SKETCH

AKVIS Sketch is software for conversion of photos to pencil sketches and watercolor drawings.
It's a wonderful tool for those who have always wanted to draw but didn't know how.

The software offers two photo-to-sketch conversion styles: Classic or Artistic, which help to create a wide variety of pencil drawings.

You can also achieve additional effects on the Background tab (Sketch & Photo, Sketch & Blur). Keep a part of the initial image to imitate a blend of the original photo and the drawing, blur some parts of the image.
Personalize your work of art by adding an inscription (a signature or a greeting) to your pencil drawing (on the Text tab).
Besides, the parameters on the Canvas tab allow adding a rough surface to your image, as if it has been drawn on canvas, corrugated paper, brick wall, etc.

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

Learn how to create realistic color and B&W drawings that imitate the technique of graphite and color pencil, charcoal and watercolor painting:

How It Works

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 Corel 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 workspace will be arranged according to the editing mode chosen in the Control Panel: Express or Advanced. In Express mode, the program's interface is extremely simplified. It has the minimal set of parameters needed for a user to quickly obtain a satisfactory result. Workspace of AKVIS Sketch (Express) In Advanced mode, the full functionality of the program is available: all parameters, under the relevant tabs Sketch, Background, Text, Canvas, as well as the toolbar. Note: All features and parameters work in Express mode. Some are hidden and use default values or those of a chosen preset. Workspace of AKVIS Sketch (Advanced) 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, theAfter 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  opens the home page of AKVIS Sketch. The button  (only in the standalone version) opens an image for processing. The hot-keys are Ctrl+O on Windows, +O on Macintosh. Right mouse click on this button displays the list of recent files. You can change the number of recent documents 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 Macintosh. The button  (only in the standalone version) prints the image. The hot-keys are Ctrl+P on Windows, +P on Macintosh. The button  (only in the standalone version) opens the Batch Processing dialog to automatically process a series of images. 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 Timeline at the bottom of the Image Window (this feature is available only for Home Deluxe and Business licenses). The button  saves the guiding lines to a file with the .direction extension. The button  loads saved guiding lines (from the .direction 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 hotkeys are Ctrl+Z, on Windows, +Z on Macintosh. 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 Macintosh. The button  starts conversion of the original image into a pencil sketch with the current parameter settings. The result is shown in the Aftertab. The button  (only in the plugin version) applies the result to the image and closes the plugin. The button  calls information about the program. The button  calls the Help files. The hot-key is F1. 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 (more about the preview). The button  activates the guiding lines drawing tool Stroke Direction (available in Home Deluxe and Business versions for Classic style only). The ,  and  tools are used to outline areas for background effects. The tools are visible and active only when using eitherSketch&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 a window that pops up after right clicking on the tool. Navigate and scale the image using the Navigator. The frame in the Navigator surrounds the area of the image which is visible in the Image 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 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 Navigator there is the Settings Panel where you can choose the photo-to-sketch conversion Style (Classic/Artistic); and adjust the parameters. The Settings Panel has four tabs of settings: Sketch, Background, Text and Canvas. On the Sketch tab you can adjust the settings for photo-to-sketch conversion of the selected style. 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 drawing. 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 (not Background!). Under the Settings Panel 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. TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH HOW IT WORKS AKVIS Sketch converts photos into pencil sketches, the software allows to create realistic color and B&W drawings. In order to turn a photo into a pencil sketch follow the instructions: Step 1. Run the standalone edition of AKVIS Sketch or open your photo editor (if you work with the plugin version of AKVIS Sketch). 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 (or +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 Sketch supports RAW, JPEG, PNG, BMP, and TIFF file formats. Step 3. In plug-in version only: call the AKVIS Sketch plugin select the menu item Filter -> AKVIS -> Sketch in Adobe Photoshop andPhotoshop Elements; in Corel PaintShop Photo Pro select the menu item Effects -> Plugins -> AKVIS -> Sketch; in Corel Photo-Paintselect the menu item Effects -> AKVIS -> Sketch. Step 4. The first time the program is opened it will be in Express mode, with a simplified interface and a minimal set of sliders, which help to quickly obtain a satisfactory result. The AKVIS Sketch window (Express) Experienced users who are familiar with the capabilities of AKVIS Sketch can switch to Advanced mode. Switch to this mode by clicking theAdvanced button in the Control Panel: the interface's appearance will change, granting access to the full functionality of the program. Note: All features and parameters work in Express mode. Some are hidden and use default values or those of a chosen preset.  The AKVIS Sketch window (Advanced) Once the program is open, part of the image will be automatically converted to a pencil drawing with the last used settings or with the settings of the AKVIS Default preset (depending on the program preferences). The conversion result will be shown in the Before tab in the Preview Window. The quick preview area takes settings only of the Sketch andCanvas tabs. The Preview Window is a square frame outlined with a dotted line ("marching ants"). Drag the square to the required position or draw it anew on any part of the image (double click with the left mouse) to analyse the corresponding area. The preview window disappears after image processing starts and appears again when a parameter in the Settings Panel is changed. To compare the converted sample with the original photo, left-click on the image in the preview area. Preview Window To convert the whole image, click on  or on the After tab. After processing it is possible to switch between tabs by pressing the left mouse button on any point of the image. Default settings Step 5. Select the photo-to-sketch conversion style: Classic or Artistic; and adjust the parameters. Classic style lets you create color and B&W drawings with well-defined contour lines. A characteristic feature of this style is its accuracy: the image looks as if it was primarily created by contour lines with the addition of hatching. Though this mode is versatile and good for many purposes, it is the most suitable for technical illustration, architectural images, and other pictures where you would like to attain good detail. Artistic style is designed to create expressive drawings that look like the handmade work of a real artist. In this style, it is easy to create both a quick sketch and a carefully drawn and shaded pencil drawing. The main advantage of this style is the ability to play with hatching and to vary the number of shadings and shadows to get natural tonal transitions. This style requires a good photograph. The best results can be achieved if the original photo was taken in the right light and has good contrast. Classic Style Artistic Style Step 6. Press the button  to convert the original photo into a pencil drawing with the new settings. Note: You can observe the processing in real-time. It's possible to stop photo-to-sketch rendering and save the semi-processed drawing as a result. To interrupt the process, click on the button Stop right to the progress bar or use the Timeline feature (read more about this feature below). Step 7. Under Home Deluxe and Business licenses, in Classic Style only, there is a function that defines the direction of the applied strokes. This special tool gives you full control over how hatching is drawn on an image. With this technique you can achieve a truly realistic drawing with patterns and textures going in the right direction. To draw and edit the guiding lines use the tools  and  and the buttons  and  (remove/restore the last drawn line). Stroke Direction . Draw with the tool 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 entire 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). Hint: For more efficient use of the Stroke Direction feature adjust the parameters under the Direction tab in Classic style. Guiding lines can be saved to a file with the .direction extension (with the  button), to use them for further processing in case of work interruption. Loaded guiding lines (with the  button) adapt automatically to the size of the image. Step 8. If needed, adjust the settings on the Background, Canvas or Text tabs. Click on the button  to start processing the image. Note: Only Canvas as well as the Sketch tab lets you see the quick result in the Preview Window. For Background and Text you need to process the whole image to see the effect. 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 three tabs (except the Background tab). 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. For the advanced types of the licenses (Home Deluxe and Business) it's possible to use the Timeline feature. Press  to show the list of the shots created during image processing. They will be displayed at the bottom of the Image Window. If you like some image more than your final result, click on it with the left button of your mouse. The shot will be shown in the After tab. If you want to get back to your final result, click on the last shot in the Timeline list. Timeline Shots You can set the number of the shots in the Preferences dialog box. Step 11. In plug-in version only: press the button  to apply the result and close the plugin window. The AKVIS Sketch plugin will close and the picture will appear in the workspace of the photo editor. Step 12. 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 13. The standalone edition of AKVIS Sketch allows printing the image. For this purpose press the button , adjust print settings in thePrint dialog box and press the button Print. TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH MAKE A SKETCH FROM A PHOTO: CLASSIC STYLE Classic style lets you create color and B&W drawings with well-defined contour lines. A characteristic feature of this style is its accuracy: the image looks as if it was primarily created by contour lines with the addition of hatching. Though this mode is versatile and good for many purposes, it is the most suitable for technical illustration, architectural images, and other pictures where you would like to attain good detail. Pencil Sketch from Photograph: Classic Style in AKVIS Sketch (Move your mouse over the image to see the original version) In the Sketch tab you can adjust the parameters for the photo-to-sketch conversion. There are four parameter fields in the Classic style: Effects, Strokes, Edges, Direction. Note: You can see the conversion result immediately, as you move the slider, only in the Preview Window. To convert the whole image, press the button  or click on the After tab. Effects tab: Watercolor. The Watercolor parameter lets you create watercolor drawings. This parameter accepts values between 0 and 50. By default it is set to 0 which corresponds to a pencil drawing. As you move the slider to the right (that is, increase the value of the parameter) the strokes get blurred, contrast and detail get weaker, as if the strokes were drawn on wet paper. The higher the value of the parameter, the stronger the effect. Watercolor = 10 Charcoal. The parameter changes the drawing technique from a fine pencil drawing to charcoal. The higher the value of the parameter, the more it looks like the charcoal technique. Charcoal = 7 Coloration. The effect adds color to a drawing provided by the color information from the original image (if the image is not grayscale). The parameter accepts values between 0 and 100. By default the value is set to 0, which corresponds to a graphite pencil sketch, in this case the pencil sketch is not mixed with the original image. As you move the slider to the right, the drawing gets colors from the original image. If at the same time the parameter Watercolor has a value higher than 0, the sketch looks very similar to a watercolor drawing. Coloration = 40 Smudging. The parameter creates the effect of smearing hatching in midtone areas without affecting the contour lines of the drawing. This technique looks like a result of rubbing across a drawing with a stump tool, smooth paper, or a finger. The parameter accepts values between 0 and 30. By default it is set to 0 at which there is no smudging effect. At higher values the appearance of shaded areas changes. Shading becomes similar to soft graphite. It is a fast and simple way to add a soft and blurred texture to a sketch. Smudging = 0 Smudging = 30 Strokes tab (hatching parameters): Color Pencil. When the check-box is enabled, the program imitates a color pencil drawing. When the check-box is disabled, the strokes are black. The check-box "Color Pencil" is enabled The check-box "Color Pencil" is disabled When the check-box Color Pencil is enabled, you can change the Saturation of the image by moving the slider to the right of the check-box. As the value of this parameter is increased, the intensity of colors in the image become more intense, and colors of the strokes become more "bright". Saturation = 0 Saturation = 100 Angle. This parameter Angle sets the pitch angle of the strokes when hatching a uniform area (an area that does not contain edges and intensity swings). By default the strokes in such areas are drawn at a 45 degree angle. The parameter has values between 0 and 180 degrees; the step is 5 degrees. Angle = 45 Angle = 135 Angle = 90 Stroke Thickness. This parameter sets the stroke size. If you reduce the value of the parameter the strokes on the picture get thinner and harder, if you increase the value the strokes get wider and blurred on their edges. Stroke Thickness = 5 Stroke Thickness = 9 Min Length/Max Length. This parameter sets a range within which the stroke length can vary. There are two sliders to define the range borders: the left slider sets the minimum length, the right slider sets the maximum length. The resulting sketch will be made up of strokes that fall within this range. If you reduce the minimum length, the number of strokes and the detail of the image increase. Visually the drawing becomes darker. If you increase the value of the minimum length, the number of strokes is reduced (strokes shorter than the set minimum do not get drawn). Visually the image becomes lighter and neater. If you increase the maximum length, the hatching becomes less uniform. The higher the value of this parameter, the longer strokes can be drawn on the picture. However, if the value is too high it may worsen the precision of the hatching. Min Length/Max Length=1/4 Min Length/Max Length=8/16 Midtones Intensity. This parameter defines the intensity of the midtone strokes, as if drawn with different pressure. As you move the slider to the left, the midtone strokes fade - becoming dim and blurred. As you move the slider to the right the midtone strokes become thicker and more intensive. Midtones Intensity = 1 Midtones Intensity = 10 Midtones Hatching. This parameter defines the level of hatching in the midtone areas. If you want to reduce hatching move the slider to the left. Midtones Hatching = 1 Midtones Hatching = 100 Edges tab (parameters that affect how edges are drawn): Edge Strength. This is the main parameter used to control edges, by adjusting the intensity of lines and details. At lower levels there are fewer edges and the level of detail decreases, while at higher values more edges are drawn and more detail is present. Edge Strength = 0 Edge Strength = 50 Edge Strength = 100 The Edge Tracing check-box is used to detect the additional edges between areas that don't have well-defined transitions in brightness. Its affect can be adjusted further by these two parameters: Sensitivity. The higher the value of this parameter the more transitions between colors will be retrieved and the more edges will be defined by lines instead of hatching. If you want to emphasize the edges, increase the value of this parameter. Sensitivity = 10 (Edge Width = 15) Sensitivity = 80 (Edge Width = 15) Edge Width. This parameter defines the thickness of the outliness. At higher values of this parameter the edges will be drawn by thicker lines. Edge Width = 10 (Sensitivity = 70) Edge Width = 60 (Sensitivity = 70) Direction tab (parameters to control hatching direction): The parameters under this tab affect hatching when the Stroke Direction tool is used . The Stroke Direction tool gives you full control over how hatching is drawn on an image. Use this special tool to define the guiding lines, and the program will convert the image into a sketch, directing the hatching to follow them. With this technique you can achieve a truly realistic drawing with patterns and textures going in the right direction. The tool is not available for the basic Home license; it is active only for advanced licenses like Home Deluxe, Business. You can use it more effectively by adjusting these parameters: Zone of Influence - the width of the area affected by stroke guide lines. The higher the value, the more hatching will follow the direction of stroke guide lines. Zone of Influence = 0 Zone of Influence = 35 Preserve Edges check-box. When this check-box is deselected, hatching will be drawn past edges. Check-Box Activated Check-Box Deactivated TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH MAKE A SKETCH FROM A PHOTO: ARTISTIC STYLE Artistic style is designed to create expressive drawings that look like the handmade work of a real artist. In this style, it is easy to create both a quick sketch and a carefully drawn and shaded pencil drawing. The main advantage of this style is the ability to play with hatching and to vary the number of shadings and shadows to get natural tonal transitions. This style requires a good photograph. The best results can be achieved if the original photo was taken in the right light and has good contrast. Pencil Sketch from Photograph: Artistic Style in AKVIS Sketch (Move your mouse over the image to see the original version) In the Sketch tab you can adjust the parameters for the photo-to-sketch conversion. The parameters in the Artistic style are grouped in two tabs: Strokes and Edges. Strokes tab (hatching parameters): Color Pencil mode. When the check-box is enabled, the program imitates a color pencil drawing (for color images). When the check-box is disabled, the drawing will be black and white. Color Pencil Drawing Lightness (-100..100). It is general luminance of the resulted image. The parameter determines how much light or dark strokes the pencil drawing will use. Lightness = -50 Lightness = 50 Angle (0-180). This parameter sets the pitch angle of the strokes. By default the strokes are drawn at a 45 degree angle. The parameter has values between 0 and 180 degrees; the step is 5 degrees. Angle = 30 Angle = 145 Dispersion (0-100). It's a deviation of the hatching direction specified by Angle. The larger the value, the more chaotically strokes will be re-oriented from the general direction. Dispersion = 10 Dispersion = 90 Min Length/Max Length (1-100). The parameter sets the full range of the possible stroke lengths. Stroke Length is controlled by the position of two sliders on the same scale: the left slider sets the minimum stroke length while the right slider controls the maximum stroke length. You will see only the strokes greater than the minimum and shorter than the maximum settings. Min Length/Max Length = 4/20 Min Length/Max Length = 15/70 Stroke Thickness (1-50). This parameter sets the stroke size. If you reduce the value of the parameter the strokes on the picture get thinner and harder, if you increase the value the strokes get wider and blurred on their edges. Stroke Thickness = 15 Stroke Thickness = 40 Uniformity (1-100). The parameter defines a type of hatching. In large values ​the light and dark areas of the image are hatched evenly. Decreasing of the value leads to the selective hatching: the dark areas become more intense and get more strokes, while on the light areas we see less hatching. Uniformity = 10 Uniformity = 90 Curvature (0-100). The parameter changes the strength of the strokes curvature under the influence of gradient areas. The larger the value, the more curve the strokes will be. Curvature = 10 Curvature = 90 Hatching Density (0-200). It defines the number of strokes in the image. The larger the value, the less white areas remain. When the value is set to 0 only contour lines are drawn on the image (see the Edges tab). Hatching Density = 20 Hatching Density = 135 Hatching Intensity (0-100). This parameter changes the intensity of the strokes, as if drawn with different pressure and brightness. Hatching Intensity = 20 Hatching Intensity = 80 Edges tab (parameters that affect how edges are drawn): Hint: We recommend to adjust edges while the hatching is off. To do this, set Hatching Density to zero (in the Strokes tab). Sensitivity (0-100). The parameter helps to find the edges on the image. The higher the value the more contours will be drawn. To remove oddlines reduce the value of the parameter. Sensitivity = 20 Sensitivity = 70 Detail (0-200). The parameter changes the number of the strokes which form the contour lines. The size of these strokes is calculated automatically, depending on the value of Stroke Thickness (in the Strokes tab). Detail = 10 Detail = 190 Intensity (0-100). It lets you change the brightness of the contour lines. Intensity = 15 Intensity = 90 TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH BACKGROUND EFFECTS 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 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 in a group photo, the most beautiful flower in a garden image, etc.) and many other things. The Background tab offers three modes: Sketch, Sketch & Photo, Sketch & Blur. Sketch In this mode the Background tab has no influence on the image. In other words, the additional background effects are disabled. It is the default mode in which the first tab (with the parameters for the photo-to-sketch conversion) works only. The result of processing in the "Sketch" mode 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" mode 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. The Eraser tool . Use this tool to edit the outlines drawn by the pencils. When Sketch&Photo (or Sketch&Blur) is active, the tool can operate in three different modes: Erase all lines (both guiding lines and zone lines of the background effects); Erase only guiding lines (direction of the strokes); Erase only zone lines (background effects). Adjust the size of the pencils and of the Eraser tool using the Brush Size parameter. Drawn outlines Effect Area (blue): the pencil drawing No Effect Area (red): the original photo (car) Note: If only blue lines or no outlines are drawn, the image remains a drawing. If only red lines are drawn, the image will be restored to its original state (the input image). Attention! During processing you will see that the whole image (regardless of the drawn lignes) will be converting into a drawing. Don't worry. It's only one of the processing steps, not an error. In the next step the program will take into consideration the settings of the Backgroundtab. The Grayscale check-box. When the check-box is enabled, the parts of the original image marked with red (or green) are converted to grayscale. It does not work, if the Color Pencil option and the Coloration effect in the Sketch tab are selected. Use this option to get the entire image in b&w, not only the "drawing" part. The "Grayscale" check-box is not selected: the original color photo (car) and the drawing around The "Grayscale" check-box is enabled the original photo converted in black-and-white (car) and the drawing around 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 the Blur Area . 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 adjusts 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. This 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. This 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             TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH ADD TEXT TO PENCIL DRAWING You can personalize your work of art by adding a signature to your pencil drawing, create a postcard by placing greeting text to the image. Switch to the Text tab to add an inscription to your drawing. Text tab Type the text into the field (max 250 characters). By default the parameters of the tab are disabled; for the inscription to appear on the image, you should enable the check-box Use Text. There are three groups of parameters: Font The drop-down list Family contains a set of system fonts that can be used when typing the text. The Size parameter (10-100) sets the size of the characters. The Stretch parameter (50%-200%) allows tightening or stretching the text by changing the character interval. The buttons  and  apply the italic and bold fonts accordingly. Color The current color is shown on the color plate Text. To change the color, click on the plate and select a new color from the Select Colordialog. The outer color of the characters is shown on the Outline color plate. To change the color, click on the plate and select a new color from the Select Color dialog. To delete a color and clear the color plate, right-click on it. The Glow (0-10) parameter sets the glow strength, that is the width and the brightness of the outline. БзЮ Without Glow Glow = 10 Location Use the 8 arrows to define the position of the inscription. You can move the text to any side and align it with the diagonal arrows. БзЮ   An example of inscription TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH IMITATE SKETCH DRAWING ON A CANVAS AKVIS Sketch not only offers photo-to-sketch conversion, it also lets you add a textured surface to a picture imitating a drawing on a canvas, corrugated paper, brick wall or anything else. To use this effect, adjust the settings in the Canvas tab. By default the parameters of the tab are disabled and the sketch comes out as if drawn on plain paper. To activate the parameters of the Canvas tab, select the check-box Use Canvas. The check-box "Use Canvas" is disabled The check-box "Use Canvas" is enabled The canvas is generated by reproduction of the chosen texture. These are the following parameters of texture generation and application: Adjustment of Texture Properties: Texture. Select a texture from the Texture Library. To open the Texture Library, double click with the left mouse button on the square box with a sample texture. Select a texture with a double-click of the mouse. It is possible to use your own texture. For this purpose create and save a pattern into a folder on your computer. It can be any image (JPEG, BMP, TIFF, PNG formats). To load a texture into AKVIS Sketch, open the Texture Library , click on  and select a texture. To return to the Settings Panel without selecting any texture click on .   Scale. This parameter sets the size of the repetitive pattern. By default the Scale is set to 100%. The higher the value of the parameter, the larger the pattern is. Scale = 70% Scale = 150% These are the following options that define the way the canvas is generated: Repetition. When this option is selected, the canvas is generated by simple repetition of the given pattern. The option "Repetition" is enabled Reflection. When this option is selected, the canvas is generated by repetition of the given pattern.The difference from the Repetitionmode is that the ends of the patterns are joined at mirror reflection. The option "Reflection" is enabled Alignment. Use this option when the original texture is irregular and the texture joins are visible on the final image. This option allows aligning the patterns for a smoother transition. The option "Alignment" is enabled Other option enabled Adjust the parameters of texture application: Light Source. Use the dagger on the ball to set the probable light source during the shooting. The position of the light source influences the texture wrapping. To change the position of the light source, left-click on the required point of the ball. Brightness. This parameter lets you change the texture brightness. The values of the parameter vary between 0 and 150. The brightness of the original texture is 90. The higher the value of the parameter, the lighter the texture is. As a result, the output image gets lighter. Brightness = 10 Brightness = 90 Embossing. This parameter allows a texture to be embossed. The values of the parameter vary between 0 and 150. At 0, the texture is flat. As you increase the value of the parameter, the texture becomes more prominent. Embossing = 25 Embossing = 150 Reveal Texture. This parameter defines to what extent the canvas is shown through the image. The values of the parameter vary between 0 and 40. The higher the value, the more distinct is the texture and the less visible is the original image. A higher value of the parameter also increases the influence of the Brightness parameter and the texture contrast. Reveal Texture = 20 Reveal Texture = 35 Distortion. This parameter defines the distortion of the resulting image. The values of the parameter vary between 0 and 50. The higher the value of the parameter, the more distorted and blurred the image becomes. Distortion = 0 Distortion = 30 TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH WORKING WITH PRESETS AKVIS Sketch lets you save your favorite settings as a preset and use them in the future. To save your settings as a preset, go to the Presets list, enter a name for your preset, and press the Save button. The next time you start the program it will use the settings of this preset. If you wish to return to the default settings press the Reset button. To delete a preset, choose it from the drop-down list and press the Delete button. To process an image using a preset, choose a preset from the list and press . Attention! The presets save settings only in the Sketch, Canvas and Text tabs. Settings can be changed individually, or a ready preset from AKVIS, which is stored within the program, can be used. Also, the settings of preset can be changed after it is chosen, to achieve the desired result. You can export/import preset by pressing the  and  buttons in the Control Panel. The  button exports presets a file with the .sketch extension. Any number of presets can be saved to one file. To export presets follow these steps: Press the Export Presets  button in the Control Panel. In the User Presets dialog window choose the presets you want to export. Checking Select All will select all the presets in the list. Unchecking it will deselect all presets in the list. Press the Export button. In the Export Presets dialog window, enter a name for the file, choose a target folder, and press the Save button. Attention! The AKVIS presets cannot be saved to a file. The  button imports presets from a file. To import presets from a file follow these steps: Press the Import Presets  button in the Control Panel. In the Import Presets dialog window choose a file with the .sketch extension and press the Open button. In the User Presets dialog window select the desired presets from the list. Checking Select All will select all presets in a list. Unchecking it will deselect all the presets in the list. Check Delete All Before Import, if you want to clear the list of presets in the program before importing others from a file. Attention! AKVIS presets cannot be deleted from a list. If Delete All Before Import is not checked, choose one of the following methods for importing presets: Replace - when this option is selected, if the name of a preset in the list matches the name of a preset in the file, then it will be replaced by the preset from the file. Rename And Add - when this option is selected, presets from a file with matching names are automatically renamed and added to the list of presets in the program. Presets whose names do not match any presets in the program's list will be added to the bottom of the list. Press the Import button. TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH PROGRAM PREFERENCES The button  opens the Preferences dialog box. It looks like this: Language. Change the program language by selecting another from the drop-down list. Preview Window Size. Choose the desired value for the size of the Preview Window. It can have values from 200х200 to 500х500 pixels. By default the parameter’s value = 250, that is the quick preview area has a proportion 250x250 px. Processing Size Limit. This parameter accelerates image processing by temporary reducing the size of the image to be processed. When the file size (in megapixels) does not exceed the defined value, the image is processed in a usual way. If the loaded file is larger, the program will reduce the image, process it and enlarge again to the initial size. Remember Parameters. Selecting the check-box preserves the changes made to the settings every time the program is launched. Initial Scale. This parameter defines the way the image is scaled in the Image Window after opening. The parameter can take one of two values: - image scaling Fit to view. The scale adjusts so that the image will be completely visible in the Image Window; - if the option 100% is checked, image doesn’t scale. Generally, when the scale = 100%, only part of the image will be visible. Timeline Shots. This parameter changes the number of the shots created during image processing (available only for Home Deluxe and Business licenses). Hints Panel. When you hover over parameters and buttons with the cursor you can see a brief description of them in the Hints field. You can choose how the hints will be shown: The Position option lets you set the location of the field: - Under Image Window. It shows the hints in the main window, under the image. This mode is useful if there is not enough space by height to dispay this field under the settings; - Under Settings Panel. Select this to show hints at the bottom of the right part, under the settings; - Hide. Use this option if you do not need the hints. The Color option lets you set the color scheme of the field: - Gray Panel - a white font on a gray background; - Yellow Panel - a navy/black font on a yellow background. Recent Files (available only in the standalone version). The number of recent documents. The list of the recent files, sorted by time, become visible by right mouse clicking on . Maximum: 30 files. Use OS File Dialog check-box. You can check this option if you want to use the System Open/Save Dialog. By default, the AKVIS File Dialog is used. Lock the Control Panel check-box. It disables the possibility to hide/show the top panel. If the check-box is selected the panel is always visible. To save changes made in the Preferences window press OK. If you need, click on the button Default to come back the default settings. TUTORIAL: AKVIS SKETCH BATCH PROCESSING AKVIS Sketch supports batch processing that lets you automatically process a series of images. Batch processing is useful when dealing with a lot of photos taken under the same conditions with identical camera settings or when creating a video (to process all frames automatically). It saves you time and effort. Using batch processing is simple: Step 1. Start the standalone version of AKVIS Sketch and open one of the photos. Step 2. Adjust the parameters for this image. Since these settings should be applied to all photos in the series, they should be saved as a preset. Attention! The presets save the settings in the Sketch, Text and Canvas tabs. The settings of the Background tab and guiding lines won't be applied. Step 3. Click on the button  in the Control Panel to open the Batch Processing dialog window. Here you can adjust the options to process the images with one of the presets. In the Source Folder field choose the folder which contains the photos to be processed. In the Target Folder choose the folder where the processed photos will be saved. You can check Include All Subfolders to process all images in all subfolders of the selected folder (keeping the structure). Next, select your Preset, and choose the format and image quality of the saved files in the Save As list. Press Start to begin batch processing of the photos. It's also possible to use batch processing with the Sketch plug-in. If you've never used this feature before it is simple to learn. Just create an Action inAdobe Photoshop and apply the plug-in with the same settings to a folder full of images. The batch processing with the plugin is useful when, in addition to photo correction, you also want, for example, to convert all the photos to the same size.