AKVIS Chameleon v.7.5: Collage Creation Software! GPU Support. Bugs Fixed.
October 25, 2011 — AKVIS releases version 7.5 of its photo collage program AKVIS Chameleon. The program is a true breakthrough in photo collage creation. In most cases it does not require precise selection of the objects and now even the pasted fragment can be adapted to the color range of the target picture to provide a natural photo montage. The new version offers support for GPU acceleration that significantly speeds up image processing. Some minor bugs have been fixed. The software is available as a standalone program as well as a plugin for Photoshop, for Windows and Macintosh.
AKVIS Chameleon is a photo collage creation software.
This ingenious program makes the process easy and entertaining. Earlier one had to thoroughly select an object before pasting it into a new background; with this software this tedious part of the workflow is no longer a burden. You can concentrate on the creative part and forget about complicated selection techniques.
With AKVIS Chameleon you can have fun in making photo collages!
Using one of four modes of collage creation in the program (Montage, Chameleon, Blend mode, or Emersion mode), you'll be able to create seamless montages that automatically smooth edges, adjust pasted images to a target color range like a chameleon, make the object semi-transparent dissolving the pasted image in the background, orient difficult objects.
In Montage mode, you can take a rectangular part of the source image and then use two pencils – red and blue – to roughly indicate the parts that should appear on the resulting photo collage – for instance, a person, and the parts that should blend away – the rest of the background and irrelevant objects. The object does not change its color range or opacity, only its edges adapt to the new environment and get smoothed. Use this mode to make a realistic seamless photo montage, for example, with people.
In Chameleon mode, from which the program gets its name, and object is pasted into a picture in such a way that the object adapts to the new color range and blends with the background, as chameleons do. In this way you can add clouds to a clear sunset landscape and the clouds will take on a red tint and their borders will smoothen to blend with the background. Or you can paste a new nose onto a face and the nose will acquire the complexion of the "receiving" face, you can try on a tattoo without resorting to a trip to the tattoo parlor.
In Blend mode, the program works in a similar fashion to Chameleon mode, in that it adjusts the color range and smoothes the borders of an object, but in addition it makes the object semi-transparent, so that the color and texture of the background can be seen through. It is useful when you want an object to "dissolve" into the background. This mode lets you create amazing artistic images - wallpapers, postcards, etc.
In Emersion mode, as in Montage, images can be combined to create a seamless photo montage. However, in this mode the pasted fragment does not overlay the background, but embeds into the background so that only certain parts of the fragment are visible. In this mode it is possible to make collages with difficult objects: trees, cage, etc... You can even apply a graffiti to the wall.
The software can be helpful to home users who are not experienced in image editing. You can create customized postcards for your loved ones; make a wedding album using all kinds of photos and backgrounds; correct closed eyes (by implanting open eyes from another photo of the series), change the appearance of a person, etc. Check the Tutorial page to get a dozen original ideas.
Designers will appreciate this program as it allows them to combine images with entirely different color ranges or to create the effect of drawing on a texture surface (crumpled paper, wood, etc), and all that with only a mouse-click.
Version 7.5, offers support for GPU acceleration that significantly speeds up image processing.
Some minor bugs have been fixed. The program has become more stable.
The lists of Recent Files have been added for both background and foreground images.
AKVIS Chameleon works on Windows XP, Vista, Win 7 and Mac OS X 10.4-10.7 (Lion), both 32 and 64 bit.
The software is available in two editions: as a standalone program and as a plugin to image editors.
The plug-in version of AKVIS Chameleon is compatible with Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo, PhotoImpact, Corel Photo-Paint and other popular software.
For a free trial, AKVIS offers 10 days of fully functional use. The users who tried the previous version of Chameleon and have their version expired, now have the opportunity to test the software again.
Users of the latest versions (v.5-7) of AKVIS Chameleon can upgrade for free. If you use an older version (versions 1-4) you will need pay for an upgrade.
AKVIS Chameleon sells for $75 USD for Home version (either Plugin or Standalone), $90 USD for Home Deluxe (Plugin and Standalone), $230 USD for Business (Plugin and Standalone, for commercial use). Please consult the comparison table for more details about license types and versions of the software.
Also, users can enjoy the full line of AKVIS products in the AKVIS Alchemy Bundle (all 17 products: Chameleon, Retoucher, MultiBrush, Enhancer, Coloriage, Noise Buster, Sketch, Decorator, LightShop, ArtSuite, SmartMask, Magnifier, ArtWork, NatureArt, Refocus, HDRFactory, and MakeUp) with a great discount (60% Off).
About Company
Founded in 2004, AKVIS specializes in development of image processing software and Photoshop plug-ins. The company has released a number of successful products. The AKVIS team is enthusiastic about graphics and image processing issues. The company sponsors web-design and digital photography contests. The company offers free licenses to non-profit organizations (heritage foundations and historical societies) involved in conservation and restoration of photographic archives having cultural value.
About the Program: akvis.com/en/chameleon/index.php
What's New: akvis.com/en/chameleon/whats-new.php
Screenshot: akvis.com/en/chameleon/screenshots-image-combination.php
Download: akvis.com/en/chameleon/download-image-combination.php
Tutorial: akvis.com/en/chameleon-tutorial/index.php
Graphics: akvis.com/en/company/graphics.php
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