RETOUCHER PHOTO RESTORATION SOFTWARE

AKVIS Retoucher is an efficient tool for photo restoration and photo retouching. Retoucher removes dust, scratches, stains and other defects that appear on damaged photos. The software is also able to reconstruct missing parts of a photo using the information of the surrounding areas. It is also possible to remove date stamps or small irrelevant details (wires, refuse bins, etc) and even bigger objects with the program.

The work is done automatically; you only have to indicate areas to be restored, push the button, and here you are - the surface becomes smooth and imperfections disappear. It looks like magic when you observe the scratches vanishing before your very eyes.

How It Works

• Workspace
• How To Use The Program
• Toolbar
• Parameters
• Preferences

AKVIS Retoucher is your reliable tool for increasing productivity!

AKVIS Retoucher is available as a standalone program as well as a plug-in for graphics editors.

To call the AKVIS Retoucher plug-in open an image in a graphics editor and and choose AKVIS –> Retoucher from the filter menu. In Adobe Photoshop go to Filter –> AKVIS –> Retoucher; in Corel Paint Shop Pro go to Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> Retoucher; and in Corel Photo-Paint go to Effects –> AKVIS –> Retoucher.

To launch the standalone version of AKVIS Retoucher, follow these instructions:

• On a Windows computer:
  - Through the main menu: press Start and select from the pop-up menu the command AKVIS – Retoucher.
  - Using the program's shortcut on the Desktop: put the cursor on the icon of the program AKVIS Retoucher 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 Retoucher and double-click it.

The workspace view depends on which editing mode is chosen in the Control Panel: Express or Advanced.

In Express mode, the program's interface is extremely simplified, with a minimal set of tools designed to quickly achieve a satisfactory result.

AKVIS Retoucher Workspace (Express)

In Advanced mode, all options and tools are available.

AKVIS Retoucher Workspace (Advanced)

Most of the program's workspace is taken up by the Image Window, above which is the Control Panel.

You can hide/show the Control Panel by clicking on the small triangle button (in the middle of the panel). The minimized panel will be shown when moving the cursor over it. You can use the Lock the Control Panel option (in the Preferences) to prevent changes and keep the panel visible all time.

The Control Panel has the following controls:

• The button  opens the home page of AKVIS Retoucher.
• The button  (only in the standalone version) opens the image which will be edited. 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 the edited image to a file. The hot-keys are Ctrl+S on Windows, +S on Macintosh.
• The button  (only in the standalone version) is used to print an image. The hot-keys are Ctrl+P on Windows, +P on Macintosh.
• The button  loads selected areas that have been saved to a file (.retouch).
• The button  saves selected areas to a separate file in the .retouch format.
• The buttons /  show/hide selected areas.
• The button  cancels the last action. If it is pressed multiple times, it will cancel several previous actions. This can also be activated with the keyboard, by pressing Ctrl+Z on Windows, +Z on Macintosh.
• The button  restores an action cancelled by .
  An action can also be restored with the keyboard, by pressing Ctrl+Y on Windows, +Y on Macintosh.
• The button  begins the restoration process. The hot-keys are Ctrl+R on Windows, +R on Macintosh.
• The button  (only in the plug-in) applies the processing result and then closes AKVIS Retoucher.
• The button  shows information about the program.
• The button  opens the program's help files. The hot-key is F1.
• The button  opens the Preferences dialog box.

To the left of the Image Window there is the Toolbar. Different tools will appear, depending on the workspace mode Express/Advanced chosen. The tools' parameters are shown in the Settings Panel or in a pop-up box after right-clicking in the image window.

Navigate and scale the image using the Navigator. In the Navigator you can see the reduced copy of the image. The frame shows the part of the image that is now visible in the Image Window; the areas outside the frame will be shaded. Drag the frame to make other parts of the image visible. To move the frame, bring the cursor inside the frame, press the left mouse button and, keeping it pressed, move the frame in the Navigator.

Navigator

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 on Windows ( on Macintosh) key pressed – to the left/to the right, by keeping the Alt (Option on Mac) key pressed − 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. The fall-down menu shows some frequently used coefficients.

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

Under Navigator is the Settings Panel with parameters for the algorithm and tools.

Under the Settings Panel you can see Hints for the parameters and buttons when you hover over them with the cursor.

To retouch photos using AKVIS Retoucher, follow these steps:

• Step 1. Start the AKVIS Retoucher standalone or a graphics editor, if you wish to use the AKVIS Retoucher plugin.
• Step 2. Open the image, which needs to be restored or edited, from which unnecessary details and defects need to be removed.
  To use the plug-in:

  Select File -> Open from the graphics editor's menu or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+O (+O in Macintosh) to call the open file dialog and select the desired image file.

  - In the standalone program (using a file in RAW, TIFF, BMP, JPEG or PNG formats):

  The Select File To Open dialog box can immediately be called after opening the program by dragging the cursor into the Image Window and double clicking the mouse or by clicking  on the Control Panel. Also, you can drag and drop the image into the program's workspace.
• Step 3. If you are using the AKVIS Retoucher plug-in, call it from the menu by choosing Filter –> AKVIS –> Retoucher in Adobe Photoshop; Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> Retoucher in Corel Paint Shop Pro; or Effects –> AKVIS –> Retoucher in Corel Photo-Paint.
  Selections made in the graphics editor will be transferred to the plug-in.
• Step 4. The first time the program starts it will be in Express mode, with a simplified interface and a minimal set of tools designed to quickly achieve a satisfactory result.
  
  AKVIS Retoucher Workspace ("Express" Mode)
  Experienced users can work in the advanced editing mode. Switch to this mode by clicking Advanced in the Control Panel: the interface's appearance will change, providing access to the full functionality of the program.
  
  AKVIS Retoucher Workspace ("Advanced" Mode)
• Step 5. Mark the areas of the image which need to be retouched. It might be a scratch, text, or a small object which needs to be removed. Selections made in the graphics editor will be transferred to the plug-in.
  You can use the following tools to make a selection: Selection Brush , Exclusion Tool , Eraser , Selection Bucket , andMagic Wand .
  The selected areas will be highlighted in red.
  
  Defects Marked
  You can save your work on a selection to a file (in .retouch format) with the  button. You can then load this selection at any time by pressing the  button.
• Step 6. When working in Advanced mode, selection areas can be processed further using the tools Linear Retouch  and Patch .
  More about using these tools can be learned from these examples.
• Step 7. Press  to start reconstructing the image. The hot key for this operation is Ctrl+R (+R on Macintosh).
  If you are not satisfied with the result, you can make correct the selection areas or adjust the algorithm's parameters in the Settings Panel and start processing the image again.
  The result will immediately begin to appear after processing has started. If you are sure that the result will not turn out as you would like, you can interrupt processing by clicking on the Cancel button, which is located to the right of the progress bar, then make changes to the parameters and start processing again by pressing .
  Note: In Advanced mode you can use Local Run  to focus more clearly on individual selections in the image. Press L to quickly access this tool. Processing begins after you click on an individual selected area. You can work step by step, selection by selection, fine-tuning the parameters to restore each selection more effectively. This is useful when you want to remove a large, complex object. If the processing result is not entirely successful, it is possible to undo the change with the / buttons and make a correction (for example, remove unnecessary fragments, change the selection or the algorithm's parameters, apply a patch, etc.)
  
  Result of Automatic Processing
• Step 8. Those using the Home Deluxe and Business have the opportunity to perform post-processing with the tools Clone Stamp ,Chameleon Brush , and Spot Remover .
  
  Post-Processing with the Clone Stamp
• Step 9. Press the  button to apply the result (in the plug-in only). The AKVIS Retoucher plug-in's window closes, and the image is returned to the graphic editor's window.
  
  Result
• Step 10. Save the resulting image.
  - When using the plug-in:

  Open the save file dialog File -> Save As in the graphics editor, type a file name, specify a file format and choose a folder, in which to save the file.

  - When using the standalone:

  Press the  button and in the Save Image dialog window, type a name for the file, select a format (TIFF, BMP, JPEG or PNG), and choose a folder in which to save the file.

• Step 11. In the standalone version of AKVIS Retoucher it's possible to print the resulting image. To do this press the  button, set the printing options and press the Print button.

See our video tutorials on YouTube (AKVIS Video Channel).
The step-by-step instructions will give you a glimpse into the way it works.

The Toolbar contains a group of tools used to select and retouch images. A tool's parameters can be adjusted in the Settings Panel, or in a pop up window, which appears after bringing the cursor into the image window and clicking the right mouse button.

To draw a straight line, select a starting point by clicking the left mouse button, then, while holding down Shift, drag the cursor with the mouse to a new location on the image, click the left mouse button again and release Shift. If Shift is not released, a new line will be drawn to each point where the left mouse button is clicked.

The tools are divided into four sets. Different tools are visible, depending on the workspace mode Express/Advanced chosen.

Selection Tools:

• The Selection Brush  is used to highlight areas and details that need to be retouched. The transparency of lines made with the brush can be changed in the Preferences dialog. Press B to quickly access this tool.
  If the Keep Exclusion Area is activated, the brush can not draw in excluded areas.
• The Exclusion Tool  is used to protect areas. Parts of the image marked by this tool will be excluded from the area used for calculation. You can use this tool to mark areas adjacent to a selection to prevent them from being cloned.
  If the Keep Selection check box is activated, the tool can not draw in selected areas.

  Original Image	Selection
  Area to be excluded is marked	Area is excluded from reconstruction
  Result without using the exclusion tool	Result when exclusion tool is used

• The Eraser  erases lines. Press E to quickly access this tool. The following modes can be selected:
  - erase all lines;
  - erase only selection area;
  - erase only exclusion area.
• The Selection Bucket  fills an area outlined with the Selection Brush  (useful for selecting large areas).
• The Magic Wand  selects all pixels of the same color. When the value of Tolerance is increased, more colors are included in the selected area.
  If the Contiguous Mode check box is activated, only adjacent pixels of the same color are selected. If it is deactivated, all pixels the same color throughout the image will be selected. This tool is useful for selecting one color objects, text, etc.

Manual Processing Tools:

• Linear Retouch  allows you to restore the background in a specified direction: for example, to align the junction of areas or preserve the smooth edges of an object. Lines should be drawn as long as possible, into the red zone or across it.
  Parameters:
  Gradient. If this check-box is activated, areas between the beginning and the end of the line will be restored evenly, with a smooth transition between one part of the image and another. If this is not the result you want, deactivate the check box.

  Original Image	Linear Retouch (Smooth Transition)
  Restoration from left to right ('Gradient' Check Box Not Activated)	Restoration from right to left ('Gradient' Check Box Not Activated)

  Zone of Influence affects the width of the area which is restored. The higher the value, the wider the restored area will be.
  

  Original Image	Selection	Result without Linear Retouch
  Zone of Influence = 2	Zone of Influence = 8	Result using Linear Retouch

  Search Distance affects the size of the area from which fragments are taken, which are used to restore along a line. A large value increases processing time and may lead to the capture of unwanted fragments.
  

  Original Image	Selection
  Search Distance = 1	Search Distance = 5
  Result without Linear Retouch	Result with Linear Retouch

• Patch  restores by copying similar square fragments from other parts of the image. To apply a patch, bring the cursor over the appropriate area, hold down the left mouse button, then drag the clone into the red area.
  Parameters:
  Patch Size affects the size of the patch used in restoration.
  

  Patch Size = 15	Patch Size = 50

• Local Run  is used to process selected areas of the image individually. Processing begins by clicking on a selected area. You can focus more clearly on individual selections, fine-tuning the parameters to restore each selection more effectively. Press L to quickly access this tool.

Post-Processing Tools (available for Home Deluxe and Business licenses):

• Spot Remover  removes small imperfections on an image: stains, dust, etc. You can also use it to retouch portraits, it looks like it "heals" skin problems. Just click with the tool on the defect. Press O to quickly access this tool.
• Clone Stamp  copies parts of an image from one area to another while preserving the cloned area's original color palette, shadows, textures, lighting, and other characteristics. Press S to quickly access this tool.
• Chameleon Brush  copies parts of an image from one area to another, while taking into account the color palette, shadows, textures, lighting, and other characteristics of the background, onto which the clone is placed. Unlike the Clone Stamp, this tool preserves the texture of the image. Press H to quickly access this tool.
Tools' options:
You can change the Size of these tools.
For Clone Stamp  and Chameleon Brush  you can also select the cloning method (Aligned on/off).
Also, for Clone Stamp  it's possible to adjust Hardness (blurriness of the fragment's edges) and to mirror a clone horizontally and/or vertically:
Activating the Flip Horizontal check-box allows a clone to be mirrored along the standing axis, i.e. interchanging the left and right sides.
Activating the Flip Vertical check-box mirrors a clone by turning the image upside down.
How to work with Clone Stamp  and Chameleon Brush :
Select an area to be cloned by holding down Alt on Windows or Option on Macintosh.
To remove a part of the clone, press the Ctrl-key on Windows /  on Macintosh, and keeping it pressed draw over the area.

Additional Tools:

• This  button activates the Hand tool, which allows you to scroll the image when it does not fit within Image 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.
• 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.

AKVIS Retoucher reconstructs missing parts of a photo by using information from surrounding areas (we'll call them samples). You can adjust the algorithm's parameters in the Settings Panel: Sample Size (0-16) affects the size of sample fragments. At higher values of this parameter, more of the background's texture is preserved, but image detail appears coarser. Original Image Sample Size = 3 Sample Size = 14 Sample Number (1–50) affects the number of sample fragments taken from surrounding areas and used in reconstruction. They are chosen randomly. At higher values, more of the background's texture is reconstructed, but processing time increases. Original Image Selection Sample Number = 1 Sample Number = 50 Search Radius (16-250) affects the size of the area used to search for sample fragments used in reconstruction. The higher the value, the longer reconstruction takes. If the radius is too large, sample fragments from remote areas of the image could be chosen, which would not be suitable in reconstruction. Original Image Selection Search Radius = 30 Search Radius = 220 Smoothing Check Box. This mode reduces the transition between fragment edges. It's helpful if edges are similar in texture but not in color. If the check box is deactivated there is no alignment. Original Image With Selection 'Smoothing' Check Box Deactivated Reconstruction and Smoothing Fast Processing Check Box. When this check box is activated, processing speed is increased by simplifying the original image. This is useful in most cases and allows you to quickly get a good result. Original Image Selection Result After Full Processing Result After Fast Processing Original Image With Selection Result After Full Processing Result After Fast Processing Open the Preferences dialog by pressing on . The dialog window looks like this: Language. To switch the interface language, select another language from the drop down list. Initial Scale. This parameter affects how the image will appear in the program when you first open it. The parameter can have one of two values: - If the parameter is set to Fit to View, the image will be scaled so that it will fit completely within the Image Window; - If the parameter is set to 100% the image will not be scaled. In most cases, when an image is opened at 100% scale the entire image will not fit within the Image Window. Selection Area: Opacity. The parameter allows you to adjust the opacity of the color used when a selection is created. 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 apply changes made in the Preferences window press ОК. If necessary, you can return to the default settings by pressing Default. RETOUCHER V.5.5 IMAGE RESTORATION SOFTWARE AKVIS Retoucher is an efficient program for photo restoration and photo retouching. AKVIS Retoucher not only removes dust, scratches, stains and other defects that appear on damaged photos but is also able to reconstruct missing parts of a photo using the information of the surrounding areas. The work is done automatically; you only have to indicate areas to be restored, push the Run button, and here you are - the surface becomes smooth and imperfections disappear. It looks like magic when you observe the scratches vanishing before your very eyes! AKVIS Retoucher is also a handy tool for improving photo composition. It is possible to remove date stamps, smallirrelevant details (wires, refuse bins, etc) and even bigger objects (i.e. people who fell into the shot by accident, cars in the background). If you need to increase the canvas size (from one side or proportionally) to bring the main object into focus, i.e. to center it, Retoucher will help you to extend image patterns to the blank areas of the canvas. Polygraphists will find Retoucher useful in doing the prepress processing job. They often have the problem of extending the borders of a layout that does not have space for cropping. AKVIS Retoucher saves much time by doing this quickly and efficiently! Use AKVIS Retoucher for the following purposes: - Restore old and damaged photos from your family archive by removing scratches, stains and other defects; - Improve the composition of your photos by removing the date stamp, distracting details (wires, refuse bins, etc) and byextending the photo canvas (increase the image canvas and the plug-in will recreate the image patterns in the blank areas); - Reconstruct missing parts of the photo (to restore a torn photo, in polygraphy to extend the borders of a layout that does not have space for cropping). - Remove larger and complex objects (people, cars, buildings).