AKVIS Sketch

AKVIS Sketch
AKVIS Sketch is software for conversion of photos into pencil sketches and watercolor drawings.
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 allows creating realistic color and B&W drawings that imitate the technique of graphite and color pencil, charcoal and
watercolor painting.
In contrast to the similar standard filters (like the built-in filters in Photoshop or PSP) that offer only an approximate sketch, AKVIS Sketch
provides a more convincing result; it comes very close to 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 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.
Home users will be delighted by the quick and neat result of the photo-to-sketch conversion. AKVIS Sketch can bring much fun: a pencil
portrait can be a good present for your relatives and friends, a watercolor drawing obtained from your last nature shooting can decorate your
room. On the whole it's a wonderful tool for those who have always wanted to draw but didn't know how.
The program can be helpful to designers who need to quickly bring images to one style for a web-site or an advertisement booklet.

2
Installation under Windows

Installation under Windows

Attention! You must have administrator rights to install the program on your computer.
Attention! Before installing AKVIS Sketch Plug-in, make sure that the photo editor,
where you want to install the plug-in, is closed. If the photo editor was open during the
installation, you should re-launch it.
To install the program you should follow the instruction:
• Start the setup file akvis-sketch-setup.
• Select your language and press the button Next to launch the installation process
(fig. 1).
• To continue the installation process you have to read the License Agreement (fig.
2). Activate the check box "Yes, I agree with all the terms of this license
agreement", and press Next.

Fig. 1. Fig. 2.

3
Installation under Windows

• Select your photo editor(s) from the list and press Next (Fig. 3).
If there is no your photo editor in the list, activate the check box Other Graphics
Software, press the button Browse and choose the Plug-Ins folder of your photo
editor. For example, C:\Program Files\Corel\PhotoPaint\Plugins.
To install the independent version (standalone version) of Sketch, make sure that
the check-box Standalone Edition is activated.
• Choose a folder in the Main menu where you want the program to create shortcuts,
and press Next. To create a shortcut for the program on desktop, activate the
check-box Create Shortcut (fig. 4).

Fig. 3. Fig. 4.

4
Installation under Windows

• The installation is in progress (fig. 5).

• The installation is completed. You can subscribe to the AKVIS Newsletter. Click the
check box and enter your e-mail address (fig. 6).

• Press Finish to exit Setup.

After installation of the standalone version of AKVIS Sketch, you will see a new line in
the Start menu: AKVIS - Sketch and a shortcut on desktop, if during installation the
check-box Create Shortcut was enabled.
After installation of the plug-in version of AKVIS Sketch you will see a new tab in the
Filters (Effects) menu of your photo editor: AKVIS –> Sketch.

Fig. 5. Fig. 6.

5
Installation under Macintosh

Installation under Macintosh

Attention! You must have administrator rights to install the program on your computer.
Attention! Before installing AKVIS Sketch Plug-in, make sure that the photo editor,
where you want to install the plug-in, is closed. If the photo editor was open during the
installation, you should re-launch it.

To install the program you should follow the instruction:

• Open the virtual disk akvis-sketch-setup.dmg. You will see a dialog box with
the License Agreement (fig. 1).
• Read the License Agreement and press Agree, if you agree with the conditions.
• Finder will open with AKVIS Sketch Application and AKVIS Sketch Plug-In
inside. AKVIS Sketch application should be dragged into the folder
Applications, while the AKVIS Sketch Plugin folder should be moved into the
Plugins folder of your graphic editor (fig. 2).
After installation of AKVIS Sketch, you will see a new tab in the Filters (Effects) menu of
your photo editor: AKVIS –> Sketch.

Fig. 1. Fig. 2.

6
Program registration

Program registration
You can buy a license for AKVIS Sketch at the official web-site www.AKVIS.com. 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.
Follow the instructions:
1. Open the window About the program of AKVIS Sketch (fig. 1).
2. Press Register/Buy 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 (fig. 2).
4. Choose an activation method – either through direct connection or by mail. We
Fig. 1.
recommend activating the program through direct connection as it is the most
comfortable way. At this stage of activation your computer must be connected to
Internet.
5. Press the button Register. The registration is completed (fig. 3).

Fig. 2.
Fig. 3. 7
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:
• For Windows 2000/XP/NT/2003:
Choose in Explorer: Documents and Settings -> All Users -> Shared Documents ->
AKVIS
or use file system path: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\AKVIS
• For Windows Vista:
Choose in Explorer: Public -> Public Documents -> AKVIS or use file system path:
C:\Users\Public\Documents\AKVIS
• For Mac OS X:
Put the license file in your Home Directory.

8
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.
To launch the standalone version of AKVIS Sketch follow the following instruction:
• 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.
Figure 1 shows the interface of AKVIS Sketch under Windows; figure 2 shows the interface of AKVIS Sketch under Mac OS X.

9
Fig. 1. Fig. 2.
Workspace

Most part of the Sketch program's window is taken by the Image Window with two tabs - Before and After. The Before window shows the
original image, the After window shows the resulting pencil sketch. Use the Tab key on the keyboard to switch between the windows. To
compare the original and the resulting images you can just left-click on the image in the After tab.
In the upper part of the workspace there is a Toolbar with a status bar and the following buttons:

• The button (only in the standalone version) allows opening an image for processing.

• The button (only in the standalone version) allows saving image to the disk.

• The button (only in the standalone version) allows printing the image.

• The button (only for the Background tab) cancels the last operation with strokes. It is possible to cancel several operations in a
row.
The hotkey for the command is Ctrl+Z (Command+Z on Macintosh).

• The button (only for the Background tab) returns the last cancelled operation. It is possible to return several operations in a row.
The hotkey for the command is Ctrl+Y (Command+Y on Macintosh).

• The button (only for the Background tab) allows showing/hiding the strokes.

• 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 allows calling information about the program.

• The button is designed to call the Help files of the program.

• The button allows selecting the language of the program's interface. To switch to another language, you should left-click the button

and select the required language from the fall-out menu.

• The button allows closing the program window without applying the result.

10
Workspace

Navigate and scale an image using the Navigation window (fig. 3). 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.

You can 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.
Besides, to scroll the image in the Image Window you can press the spacebar in the keyboard
and drag the image with the left mouse button.

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. Fig. 3.

You can also change the image scale by entering a new coefficient into the scale field and pressing the button Enter (Return in Macintosh).

Besides, you can use hot-keys to change the image scale: + and CTRL++ (Command++ in Macintosh) to increase the image scale, - and
CTRL+- (Command+- in Macintosh) to reduce the scale.

One more way to scale the image is to use the buttons and that can be found in the left lower corner of the main window. Use the button
to scale the image into the Image Window. Use the button to scale the image to its actual size (100%).
Under the Navigation window there is a Settings Panel with three tabs: Sketch, Background and Canvas.
In the Sketch tab you can adjust the settings for photo-to-sketch conversion.
In 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.
In 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 favourite settings as a preset to use them in the future. 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 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.

11
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 the plug-in version of AKVIS Sketch
follow the instruction:
1. Open a picture in your photo editor (fig. 1).

2. Call the plug-in AKVIS Sketch. For this purpose in Adobe Photoshop select the
menu item Filter – AKVIS – Sketch; in Paint Shop Pro select the menu item
Effects – Plugins- AKVIS – Sketch; in Corel PHOTO-PAINT - the menu item
Effects – AKVIS – Sketch.

Fig. 1.

12
How It Works

3. Press the button to start the conversion of the original photo into a pencil
sketch with the default settings. It can be the settings of the AKVIS Default
preset or the settings saved by the user as a preset. The resulting pencil sketch will
be shown in the After tab. Switch between the tabs with the Tab key.

To compare the original and the resulting images you can just left-click on the
image in the After tab.

Fig. 2.

13
How It Works

4. Adjust the parameters for the photo-to-sketch conversion.

5. Press the button to convert the original photo into a pencil drawing with the defined settings.
You can observe the processing in real-time. If you decide to change the settings, you can interrupt the process with a click on the Esc
key. Adjust the settings and click on the green button again.

6. If needed, adjust the settings on the Background and Canvas tabs. Click on the button to start the processing.
Note: Every time you change the parameters you need to click on this button to process the image with the new settings.
7. It is possible to save the settings you like as a preset and use them in the future. To save a preset, enter a name for the preset into the
Presets field and press the button Save.
Attention! The presets save only information about the settings in the Sketch and Canvas tabs.
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 fall-out menu and press the button .

8. When you are through with editing, press the button to apply the result to the picture and close the program window.

14
How It Works

In order to turn a photo into a pencil sketch with the standalone version of AKVIS Sketch follow the instruction:
1. Launch the program AKVIS Sketch. You can do it in the following way:
• 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.

2. Open an image for editing (Fig. 1.). For this purpose, press the button and select the required file in the dialog box. The program
supports images in bmp, jpg and png formats.

Fig. 1. 15
How It Works

3. Press the button to start the conversion of the original photo into a pencil
sketch with the default settings. It can be the settings of the AKVIS Default
preset or the settings saved by the user as a preset.
The resulting pencil sketch will be shown in the After tab (Fig. 3.). Switch between
the tabs with the Tab key. To compare the original and the resulting images you
can just left-click on the image in the After tab.

Fig. 3.

16
How It Works

4. If you are not quite satisfied with the result, you can adjust the parameters for the photo-to-sketch conversion, and press the button

.
You can observe the processing in real-time. If you decide to change the settings, you can interrupt the process with a click on the Esc
key. Adjust the settings and click on the green button again.

5. If needed, adjust the settings on the Background and Canvas tabs. Click on the button to start the processing.
Note: Every time you change the parameters you need to click on this button to process the image with the new settings.

6. Save the image. For this purpose press the button and in the Save As dialog box enter a name for the file, set its format (ipeg, bmp
or png) and indicate a folder to which you want to save the file.
7. It is possible to save the settings you like as a preset and use them in the future. 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 fall-out menu and press the button .

8. It is possible to print the image. For this purpose press the button , adjust print settings in the Print dialog box 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, in the right part
of the dialog box the print settings are adjusted:
• The check-boxes Album and Portrait set the page orientation when printing. The check-box Album corresponds to the
horizontal page orientation (width larger than height), the check-box Portrait - to vertical.
• The parameters Scale, Width and Height and the check-box Fit to Page set the printed size of the image. They do not
influence the image itself, only its printed copy. It is possible to change the size of the printed copy by specifying the image scale
in % (any value less than 100% reduces the image, any value over 100% increases it) or by setting new values for width and
height in the corresponding fields. If you just want to fit the image into the page, enable the check-box Fit to Page.
• The image in the preview area has a frame with markers that allow changing the image size manually. Put the mouse cursor to a
corner marker or to one of the sides (the cursor will transform to a two-side arrow) and drag the marker or the side. To change
the position of the image on the page, bring the cursor to the center of the image, press the left mouse button and move the
cursor. Besides, it is possible to define the image position on the page with the parameter Move To by clicking on one of the nine
squares.
If your computer is connected to a local network with several printers or several output devices are connected to this computer, you will
have to choose one of the available printers to do the job. Click Printer Setup in the dialog box Print, select a printer in the opening
dialog box and adjust the printing settings.

9. Close the program AKVIS Sketch by pressing the button .

17
Make a Sketch from a Photo

Make a Sketch from a Photo

In the Sketch tab the settings for photo-to-sketch conversion are adjusted. here are two
parameter fields: Effects and Strokes.
Note: When you change the parameters, you have to press the green button Run
to have the image processed with the new settings. Exception: the Coloration
parameter that allows you to see the changes immediately as you move the slider.
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.

Watercolor = 10 18
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

19
Make a Sketch from a Photo

Strokes:

Color Strokes. 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 Strokes is enabled the check-box Color Strokes is disabled

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.

Angle = 45 Angle = 135 Angle = 90

20
Make a Sketch from a Photo

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
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.

Min Length/Max Length =1/4 Min Length/Max Length =8/16 21

Make a Sketch from a Photo

Midtones Intensity. The 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 - get dim and blurred. As you move the slider to the right the midtone strokes get thicker and more
intensive.

Midtones Intensity = 1 Midtones Intensity = 10

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.

Midtones Hatching = 1 Midtones Hatching = 100

22
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.

Sharpen = 0 Sharpen = 100

23
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.

The result of processing in the Sketch tab

24
Background Tab

Sketch&Photo
In this mode you can get a blend of a drawing and a picture - only the defined parts of the image will be converted into a drawing.
When this mode is enabled, the following tools appear on the Toolbar, on the left of the Image Window. These tools define, which areas will
be converted to a drawing, and which not:

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

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

• The Eraser tool . Use this tool to edit the strokes and outlines drawn by the pencils.
Adjust the size of the pencils and of the Eraser tool using the Brush Size parameter in the Settings.

Drawn strokes The result of processing in the Sketch&Photo tab

25
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 Strokes check-box is enabled in the Sketch tab.

the Grayscale check-box is disabled

the Grayscale check-box is enabled

26
Background Tab

Sketch&Blur
In this mode it is possible to blur the defined parts of the image. In the Toolbar you will

find the following tools: Effect Area , Eraser , and Blur Tool . The latter is
used to define the areas that must be blurred.
Select a Blur Method that will be used in image processing and adjust the parameters:
• Gaussian Blur. When this method is selected, the program recalculates the color
components (red, blue, and green) for every point of the image, taking into
account the corresponding values of the neighbouring points; as a result the
points change their colors. The calculation is based on the Gaussian distribution
and is named after it. In this way the values of the color components are
averaged and the contrast between them weakens. The sharp borders are blurred
without general lightening or darkening. The image gets dim, «cloudy».
The Radius parameter allows adjusting the strength of the effect application. It
defines to what extent a point influences on the neighbouring points when its
color components are being recalculated. At low values only the adjacent points
will be changed. Every point will undergo a slight change, but the blurring will be Gaussian Blur
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

27
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

Angle = 45, Reach = 10, Reach = 30,

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

28
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.

Radial Spin Blur Radial Zoom Blur

29
Background Tab

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

Amount = 20, Amount = 40,

Spin Blur Spin Blur

Amount = 20, Amount = 50,

Zoom Blur Zoom Blur
30
Background Tab

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

31
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.

Gaussian Blur Motion Blur

Radial Spin Blur

Radial Zoom Blur

32
Background Tab

• 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

33
Imitate Sketch Drawing on a Canvas

Imitate Sketch Drawing on a Canvas

AKVIS Sketch does not only offer photo-to-sketch conversion, but it also allows
imitatating a drawing on a canvas or any other uneven surface, such as corrugated paper,
brick wall, metallic or ceramic coating, etc.
To use this option, adjust the settings in the Canvas tab.
By default the parameters of the tab are disabled and the sketch comes out as
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

34
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 (Fig. 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.
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 jpg, bmp 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. Fig. 1

To return to the Texture Library without selecting any texture click on .

• 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.

Scale = 70% Scale = 150%

35
Imitate Sketch Drawing on a Canvas

• 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.

the check-box "Repetition" is enabled the check-box "Reflection" is enabled

36
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 check-box Texture Alignment.

the check-box "Alignment" is other check-box is enabled

enabled

Adjust the parameters of texture application:

• Light Source (Fig. 2). 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.

Fig. 2

37
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.

Embossment = 25 Embossment = 150 38

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.

Reveal Texture = 20 Reveal Texture = 35

• 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.

Distortion = 0 Distortion = 30
39
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 (fig. 1).

Fig. 1

40
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 (fig. 2).

2. Reduce the value of the parameter Size to make the strokes thinner and harder
(fig. 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.

Fig. 2 Fig. 3

41
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 (fig. 4).

4. Now reduce the value of the parameter Midtones Intensity to 1 to make the
background less bright (fig. 5).

5. Press the button to apply the conversion result to the image and close the
program.

Fig. 4 Fig. 5

42
Graphite Pencil Portrait

Graphite Pencil Portrait

The AKVIS Sketch plugin allows converting any photo into a pencil sketch. The most
popular subject for a sketch is a person. You can often see street artists offering to draw a
portrait for those who want and showing hand-drawn portraits of celebrities.
A pencil portrait can be a good present for your relatives and friends.

Open a portrait photo with your photo editor (fig. 1). We have chosen a black and white
portrait of John Travolta («Pulp Fiction» 1994, «Get Shorty» 1995, «Broken Arrow»
1996, «Face/Off» 1997, «Swordfish» 2001).

Call the AKVIS Sketch plugin and run it with the default parameters by pressing the

button . The After window will show the resulting pencil sketch (fig. 2).

43
Fig. 1 Fig. 2
Graphite Pencil Portrait

Adjust the plugin's settings:

1. Increase the value of Size in the Strokes field on 1 unit. The strokes on the
drawing will get wider and blurred on edges (fig. 3).

2. Set the parameter Watercolor to 30. As a result the hard strokes on the face,
hand and the background turn into light shadows (fig. 4).

3. Reduce the value of the parameter Midtones Hatching from 100 to 85 to make
the hatching of the light areas of the portrait (the face, the hand and the
background) less pronounced (fig. 5).

Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5

44
Graphite Pencil Portrait

4. Increase the value of the parameter Sharpen to sharpen the contours as the
portrait is a bit too blurred (fig. 6).

5. Apply the result by pressing the button in the plugin's window (fig. 7).

Fig. 6 Fig. 7

45
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.
1. Open a color photo in your photo editor (fig. 1).

2. Call the plug-in AKVIS Sketch. For this purpose in Adobe Photoshop select the
menu item Filter – AKVIS – Sketch; in Paint Shop Pro select the menu item
Effects – Plugins- AKVIS – Sketch; in Corel PHOTO-PAINT - the menu item
Effects – AKVIS – Sketch.

3. Press the button to convert the photo into a pencil sketch with the default
settings (fig. 2).

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

46
Color Sketch

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) (fig. 3).

5. Let's add color to our pencil drawing by increasing the value of the parameter
Coloration to 70 (fig. 4).

6. Press the button to apply the result to the image and close the program.

Fig. 3 Fig. 4

47
Watercolor Drawing

Watercolor Drawing
To imitate a watercolor drawing with the plug-in AKVIS Sketch we have chosen a portrait
(fig. 1).

1. Open the photo with a photo editor and call the AKVIS Sketch plug-in.

Press the button to convert the original photo into a pencil drawing. The
conversion will be made with the default settings (fig. 2).

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

48
Watercolor Drawing

2. Reduce the value of the parameters Size and Midtones Intensity, then press the

button . As a result the details will be drawn in finer strokes (which is

especially apparent on the hair), the face and the background get neater (fig. 3).

3. What we have now is a pencil sketch. But our task is to create a watercolor
drawing. Watercolor painting is characterized by light strokes, blurred edges and
transparent colors. It can be done by adjusting the parameter Watercolor in the
Effects field. By default it has the value of 0. The more you increase the value of
the parameter, the more blurred are the strokes and the less is the detail. In this
case we set the parameter to 10 (fig. 4).

Fig. 3 Fig. 4

49
Watercolor Drawing

4. The chin line got blurred, we will restore the precision of the lines by increasing the
value of Size and Sharpen (fig. 5).

5. To add the original colors we move the slider of the Coloration effect to the right,
approximately to 80 (fig. 6).

6. Press the button to apply the result and close the plugin's window.

Fig. 5 Fig. 6

50