Tutorial: AKVIS Sketch

Workspace

AKVIS Sketch can work independently as a standalone program as well as a plug-in to a photo editor.

To 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.

To launch the standalone version of AKVIS Sketch follow these instructions:

• On a Windows computer:

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

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

• On a Macintosh computer:

  - Using Finder: select the folder Applications on the side bar of the Finder window, select the application AKVIS Sketch and double-click it.

The AKVIS Sketch program window looks like this:

Workspace of AKVIS Sketch

The left part of the program's window is taken by the Image Window with two tabs - Before and After. The Before tab shows the original image, the After tab shows the resulting pencil sketch. To switch between the tabs and compare the original and the resulting images, just left-click on any point of the image.

In the upper part of the program's window you can see the Control Panel and the following controls:

• The button (only in the standalone version) opens an image for processing.
• The button (only in the standalone version) saves image to the disk.
• The button (only in the standalone version) prints the image.
• The button exports presets (user settings for the image processing). You can save any number of presets to a separate file with the ending .sketch.
• The button imports a list of presets (from the .sketch file).
• The button / shows/hides the guiding lines and the effect area outlines drawn with the tools.
• The button cancels the last operation made with lines (guiding lines and background outlines). 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 conversion of the original image into a pencil sketch with the current parameter settings.
• The button (only in the plugin version) applies the result to the image and closes the program window of AKVIS Sketch.
• The button calls information about the program.
• The button calls the Help files of the program.
• 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.
• The button activates the guiding lines drawing tool Stroke Direction (available in Home Deluxe and Business versions only).
• The , and tools are used to outline areas for background effects. The tools are visible and active only when using either Sketch&Photo or Sketch&Blur mode.
• The button activates the Eraser tool used to erase the guiding lines and the effect areas outlines.

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 Navigation window. In the Navigation window 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 Navigation window.

Navigation window

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 and pressing the button Enter (Return in Macintosh). 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.

 

Under the Navigation window there is a Settings Panel with tabs: Sketch, Background, Text and Canvas.

On the Sketch tab you can adjust the settings for photo-to-sketch conversion.

On the Background tab you can define the area of the picture that should be blurred, or the areas that should remain in their original state.

On the Text tab you can add an inscription to your painting.

On the Canvas tab you can adjust the settings for the canvas, to which the resulting sketch is applied.

 

In the Presets field you can save the current settings as a preset to use them in the future. The current settings can be saved, edited, deleted. When you launch the program, it uses the settings of the last used preset.

Attention! The presets save only information about the settings in the Sketch, Text and Canvas tabs.

Under the Settings Panel you can see hints: a brief description of AKVIS Sketch (the first time you launch it) or the description of the parameter that was used last.