Tutorial: AKVIS Sketch

How it Works

Watch a flash movie demonstrating the technique of photo-to-sketch conversion with AKVIS Sketch. Click here (flash-movie, 6,8 Mb)

In order to turn a photo into a pencil sketch with AKVIS Sketch follow the instructions:

• Step 1. Run the standalone edition of AKVIS Sketch or open your photo editor (if you work with the plugin version of AKVIS Sketch).
• 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 Sketch supports BMP, JPEG, PNG and TIFF file formats.

  
  The AKVIS Sketch window

   

• Step 3. In plug-in version only: call the AKVIS Sketch plugin select the menu item Filter -> AKVIS -> Sketch in Adobe Photoshop; in Paint Shop Pro select the menu item Effects -> Plugins -> AKVIS -> Sketch; in Corel PHOTO-PAINT select the menu item Effects -> AKVIS -> Sketch.

• Step 4. Once the program is open, the part of the image will be automatically converted to a pencil drawing with the last used settings or with the settings of the AKVIS Default preset (depending on the program preferences).

  The conversion result will be shown in the Before tab in the Preview Window. The quick preview area takes settings only of the Sketch and Canvas tabs.

  The Preview Window is a square frame outlined with a dotted line ("marching ants"). Drag the square to the required position or draw it anew on any part of the image (double click with the left mouse) to analyse the corresponding area. The preview window disappears after image processing starts and appears again when a parameter in the Settings panel is changed.

  To compare the converted sample with the original photo, left-click on the image in the preview area.

  
  Preview Window

  To convert the whole 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.

  
  Default settings
• Step 5. Adjust the parameters for the photo-to-sketch conversion.
• Step 6. Press the button to convert the original photo into a pencil drawing with the new settings.

  You can observe the processing in real-time. To interrupt the process, press the Esc key or click on the button Stop right to the Progress bar. Adjust the settings and start the processing again.

• Step 7. In Home Deluxe and Business versions of Sketch there is a function that defines the direction of the applied strokes.

  To edit the "guiding lines" use the buttons and (remove/restore the last drawn line) and the following tools:

  • Stroke Direction . Draw with the tool over the image to define the "guiding lines", along which the strokes will be drawn. The changes will be shown in the Preview Window. To process the whole image, click on the button .

    Parameters of the tool can be ajusted on the Settings Panel in the Direction tab.

  • Eraser . Use this tool to erase the lines. The size of the tool can be adjusted with the parameter Brush Size (1-300) on the Settings Panel.
• Step 8. If needed, adjust the settings on the Background, Canvas or Text tabs. Click on the button to start processing the image.
  Note: Only Canvas as well as the Sketch tab lets you see the quick result in the Preview Window. For Background and Text you need to process the whole image to see the effect.
• Step 9. It is possible to save the settings you like as a preset and use them in the future. A preset is shared by three tabs (except the Background tab). 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 .

• Step 10. In plug-in version only: press the button to apply the result and close the plugin window. The AKVIS Sketch plugin will close and the picture will appear in the workspace of the photo editor.
• Step 11. 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 12. The standalone edition of AKVIS Sketch allows printing the image. For this purpose press the button , adjust print settings in the Print dialog box and press the button Print.
• Step 13. Close the program AKVIS Sketch.