool on the defect to remove it.
  Attention! If you switch to the Before tab, adjust the parameters and run the image processing again, the changes made with these tools will be lost. But you can protect the result by activating the corresponding check-box in the Preferences dialog box. This option is especially helpful when working with the Spot Remover tool.
Fragment of the Original Image Result After Processing

Step 8. It is possible to save the settings you like as a preset and use them in the future. A preset is shared by both tabs of the parameters. The presets are also helpful when working in the batch processing mode.
To save a preset, enter a name for the preset into the Presets field and press the button Save. Now, as you start the program, it will use the settings of this preset. If you change the values of the parameters, you can always come back to the default settings of the preset by pressing the button Reset.
To delete a preset, select it from the list and press Delete.
To process an image with the settings of a certain preset, you should select it from the drop-down menu and press the button .

Presets
Step 9. In plug-in version only: press the button to apply the result and close the plugin window. The AKVIS MakeUp plugin will close and the picture will appear in the workspace of the photo editor.
Step 10. Save the processed image.
- If you work with the plugin:

Call the Save As dialog box using the command File -> Save As, enter a name for the file, choose the format 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 11. The standalone edition of AKVIS MakeUp allows printing the image. For this purpose press the button , adjust print settings and press the button Print.