AKVIS Retoucher 3.5

Introduction

Retoucher is a Photoshop-compatible plug-in that removes dust, scratches, stains, etc. from old and damaged photos. It also lets you remove date stamps that some cameras add to photographs. In addition, it also reconstructs missing parts of a photo using the information of the surrounding areas. Retoucher works automatically, and you only need to indicate areas to be restored. The rest of the process is taken care by the plug-in. The resultant image surfaces become smooth with fewer scratches.

AKVIS Retoucher is a new version of the same plug-in that we have reviewed in the past.

Retoucher is from AKVIS, a company based in Russia that specializes in graphics programs and scientific research. Apart from Retoucher, AKVIS also creates other Photoshop-compatible programs like Chameleon, ArtSuite, ArtWork, Coloriage, Enhancer, etc.

You can download a free 10-day trial version of Retoucher from the AKVIS site.

My contact at AKVIS for this review was Katerina Kharina. Thank you, Katerina.

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How To Use

Follow these steps to use AKVIS Retoucher:

1. Open any image in an image editor such as Adobe Photoshop.
2. Now select all the scratches or any other damaged areas. Figure 1, shows selection made on a picture.
3. 
   Figure 1: Damage area selected

Quick Mask Mode

The easiest way to do that is to get into Quick Mask mode and paint over the required areas. Learn more about selection tools of Adobe Photoshop.
3. Choose the Filter | AKVIS | Retoucher option, as shown in Figure 2, below.
4. 
   Figure 2: AKVIS Retoucher



4. Doing so opens the AKVIS Retoucher interface, as shown in Figure 3, below. Note that the selection of damaged areas is highlighted in red.
5. 
   Figure 3: AKVIS Retoucher Interface
5. Click the Wrench icon, which opens the Options dialog box as you can see in Figure 4, below. Here you can make changes as required.
6. 
   Figure 4: Options
6. Start the photo restoration process within the plug-in by pressing the Run icon (see icon below).
7. This creates a preview of the image. Apply the result to the image by pressing the Apply icon (see icon below) to return to the image editor.

Here's a Before and After sample

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Specifications

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