Workspace

AKVIS Pastel lets you transform a photograph into a pastel artwork. The software can be used independently as a standalone program or in a photo editor as a plugin filter.

Standalone is an independent program. You can run it in the usual way.

Plugin is an add-on for a photo editor, for example for Photoshop. To call the plugin, select AKVIS –> Pastel from filters of your image editing program.

The program's workspace looks like this:

Workspace of AKVIS Pastel

The left part of the AKVIS Pastel workspace is taken by the Image Window with two tabs: Before and After. Under the Before tab you can see the original photo. The After tab shows the resulting image. You can switch between the windows by left-clicking on the tab with mouse button. To compare the original and the resulting images, click on the image and hold the button pressed - the program will currently switch between tabs.

In the upper part of the program's window you can see the Control Panel with these buttons:

• The button opens the home page of AKVIS Pastel.
• The button (only in the standalone version) opens an image for processing. The hot-keys are Ctrl+O on Windows, ⌘+O on Mac.

  Right mouse click on this button displays the list of recent images. You can change their number in the program's preferences.

• The button (only in the standalone version) saves image to the disk. The hot-keys are Ctrl+S on Windows, ⌘+S on Mac.
• The button (only in the standalone version) calls the Print dialog box. The hot-keys are Ctrl+P on Windows, ⌘+P on Mac.
• The button (only in the standalone version) opens the Batch Processing dialog to automatically process a series of images.
• The button imports a list of presets (from the .pastel file).
• The button exports presets (user settings for the image processing). You can save any number of presets to a separate file with the ending .pastel.
• The button / shows/hides the guiding lines.
• The button loads saved guiding lines (.direction file).
• The button saves the guiding lines to a .direction file.
• The button cancels the last operation (with the tools). It is possible to cancel several operations in a row. The hotkeys are Ctrl+Z on Windows, ⌘+Z on Mac.
• The button returns the last cancelled operation. It is possible to return several operations in a row. The hotkeys are Ctrl+Y on Windows, ⌘+Y on Mac.
• The button initiates image processing with the current settings. The resulting image is shown in the After tab.
• The button (only in the plugin version) applies the result to the image and closes the plugin.
• The button shows information about the program: version, trial period, license.
• The button calls the Help files. The hot-key is F1.
• The button calls the Preferences dialog box for changing the program's options.
• The button opens a window showing the latest news about Pastel.

To the left of the Image Window there is the Toolbar. Different tools appear on the Before/After tabs.

Pre-Processing Tools (in the Before tab):

• The button switches on/off the quick preview window.
• The button (only in the standalone version) activates the Crop tool which allows cutting off unwanted areas in the image.
• The button activates the Stroke Direction tool to draw the guiding lines (for Home Deluxe and Business licenses).
• The button activates the Eraser tool used to remove the guiding lines, either partially or fully.

Post-Processing Tools (in the After tab, for Home Deluxe and Business licenses):

• The button activates the Smudge tool which is used to manually refine images by removing paint irregularities.
• The button activates the History Brush tool which lets you fade the effect and restore the image, partially or fully, to its original state.
• The button activates the Pastel Chalk tool which lets you draw soft textured strokes. The tool imitates a pastel stick and helps to strengthen the hand-made effect.

Additional Tools:

• The button activates the Hand tool which allows you to scroll the image when it does not fit within window at the desired scale. To use it click on the button, bring the cursor over the image, and while keeping the left mouse button pressed move in the desired direction.
  Double-clicking on the tool's icon makes the image fit the window.
• The button activates the Zoom tool, which changes the image's scale. To zoom in left click on the image. To zoom out left click with Alt on the image. Press Z to quickly access the tool.
  Double-clicking on the tool's icon makes the image scale to 100% (actual size).

Navigate and scale the image using the Navigator. The frame in the Navigator surrounds the area of the image which is visible in the main window; the area outside of the frame will be shaded. The frame can be dragged, thereby changing the visible portion of the image. To move the frame, place the cursor within it, left click the mouse, and then drag.

Navigator

Use the slider to scale the image in the Image Window. When you move the slider to the right, the image scale increases. When you move the slider to the left, the image scale decreases.

To scroll the image in the Image Window you can press the spacebar on the keyboard and drag the image with the left mouse button. Use the scroll wheel of the mouse to move the image up/down, by keeping the Ctrl key pressed (Mac: ⌘) – to the left/to the right, by keeping the Alt key pressed (Mac: Option) − scale the image. Right-click the scroll bar to activate the quick navigation menu.

You can also change the image scale by entering a new coefficient into the scale field and pressing the button Enter (Return in Mac). The drop-down menu shows some frequently used coefficients.

You can use hot-keys to change the image scale + and Ctrl++ (⌘++ in Mac) to increase the image scale and - and Ctrl+- (⌘+- in Mac) to reduce the scale.

Under the Navigator there is the Settings Panel with the tabs:

• Painting: Here you can adjust the settings for pastel effect.
• Abstract Art: Create colorful artworks with whimsical and fantastic shapes.
• Decoration: Add text to an image, adjust the canvas surface, and apply a frame.

Below, 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.

Under the settings and presets you can see Hints for the parameters and buttons when you hover over them with the cursor. You can choose where the hints will be shown or hide them in the program's Preferences.

Pastel v. 6.0 - Free 10-day Trial