Tutorial: AKVIS Refocus

Workspace of the Program

AKVIS Refocus can work independently as a standalone program or as a plug-in to a photo editor.

To call the AKVIS Refocus plug-in, open an image in the photo editor, and then choose the command AKVIS –> Refocus from the filter menu. In Adobe Photoshop choose Filter –> AKVIS –> Refocus; and in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro choose Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> Refocus.

To launch the standalone version of AKVIS Refocus follow these steps:

• On a Windows computer:

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

  - Using the program's shortcut on the Desktop: put the cursor on the icon for AKVIS Refocus and double-click it with the left mouse button.

• On a Macintosh computer:

  - Using Finder: select the folder Applications on the sidebar of the Finder window, select the application AKVIS Refocus and double-click it.

The AKVIS Refocus workspace looks like this:

The left part of the program's window is taken by the Image Window with two tabs: Before and After. In the Before tab the original image is shown, while in the After tab you can see the processed image. You can switch between the windows by clicking on a tab with the left mouse button.

In the upper part of the program's window you can see the Control Panel. You can hide/show the Control Panel by clicking on the small triangle button (in the middle of the panel). The minimized panel will be shown when moving the cursor over it. You can use the Lock the Control Panel option (in the Preferences) to prevent changes and keep the panel visible all time.

• The button opens the home page of AKVIS Refocus.
• The button (only in the standalone version) opens image for processing. The hot-keys for the command are Ctrl+O on Windows, +O on Macintosh.
• The button (only in the standalone version) saves image to the disk. The hot-keys are Ctrl+S on Windows, +S on Macintosh.
• The button (only in the standalone) opens the print dialog. The hot-keys are Ctrl+P on Windows, +P on Macintosh.
• The button / turns on/off the drawn strokes.
• The button cancels the last operation. It is possible to cancel several operations in a row.
  The hotkey for the command is Ctrl+Z (+Z on Macintosh).
• The button returns the last cancelled operation. It is possible to return several operations in a row.
  The hotkey for the command is Ctrl+Y (+Y on Macintosh).
• The button starts image processing of the whole image. Use hot-keys: Ctrl+R on Windows, +R on Macintosh.
• The button (only in the plugin version) applies the result to the image and closes the program window of AKVIS Refocus.
• The button calls information about the program and opens the registration window.
• The button calls the Help files. The hot-key is F1.
• The button calls the Preferences dialog box for changing the program's options.

Тo the left of the Image Window there is a Toolbar with the following buttons:

• The button switches on/off the Preview Window (more about the preview).
• The and tools are used to outline areas for processing. Use the blue pencil to outline the areas that should be re-focused with the chosen settings (Focus Area). Use the red pencil to outline the parts that mustn’t be re-focused (Background Area).
• The button activates the Eraser tool used to erase strokes.

Additional tools:

• This button activates the Hand tool, which allows you to scroll the image when it does not fit within Image Window at the desired scale. To use it click on the button, bring the cursor over the image, and while keeping the left mouse button pressed move in the desired direction.
• This button activates the Zoom tool, which changes the image's scale. To zoom in left click on the image. To zoom out left click with Alt on the image. Press Z to quickly access this tool.

When one of these tools is selected its parameters will appear in the Settings Panel or in a window that pops up after right clicking on the tool.

Navigate and scale the image using the Navigator. In the Navigator you can see the reduced copy of the image. The red frame shows the part of the image that is now visible in the Image Window; the areas outside the frame will be shaded. Drag the frame to make other parts of the image visible. To move the frame, bring the cursor inside the frame, press the left mouse button and, keeping it pressed, move the frame in the Navigator.

Additionally, you can move the image in the Image Window with the scroll bars or by holding down the space bar, then holding down the left mouse button while moving the mouse. The mouse's scroll wheel can move the image up and down, and holding Ctrl ( in Macintosh) – while using the scroll wheel will move the image left and right. Holding Alt (Option in Macintosh) will scale the image. Right-click on the scroll bar to activate the quick navigation menu.

Use the slider or the buttons and to scale the image in the Image Window. When you click on the button or move the slider to the right, the image scale increases. When you click on the button or move the slider to the left, the image scale reduces.

You can also change the image scale by entering a new coefficient into the scale field. Frequently used scale coefficients can be found in a drop-down menu.

You can use hot-keys to change the image scale + and Ctrl++ (++ in Macintosh) to increase the image scale and - and Ctrl+- (+- in Macintosh) to reduce the scale.

Below the Navigator is the Settings Panel where you can adjust the settings of focusing.

In the Presets field you can save favorite settings as a preset to use them in the future. When you launch the program, it uses the settings of the last used preset.

Under the Settings Panel you can see Hints for the parameters and buttons when you hover over them with the cursor. You can choose where the hints will be shown or hide them in the program's Preferences.

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