AKVIS Sketch

Reviewed by Geetesh Bajaj, September 9th 2006

Introduction

AKVIS Sketch is a plug-in for Photoshop or any image editor from Akvis -- the plug-in converts the selected image into a realistic black & white or color sketch -- or even a watercolor painting.

Sketch is from AKVIS, a company based in Russia that specializes in creating graphics programs and scientific research. Apart from Sketch , AKVIS also creates other Photoshop compatible programs like Enhancer, Retoucher, Chameleon, Stamp, NoiseBuster, etc.

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How To Use

Here's how you can use Sketch:

1. Open an image in an program like Adobe Photoshop.
   
   
2. In Photoshop, choose Filter | Akvis | Sketch -- this will open the Sketch interface that you can see in Figure 1.
   
   
   Figure 1: The AKVIS Sketch interface
   
   
3. The Sketch interface is divided into four areas:
   
   
   1. Navigator to adjust views.
      
      
   2. Effects has watercolor, charcoal and coloration -- use these options to create a a sketch or a watercolor painting of the original image.
      
      
   3. Strokes provides more advanced parameters to manipulate the angle, size, intensity etc. of the strokes.
      
      At the bottom right, there is a button Reset to Default Settings, which reverts all the tweaks you have done on the sliders.
      
      
   4. Preview has two tabs Before and After to compare the image -- it also shows a large preview of the image.
      
      
4. Use Run button to apply the sketch effect with the adjusted parameter settings.
   
   
   
   And to apply the conversion to the entire picture within Photoshop (or another photo editor), click the OK button.
   
   

Here are some before and after samples:

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Specifications

Photoshop Versions:	Photoshop CS2, CS, 7, Elements, and compatible host applications.
Platforms:	Windows, Mac
Site:	Akvis
Price:	Home: US$72 Business: US$94
Trial Version:	Download 10 days trial version of Sketch.

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