Tutorial: AKVIS Sketch

Red Oleander: Create an Old-Looking Drawing

The author of this tutorial is Grazia Zitara from Italy.

In this tutorial we are using AKVIS ArtWork and AKVIS Sketch to transform a photo into a weathered drawing.

• Step 1. Open the image in Adobe Photoshop (you can use another graphics editor which is compatible with AKVIS plugins).
  
  Original Image
• Step 2. Create an adjustment layer (Layer -> New Adjustment Layer -> Selective Color) and choose Reds and Cyans options in the dialog (Cyans: Magenta = -56%; Reds: Yellow = +38%).

  Merge the layers into a single layer (Layer -> Flatten Image).

  
  Selective Color Correction
• Step 3. Duplicate the background layer (Layer -> Duplicate Layer) and call the AKVIS ArtWork plugin (Filter -> AKVIS -> ArtWork). Choose Watercolor from the list of styles and set the parameters as shown below:
  
  AKVIS ArtWork Workspace

  Press to process the image and then press to apply the result. You'll get this watercolor painting:

  
  Watercolor
• Step 4. Go to the Layers palette and change the top layer's blend mode to Lighter Color and its opacity to 44%.
  

  Merge the two layers.

  
  Image After Appying Lighter Color
• Step 5. Duplicate the layer (Layer -> Duplicate Layer) and call the AKVIS Sketch plugin (Filter -> AKVIS -> Sketch).
  
  AKVIS Sketch Workspace

  Press to process the image and to apply the result. You'll get this sketch:

  
  Pencil Drawing
• Step 6. Go to the Layers palette and change the top layer's blend mode to Soft Light but leave its opacity at 100%.
  

  Merge the two layers.

  
  Fragment of the Image After Applying Soft Light
• Step 7. Emphasize the edges by repeating the procedure: copy the layer and call the AKVIS Sketch plugin. This time use the default settings (AKVIS Default preset).
  
  AKVIS Sketch Workspace With Default Settings

  After processing you'll have this black and white drawing:

  
  Black and White Drawing
• Step 8. Now, on the Layers palette, change the top layer's blend mode to Linear Burn, its opacity to 36%.
  

  Merge the two layers.

  
  Fragment of the Image After Applying Linear Burn
• Step 9. Open an image which has a texture similar to old paper.
  
  Texture 1

  Switch to the window containing the texture, activate the Move and drag the texture over the image. The texture will be copied over the image (background) as layer texture 1.

  In the Layers palette, change the blend mode of the texture's layer to Hard Light and change its opacity to 46%. This will make the picture look older.

  

  Merge the two layers.

  
  Image After Applying Hard Light
• Step 10. Do the same with this texture:
  
  Texture 2

  Go to the texture's layer and change its blend mode to Soft Light and its opacity to 42%.

  

  Merge the two layers. The texture has caused the image to fade a bit.

  
  Image After Applying Soft Light
• Step 11. Open a frame which will add a shaded border to the image (the center of the frame is transparent).
  
  Frame for the Image

  Drag the frame over the image's window. The frame will be added as a new layer (frame). Choose the Linear Burn blend mode for this layer and change its opacity to 61%.

  

  Merge the two layers.

  
  Image With Frame
• Step 12. Add the first texture again (see Step 9). This time, change the blend mode for the texture's layer to Soft Light but leave its opacity at 100%.
  

  And here at last is the result:

  
  Drawing (click to see a larger image)

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