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AKVIS Sketch converts photos into pencil sketches and watercolor paintings.
Now you do not need to handle a pencil to feel like an artist. All you need to create your original work of art is good taste and AKVIS Sketch.
Our efficient method creates realistic color and B&W drawings that imitate the technique of graphite and color pencil, charcoal and
watercolor painting.
In contrast to standard filters (like the built-in filters in Photoshop or PSP) that offer an approximate sketch, AKVIS Sketch comes very close
to the hand-drawn works of a human artist. Getting a similar result with the standard tools would require expertise in image editing and
extensive manipulation with layers, masks, brushes and applying filters.
AKVIS Sketch can add background effects to the resulting pencil drawing. Create a blend of a drawing and a photo; imitate motion or add a
“time machine effect” by swirling the background. Put an accent to certain parts of the image by blurring the rest of it in an artistic
way. It proves especially useful when the final drawing contains too many details on the background that divert attention.
You can personalize your work of art by adding an inscription (a signature or a greeting) to your pencil drawing. Also, the parameters on
the Canvas let you add a rough surface to your image, as if it had been drawn on canvas, corrugated paper, brick wall, etc.
AKVIS Sketch has a neat interface with a few sliders. At first you can process the image with the default settings and then touch up the
photo adding color, or trying different techniques - from pencil to charcoal or watercolor. You can make the hatching denser or finer and
change the pitch angle of strokes, or add/remove the original colors.
Home users will be delighted by the neat result of the photo-to-sketch conversion. Using AKVIS Sketch can be a lot of fun. Make a pencil
portrait as a gift for your relatives and friends, a watercolor drawing obtained from your last nature shooting can decorate your room, or you
can convert any photo to an original drawing to print on a T-Shirt.
The program can be helpful to designers who need to quickly bring images to one style for a web-site or an advertisement booklet. On the
whole it's a wonderful tool for those who have always wanted to draw but didn't know how.
This photo to sketch software is available in two versions – as an independent program (standalone) and as a plugin to a photo
editor.
The plugin version is compatible with Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Paint Shop Pro etc. Refer to Check the compatibility page
for more details.
The plug-in version of Sketch offers Batch Processing support that allows you to automatically convert a series of images. Just create
an Action in Photoshop or a Script in Corel Paint Shop Pro and apply the plug-in with the same settings to a folder full of images. You can
even create comics from home videos in this way!
Convert a Photo to a Pencil Sketch
2
Installation under Windows
Pic. 1. Pic. 2. 3
Installation under Windows
Pic. 4. Pic. 5.
Installation under Macintosh
Pic. 1.
5
Installation under Macintosh
• Finder will open with AKVIS Sketch application or the folder AKVIS Sketch
PlugIn inside (Pic. 2, Pic. 3).
• To install the standalone version just drag the AKVIS Sketch application into the
folder Applications (or any other place you like). To install the plugin version
drag the entire AKVIS Sketch PlugIn folder into the Plug-Ins folder of your
graphic editor. For example, if you use Photoshop CS3 you should move the folder
AKVIS Sketch Plugin into: Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS3/Plug-Ins (Pic. 4).
After installation of the Sketch plugin, you will see a new tab in the Filters (Effects)
menu of your photo editor: AKVIS –> Sketch.
Pic. 2.
Pic. 3.
Pic. 4.
6
Program registration
Program registration
To buy a license you should fill in the form on the product buy-page and order the
software using a secure payment system. We offer a number of payment options (credit
card, bank transfer, etc). When the form is filled in and the payment is made, the serial
number will be sent to you within minutes.
Having received the serial number you can proceed to the program registration.
Attention! During the activation process your computer must be connected to Internet.
If it is not possible, we offer you an alternative way (see below for Offline Activation).
Follow the steps below to register the program:
1. Open the window About the program of AKVIS Sketch
(Pic. 1). This window appears when you launch AKVIS
Sketch. You can also see this window by pressing the
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Program registration
2. Click on Activate in the window About the program to start the process of
activation.
3. Enter your name (the program will be registered to this name) and your serial
number (Pic. 2).
4. Choose the method of activation — either direct connection to the activation
server or by mail. We recommend activating the program using direct connection,
as it is the easiest way. At this step your computer must be connected to Internet.
If you choose activation via email please put the .lic-file into the folder AKVIS in
Users' Shared (Public) Documents, and the program will be registered.
5. Press the button Activate. The registration is completed (Pic. 3). You can start
working with the photo editing software and building your unique photo collection.
Pic. 2.
Pic. 3.
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Program registration
Note: In case you have chosen activation by mail, you should put the file Sketch.lic
(that you will receive enclosed in the e-mail) into the folder "AKVIS" in Users' Shared
(Public) Documents:
• For Windows XP, Windows 2000:
Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\AKVIS
• For Windows Vista, Windows 7:
Users\Public\Documents\AKVIS
• For Mac OS X:
Users/Shared/AKVIS
or your Home Directory (user's folder - with your username)
If your computer can not be connected to Internet, follow the instruction below:
• Choose the option Send a request via e-mail as a method of activation. Your
mailing program will create an activation letter with all necessary information.
• Save the message to a USB stick and transfer to the computer connected to
Internet.
• Send the letter without changes.
• You will receive a reply with a .lic-file attached (Sketch.lic).
• Save the file to a USB stick and move it to your computer.
Put the file in the corresponding folder (see above).
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Workspace
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 you should open an image in your photo editor and select the plug-in from the list of effects. For this purpose
use the command Filter –> AKVIS –> Sketch in Adobe Photoshop; the menu item Effects –> Plugins –> AKVIS –> Sketch if you work
with Paint Shop Pro; or Effects –> AKVIS –> Sketch if you use Corel PHOTO-PAINT.
• 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.
Pic. 1 shows the interface of AKVIS Sketch under
Windows.
Pic. 1.
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Workspace
• The button (only in the standalone version) opens an image for processing.
• The button (only in the standalone version) saves image to the disk.
• 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 / 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 hotkey for the command is Ctrl+Z ( +Z on Macintosh).
• The button returns the last cancelled operation. It is possible to return several operations in a row. The hotkey for the command is
Ctrl+Y ( +Y on Macintosh).
• The button starts conversion of the original image into a pencil sketch with the current parameter settings.
• The button (only in the plugin version) applies the result to the image and closes the program window of AKVIS Sketch.
• The button calls the Preferences dialog box for changing the program's options.
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Workspace
Тo the left of the Image Window there is a Toolbar with the following buttons:
When one of these tools is selected its parameters will appear in the Settings Panel or in a window that pops up after right clicking on the
tool.
Navigate and scale the image using the Navigation window (Pic. 2). In the Navigation window you can see the reduced copy of the image.
The red 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 Navigation window.
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.
Pic. 2.
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.
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Workspace
Under the Navigation window there is a Settings Panel with tabs: Sketch, Background, Text and Canvas.
On the Sketch tab you can adjust the settings for photo-to-sketch conversion.
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 painting.
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.
Under the Settings Panel you can see hints: a brief description of AKVIS Sketch (the first time you launch it) or the description of the
parameter that was used last.
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How It Works
How It Works
AKVIS Sketch can work independently as a standalone program and as a plug-in to a
photo editor.
In order to turn a photo into a pencil sketch with AKVIS Sketch follow the instructions:
1. Run the standalone edition of AKVIS Sketch or open your photo editor (if you
work with the plugin version of AKVIS Sketch).
2. Open an image (Pic. 1).
- 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+О (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
Pic. 1.
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How It Works
3. In plug-in version only: call the AKVIS Sketch plugin select the menu item Filter
-> AKVIS –> Sketch in Adobe Photoshop; in Paint Shop Pro select the menu
item Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> Sketch; in Corel PHOTO-PAINT select
the menu item Effects –> AKVIS –> Sketch.
4. Once the program is open, the 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 and Canvas 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 Pic. 2.
preview window disappears after image processing starts and appears again when
a parameter in the Settings panel is changed (Pic. 2). To compare the converted
sample with the original photo, left-click on the image in the preview area.
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Pic. 3.
How It Works
6. Press the button to convert the original photo into a pencil drawing with the new settings.
You can observe the processing in real-time. To interrupt the process, press the Esc key or click on the button Stop right to the
Progress bar. Adjust the settings and start the processing again.
7. In Home Deluxe and Business versions of Sketch there is a function that defines the direction of the applied strokes. To edit the
"guiding lines" use the buttons and (remove/restore the last drawn line) and the following tools:
• 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 whole image, click on the button .
Parameters of the tool can be ajusted on the Settings Panel in the Direction tab.
• Eraser . Use this tool to erase the lines. The size of the tool can be adjusted with the parameter Brush Size (1-300) on the
Settings Panel.
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.
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 .
10. 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.
11. 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.
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How It Works
12. The standalone edition of AKVIS Sketch allows printing the image. For this purpose press the button , adjust print settings in the
Print dialog box (Pic. 4) and press the button Print.
The left part of the Print dialog box is the preview area where the current position of the image on the page is shown. On the right side
of the dialog window the following print settings can be adjusted:
• Printer. If your computer is connected to a local network with many printers or if it is connected to many output devices itself, you
will need to choose one of the available printers to print your image. Choose the desired print resolution from the Print Resolution
drop-down list. The available choices will be based on those available for the printer you have chosen.
• Orientation of the printed image. There are two types of orientation available - Album and Portrait. Album corresponds to the
horizontal page orientation (width is greater than height), while Portrait - corresponds to the vertical orientation of the paper.
• Print Size. To change the size of the printed image, adjust the parameters Scale, Width, Height and Fit to Page. These
parameters have no effect on the image itself, just on the printed version. You can change the size of the printed image by entering
any value in % (any value less than 100% will result in a smaller print size, and any value larger than 100% - will result in a larger
print size), or by entering new values in Width and Height. If you want the size of the image to be adjusted to the paper size, then
just select Fit to Page.
• Move To. Choose the position of the image on the page by clicking on one of the nine green arrows. The size of the printed image
and its orientation can also be selected manually. A frame with markers is displayed around the image in the preview window. To
change the size of the image move the cursor to one of the corner markers or to a side (the cursor changes in shape to a double
sided arrow) and drag the marker or side. To change the position of the image on the page, bring the cursor over the image, press
the left mouse button, and move the cursor.
Clicking the Page Setup button opens a dialog window
in which you can choose the size of the paper and its
orientation, as well as the print margins.
To print an image with the chosen parameters, press
the Print button. To cancel and close the printing
dialog window press the Cancel button.
13. Close the program AKVIS.
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Pic. 4.
Make a Sketch from a Photo
in the Quick Preview window. To convert the whole image, press the button or
click on the After tab.
Effects:
Watercolor. The Watercolor effect allows creating watercolor drawings. The 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.
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Watercolor = 10
Make a Sketch from a Photo
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.
Coloration. The effect allows adding color to a drawing provided the original image contained color information. By default the value is set to
0, which corresponds to a graphite pencil sketch. 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 like a water color drawing. The parameter Coloration
accepts values between 0 and 100. The default value is 0; it means that the pencil sketch is not mixed with the original image. As you move
the slider to the right the drawing acquires colors from the original image.
Charcoal = 7 Coloration = 40
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Make a Sketch from a Photo
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".
Angle. The 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.
Size. The 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 edges.
Size = 5 Size = 9
21
Make a Sketch from a Photo
Min Length/Max Length. The 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 gets darker. If you increase
the value of the minimum length, the number of strokes reduces (the strokes shorter than the set minimum do not get drawn). Visually the
image gets lighter and neater. If you increase the maximum length, the hatching gets less uniform. The higher the value of the parameter, the
longer strokes can be drawn on the picture. However, a too high value may worsen the precision of the hatching.
Midtones Hatching. The parameter defines the level of hatching in the midtone areas. If you want to reduce hatching move the slider to the
left.
Sharpen. The parameter regulates the sharpness of the objects' edges on an image. The lower the parameter, the more edges are defined by
hatching rather than by lines. If you want to emphasize the edges, increase the value of the parameter.
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Make a Sketch from a Photo
Edges tab:
This tab contains parameters that affect how edges are drawn.
Edge Strength (0-100). 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
24
Edge Strength = 50
Make a Sketch from a Photo
Edge Width. This parameter defines the thickness of the outlines. At higher values of this parameter the edges will be drawn by
thicker lines.
Direction tab:
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.
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Make a Sketch from a Photo
27
Check-Box Activated Check-Box Deactivated
Background Tab
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.
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Background Tab
• 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:
o Erase all lines (both guiding lines and zone lines of the background effects);
o Erase only guiding lines (direction of the strokes);
o Erase only zone lines (background effects).
Adjust the size of the pencils and of the Eraser tool using the Brush Size parameter in the Settings Panel.
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Drawn strokes The result of processing in the Sketch&Photo tab
Background Tab
Note: If only blue strokes or no strokes are drawn, the image remains a drawing. If only
red strokes are drawn, the image will be restored to its original state (the input
image).
Attention! During the processing you will see that the whole image (regardless of the
drawn strokes) 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 Background tab.
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 Pencil check-box is enabled in the Sketch tab.
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Background Tab
Radius = 3 Radius = 8
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Background Tab
• The Motion method. This blur method imitates the straight line
motion of a camera.
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.
Reach. The parameter defines the zone of effect application in pixels
(relative to every point of the image).
Motion Blur
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Background Tab
• 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.
Zoom. This mode creates blurring directed away from the center.
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Background Tab
The rotation angle in Spin mode and the effect application area in Zoom mode
are adjusted with the Amount parameter.
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.
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Background Tab
• 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.
In this mode the Grayscale check-box can be applied.
36
Background Tab
• Blur Sketch. In this mode the whole image is converted to a drawing, but the
green areas are also blurred.
37
Text
Text
Use the Text tab to add an inscription or a signature to your pencil sketch (Pic. 1).
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.
o The fall-down list Family contains a set of system fonts that can be used
when typing the text.
o The Size parameter (10-100) sets the size of the characters.
o The Stretch parameter (50%-200%) allows tightening or stretching the
text by changing the character interval.
o The buttons I and B apply the italic and bold fonts accordingly.
• Color.
o 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 Color dialog box.
o 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 box. To delete a color and clear the color plate, right-click on
it. Pic. 1.
o The Glow (0-10) parameter sets the glow strength that is the width and
the brightness of the outline.
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Text
• Location.
o Use the 8 green arrows to define the position of the inscription. You can
move the text to any side and align it with the diagonal arrows (Pic. 2).
39
Imitate Sketch Drawing on a Canvas
The check-box "Use Canvas" is disabled The check-box "Use Canvas" is enabled
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Imitate Sketch Drawing on a Canvas
The canvas is generated by reproduction of the chosen texture. There are the following
parameters of texture generation and application:
Adjustment of Texture Properties:
• Texture (Pic. 1). 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.
Pic. 1.
It is possible to use your own texture. For this purpose create and save a
pattern into a folder on your computer. The pattern can be square or
rectangular and must be saved as a JPEG, BMP, TIFF or PNG file.
To load a texture into AKVIS Sketch, open the Texture Library, click on and
select a texture in the Select user texture dialog box.
To return to the Settings Panel without selecting any texture click on Pic. 2.
(Pic. 2).
• Scale. The 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 is the pattern.
• There 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.
Reflection. When this option is selected, the canvas is generated by
repetition of the given pattern. The difference from the Repetition mode is
that the ends of the patterns are joined at mirror reflection.
Repetition Reflection
42
Imitate Sketch Drawing on a Canvas
The check-box Alignment helps when the initial texture has an uneven
pattern. If we apply the texture as it is, we will see texture joins. To avoid
it, we should activate the option Alignment.
Pic. 2.
43
Imitate Sketch Drawing on a Canvas
• Brightness. The parameter allows changing 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 is the texture. As a result, the output image
gets lighter.
Brightness = 10 Brightness = 90
• Embossment. The parameter allows embossing the texture. 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 gets more prominent.
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Embossment = 25 Embossment = 150
Imitate Sketch Drawing on a Canvas
• Reveal Texture. The parameter defines to what extent the texture 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. The higher value of
the parameter also increases the influence of the Brightness parameter and the texture contrast.
• Distortion. The parameter defines the clearness 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 is the image.
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Distortion = 0 Distortion = 30
Working With Presets
Pic. 1.
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:
The button imports presets from a file. To import presets from a file follow these
steps:
If you use and older version of AKVIS Sketch (up to and including Version 8.6) presets
saved under that version will appear in the list when the old algorithm is selected. The
old algorithm can be selected in the Preferences window.
Presets used with the older algorithm can be exported and imported. When these older
presets are imported the program automatically switches to the algorithm.
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Program Preferences
Program Preferences
The Preferences dialog box looks like this (Pic. 1).
Program Language. Change the language by selecting another from the drop-down
list.
The Preview Window size. Choose the desired value of the parameter. The size of
Preview Window can have values from 200х200 to 700х700 pixels.
Processing Size Limit. The image processing is a very time-consuming operation.
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.
Pic. 1.
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Program Preferences
Use old Sketch Algorithm. When the check-box is enabled, the image
in the Sketch is processed using the algorithm from the early
versions of the program (including version 8.6).
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Pencil Sketch
Pencil Sketch
For the first illustration of how AKVIS Sketch works we have chosen a simple picture: a
flower in the foreground and a blurred background without any clear details (Pic. 1).
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Pic. 1.
Pencil Sketch
1. Open the image with your photo editor and call the plug-in AKVIS Sketch. Press
the button to process the photo with the default settings. The image will turn
into a pencil sketch (Pic. 2).
2. Reduce the value of the parameter Size to make the strokes thinner and harder
(Pic. 3).
As you change the value of a parameter press the button to process the photo
with the new settings and see what influence the adjusted parameter has on the
drawing.
Pic. 2. Pic. 3.
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Pencil Sketch
3. The parameter Angle sets the pitch angle of the strokes when hatching a uniform
area. On this picture the background is uniform and we can notice that the
strokes are drawn 45 degree to the right. Let's change the pitch angle in such a
way that the strokes in the background had the same angle as the tulip. We set
the parameter Angle to 135 (Pic. 4).
4. Now reduce the value of the parameter Midtones Intensity to 1 to make the
background less bright (Pic. 5).
5. Press the button to apply the conversion result to the image and close the
program.
Pic. 4. Pic. 5.
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Color Sketch
Color Sketch
By default AKVIS Sketch converts any image into a black and white pencil sketch. But if
the original photo is colored, it is possible to add color from the original image to the
pencil drawing.
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Pic. 1.
Color Sketch
3. Press the button to convert the photo into a pencil sketch with the default
settings (Pic. 2).
4. Reduce the value of the parameter Size to make the lines thinner and harder.
Reduce the value of the parameter Midtones Intensity to reduce the intensity of
hatching in the uniform light areas of the picture (i. e. the sky) (Pic. 3).
Pic. 2. Pic. 3.
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Color Sketch
5. Let's add color to our pencil drawing by increasing the value of the parameter
Coloration to 70 (Pic. 4).
6. Press the button to apply the result to the image and close the program.
Pic. 4.
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Transformation of a Video into a Cartoon
Pic. 1.
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Transformation of a Video into a Cartoon
5. Open Actions palette and click the Create New Set button. In the appeared
window set a name for the new set of actions, for example, Film (Pic. 2).
6. Let us press the Create New Action button in the bottom of the palette. In the
appearing window set the action name, for example Sketch film (Pic. 3).
Press Record button, the recording of the action will start (Pic. 4).
7. The video is taken with the photo camera and the quality is much to be desired.
Before calling the AKVIS Sketch plug-in, we deleted noise from the image with
AKVIS Noise Buster. Call the plug-in and set the noise-reduction settings. Let us
Pic. 2.
Pic. 3. Pic. 4.
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Transformation of a Video into a Cartoon
8. Call AKVIS Sketch and select image settings for a pencil drawing conversion
Pic. 6.
Pic. 5.
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Transformation of a Video into a Cartoon
13. In the appearing Batch folder assign all the data and settings (Pic. 7).
Pic. 7.
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Self-Expression: Sketch In A Minute
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Pic. 1.
Self-Expression: Sketch In A Minute
2. Leave the preset's settings unchanged and click on the check box next to Color
Pencil in the Settings Panel. Press the button to process the image (Pic. 2).
3. To use a Gaussian blur effect, click on the Background tab, choose Sketch &
Blur mode from the drop-down menu, and the Drawing on Blur processing
method.
Use the blue pencil (Effect Area Tool) to mark areas in the image that will
remain unchanged. Use the Green pencil (Blur Area Tool) to indicate the area
to be blurred (Pic. 3).
Pic. 2.
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Pic. 3.
Self-Expression: Sketch In A Minute
4. Process the image again by pressing the button. The sketch begins to be
revealed. Processing can be stopped at any time by pressing Esc - this will
prevent undesired details from being added to the image (Pic. 4).
Pic. 5.
Pic. 4.
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Shiny Apple: An Artist's Touch
1. Open the image in the graphics editor with the menu command File -> Open
(Pic. 1).
Pic. 1.
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Shiny Apple: An Artist's Touch
2. Call the plugin Filter -> AKVIS -> Sketch. In the preview window you can
see how a part of the photo would be processed with the AKVIS Default
preset. To process the entire image press the button (Pic. 2).
3. Adjust the settings to make strokes clearer and more expressive:
Charcoal = 2;
Min Length/Max Length = 5/13;
Midtones Intensity = 6.
Pic. 2. Pic. 3.
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Shiny Apple: An Artist's Touch
4. The uniform strokes across the image do not look very realistic. To make the
strokes follow the contours of the object, activate the tool and draw a few
guiding lines. Change the parameter Zone of Influence to 76, so that more
strokes will follow the guiding lines.
Press the button. The result differs from the one received in Step 3:
Pic. 4. Pic. 5.
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Shiny Apple: An Artist's Touch
5. Note that small defects were formed over the smooth surface of the apple where
there were spots.
Before After
It's possible to make these defects less noticeable using the features of
the program.
Pic. 6.
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Shiny Apple: An Artist's Touch
The second method: use the blur tools. Usually these are used to create an
effect, but here they can be used to correct a defect.
Switch to the Background tab and choose Sketch & Blur from the drop-
down menu, the processing method Drawing on Blur, and the Gaussian
blurring method.
Use the blue pencil (Effect Area Tool) to indicate the area that will not
be blurred. Use the green pencil (Blur Area Tool) to mark the area with
defects - they will be blurred before the photo is converted into a drawing
(Pic. 7).
Pic. 7. Pic. 8. 67
Shiny Apple: An Artist's Touch
6. Press the button, to apply the changes to the image. The plugin's window
closes, and the processed image will appear in the graphics editor.
Finally, the image needs to be brighter. To do this, make a copy of the image by
choosing Layer -> Duplicate Layer. Apply the Linear Burn blend mode to the
top layer in the Layers palette, set the Opacity to 30% and choose the command
Layer -> Flatten Image. Result is here (Pic. 9).
Pic. 9.
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