チュートリアル: AKVIS ArtWork

How to Work with the Program

AKVIS ArtWork can work independently as a standalone program and as a plug-in to a photo editor.

Follow the instructions below:

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

  
  The AKVIS ArtWork window
• Step 3. In the plug-in version only: call the AKVIS ArtWork plug-in. For this purpose in Adobe Photoshop select the menu item Filter -> AKVIS -> ArtWork; in Paint Shop Pro select the menu item Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> ArtWork; in Corel PHOTO-PAINT select the menu item Effects -> AKVIS -> ArtWork.

• Step 4. Select the painting technique in the drop-down menu Style in the Settings Panel. There are three painting styles - Oil, Comics and Pen & Ink.
• Step 5. Adjust the settings for the chosen painting style on the Painting tab.

  The result of image processing will be shown in the Preview Window. The Preview Window (only on the Painting tab) is a square frame outlined with a dotted line ("marching ants"). To drag the Preview Window, bring the cursor inside the square, press the left mouse button and, keeping it pressed, drag the frame to the required position. One more way to move the Preview Window is to double-click with the left mouse button on the required point. Every time the Preview Window is moved, the program processes the area within automatically. The Preview Window disappears after the start of image processing and appears again, if you switch to the Before tab (if the button is pressed).

  To compare the result of automatic conversion in the Preview Window with the original picture, click on any point of the image keeping the left-button or the right-button of the mouse pressed. Switch between the tabs with the Tab-key.

  The Preview Window Size is adjusted in the dialog box Preferences (the button ).

  
  Preview Window
• Step 6. Press the button to convert the original photo into a painting with the new settings. If you have not adjusted the values, the program will process the image with the default settings (AKVIS Default preset or the last used preset).

  The Esc key interrupts the process; if there is no processing, then it closes the program's window and all the changes are lost.

• Step 7. In Home Deluxe and Business versions of ArtWork there is a function that defines the direction of the applied strokes (only for the Oil style!).

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

  • Stroke Direction . The active tool has a form of a pencil. Draw with the pencil 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 .
  • 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 Canvas or Text tab. Click on the button to start the processing again.
• 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 all three tabs. 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 the plug-in version only: press the button to apply the result and close the plugin window. The AKVIS ArtWork plugin will close and the picture will appear in the workspace of the photo editor.
  
  Result
• 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 ArtWork lets you print 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 ArtWork.