Tutorial: AKVIS Refocus

Working with the program

AKVIS Refocus improves sharpness of blurred images. It lets you re-focus the entire image or bring only certain elements of the image into focus.

Original image Result

Original image Result

Follow the steps below to improve the focus of your image using AKVIS Refocus:

Step 1. Run the standalone edition of AKVIS Refocus or open your photo editor (if you work with the plugin version of AKVIS Refocus).
Step 2. Open an image.
- If you work with the plug-in:

Open an image in your photo editor by calling the command File -> Open or using the key combination Ctrl+O (+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 Refocus supports BMP, JPEG, PNG, TIFF and RAW file formats.
Step 3. In plug-in version only: call the plug-in AKVIS Refocus. To do this in Adobe Photoshop select the menu item Filter –> AKVIS –> Refocus, and in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro select Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> Refocus.
Step 4. The photo will be processed with the default parameter values (the AKVIS Default preset in the list of presets).
The result will be shown in the Before tab in the Preview Window. The preview can be switched on/off with the button .
The Preview Window represents a dotted frame. You can drag the frame or draw it anew on any part of the image, thus analyzing different parts of the photo.

To compare the processed sample with the original photo, left-click on the image in the Preview Window.
You can change the Preview Window Size in Preferences .
Step 5. Adjust the Focus settings to achieve the best result:
- The Manual Focusing parameter imitates the focus ring of a digital camera. The values vary between 0 and 100. For different images the optimum value will differ.
- The Sensitivity parameter influences the level of detail. If you increase the value of this parameter, details become clearer. It is not recommended to use high values for this parameter as it may reveal a lot of noise.
- The Intensify parameter is closely related to the previous parameters. If you increase the value of this parameter, the effect of the previous parameters will also increase.
Set the value of the Blending parameters that define the final result of re-focusing:
- The Darken parameter. The result of focusing is compared with the original image. If the color of the pixel on the original image is lighter than the color of the pixel on the resulting image, it is replaced by the darker pixel. If the color of the pixel on the original image is darker than the color of the pixel on the resulting image, this pixel doesn't change its color. The higher the value of the parameter, the darker pixels become. As a result the image's contrast will also change.
- The Lighten parameter. This parameter works in the same way as the Darken parameter, but the pixels of the original image are replaced with the lighter pixels.
The real result of the focusing can be seen if you set the value of both parameters to 100. However, it may cause noise.
When the value of the parameters is lower than 100, the result of focusing is blended with the original image. That is why the final result looks more realistic.
If the value of these parameters is 0, the resulting image will coincide with the original image.
Step 6. Click to start processing the image. You can interrupt the process by clicking on the button Cancel right to the progress bar.
Here is the result:

If you want to process only certain areas of your image, you should define them using the following tools:
- The Focus Area tool . Use the blue pencil to outline the areas that should be re-focused (with the chosen settings).
- The Background Area tool . Use the red pencil to outline the parts that mustn’t be re-focused.
  Attention: The areas selected with red can be blurred (note that the Defocus feature is available only for Home Deluxe and Business licenses).
  Actually, to achieve the realistic selective focus effect it's better to sharp one part of a photo and blur the rest.
  You can adjust Blur (0-100) for the background:
  
  Blur = 0 Blur = 80
- The Eraser tool . Use the tool to erase the drawn strokes.
Adjust the stroke width and the eraser size by changing the value of the Size parameter in the Settings Panel or in a pop up window, which appears after bringing the cursor into the image window and clicking the right mouse button.

Attention:

It is better to draw a closed outline around the objects. Otherwise the effect can extend over the drawn borders.

Press the button to start processing.

Step 7. It is possible to save the settings you like as a preset and use them in the future.
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 Reset button.
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 .
Step 8. If you work with the plugin, press to apply the result. The Refocus plugin will close and the picture will appear in the photo editor's workspace.

Result: click to open in large size
Step 9. Save the resulting image.
- When using the plug-in:

Open the save file dialog File -> Save As in the graphics editor, type a file name, specify a file format and choose a folder, in which to save the file.

- When using the standalone:

Press and in the Save As dialog window, enter a name for the file, choose the format (TIFF, BMP, JPEG or PNG) and indicate the target folder.
Step 10. You can print the image in the standalone edition of AKVIS Refocus. Press , and in the Print dialog set the printing options and press the Print button.