Tutorial: AKVIS Sketch

Background Tab

Use the Background tab to process the converted image further. It is possible to imitate a blend of the original photo and the drawing or to blur some parts of the image.

This tab can be used to put an accent on a certain fragment of the image or to enliven a picture by adding it motion. For example, it is possible to separate the background from the object (a plane or a bird in the sky; a soft toy on a sofa; a vase with fruit, etc.) or to single out one object among several equivalent objects (one person on a group photo, the most beautiful flower on a garden image, etc.) and many other things.

The Background tab offers three modes:

Sketch

In this mode the Background tab has no influence on the image. In other words, it is disabled.

The result of processing in the "Sketch" tab

Sketch&Photo

In this mode you can get a blend of a drawing and a picture - only the defined parts of the image will be converted into a drawing.

The result of processing in the "Sketch&Photo" tab

When this mode is enabled, the following tools appear on the Toolbar, on the left of the Image Window. These tools define, which areas will be converted to a drawing, and which not.

• The Effect Area tool . Use the blue pencil to draw an outline within the areas that will be converted to a drawing in accordance with the parameters of the Sketch tab.

• The No-Effect Area tool . Use the red pencil to outline the parts of the image that will remain in their original state (before processing with AKVIS Sketch).

• The Eraser tool . Use this tool to edit the strokes and outlines drawn by the pencils.

Adjust the size of the pencils and of the Eraser tool using the Brush Size parameter in the Settings.

Drawn strokes

The Grayscale check-box. When the check-box is enabled, the part of the image, that has been restored to the original state, is converted to grayscale. The check-box does not work, if the Color Strokes check-box is enabled in the Sketch tab.

the "Grayscale" check-box is disabled	the "Grayscale" check-box is enabled

Sketch&Blur

In this mode it is possible to blur the defined parts of the image. In the Toolbar you will find the following tools: Effect Area , Eraser , and Blur Tool . The latter is used to define the areas that must be blurred.

Select a Blur Method that will be used in image processing and adjust the parameters.

• Gaussian Blur. When this method is selected, the program recalculates the color components (red, blue, and green) for every point of the image, taking into account the corresponding values of the neighbouring points; as a result the points change their colors. The calculation is based on the Gaussian distribution and is named after it. In this way the values of the color components are averaged and the contrast between them weakens. The sharp borders are blurred without general lightening or darkening. The image gets dim, «cloudy».

  
  Gaussian Blur

  The Radius parameter allows adjusting the strength of the effect application. It defines to what extent a point influences on the neighbouring points when its color components are being recalculated. At low values only the adjacent points will be changed. Every point will undergo a slight change, but the blurring will be visible. The higher the value of the parameter, the wider is the influence area of every point. The image will get more blurred till it becomes completely indiscernible and looks like one stain (at high values of the parameter).

  Radius = 3	Radius = 8

• The Motion method. This blur method imitates the straight line motion of a camera.

  
  Motion Blur

  Parameters:

  Angle. The parameter sets the inclination angle of the line, along which the effect will expand to the image. The values of the parameter vary between 0 and 180 degrees. At exactly these values the blurring will be horizontal. At value = 90 the blurring will be vertical.

  Angle = 45, Reach = 20	Angle = 135, Reach = 20

  Reach. The parameter defines the zone of effect application in pixels (relative to every point of the image).

  Reach = 10, Angle = 135	Reach = 30, Angle = 135

• Radial Blur. This method imitates motion, too. There are two kinds of motion:

  Spin. This mode imitates the effect of a camera rotating around the central point of the image, which results in circular blurring.

  
  Radial Spin Blur

  Zoom. This mode creates blurring directed away from the center.

  
  Radial Zoom Blur

  The rotation angle in Spin mode and the effect application area in Zoom mode are adjusted with the Amount parameter.

  Amount = 20, Spin Blur	Amount = 40, Spin Blur
  Amount = 20, Zoom Blur	Amount = 50, Zoom Blur

In the Sketch&Blur mode you can choose one of the following methods of the result image generation (Blur Order).

• Drawing on Blur. In this mode the blue areas are converted to a drawing in accordance with the settings in the Sketch tab, while the green areas are first blurred in accordance with the settings of the selected Blur Method and only than are converted to a drawing.

  Gaussian Blur	Motion Blur
  Radial Spin Blur	Radial Zoom Blur

• Blur Photo. In this mode the blue areas are converted to a drawing, while the green areas are only blurred, not converted. The result image is a blend of the original photo and a drawing, but the "original" parts are blurred.

  Gaussian Blur	Motion Blur
  Radial Spin Blur	Radial Zoom Blur

  In this mode the Grayscale check-box can be applied.

• Blur Sketch. In this mode the whole image is converted to a drawing, but the green areas are also blurred.

  Gaussian Blur	Motion Blur
  Radial Spin Blur	Radial Zoom Blur