How To Use The Program

AKVIS Pastel lets you transform a photograph into a pastel artwork. The software can be used independently as a standalone program or as a plugin filter in a photo editor.

To create a pastel painting from your photo, follow these instructions:

• Step 1. Open an image.

  - 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 program or if you click on then on . Use the hot-keys: Ctrl+O on Windows, ⌘+O on Mac. You can also drag the required image into the workspace of the program.
  The standalone program supports JPEG, RAW, PNG, BMP, and TIFF file formats.

  - If you work with the plugin:

  Open an image in your photo editor by calling the command File -> Open.

  Call the plugin from the menu of the editor:

  in Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements - Filter -> AKVIS -> Pastel;
  in Corel PaintShop Pro - Effects –> Plugins -> AKVIS –> Pastel;
  in Corel Photo-Paint - Effects -> AKVIS -> Pastel.

  
  AKVIS Pastel Window

• Step 2. In the standalone version, before applying the pastel effect, you can cut off unwanted areas of the picture and improve its composition with the Crop tool .
  If you use the plugin, you can do this in your image editor.
  
  Crop Tool
• Step 3. Adjust the pastel effect settings in the Painting tab.

  Using the Abstract Art tab you can change the shape and color of objects, giving them a unique and fantastic look.

  You can choose one of the Presets or set the parameters to your liking.

  The result will be immediately shown in the quick preview window which is visible in the Before tab if the button in the Toolbar is pressed.

  
  Preview Window
• Step 4. Press the button to convert the entire image into a pastel painting with the selected settings. To interrupt the process, click on the Stop button right to the progress bar.

• Step 5. For the advanced licenses (Home Deluxe/Business), it is possible to improve the result of the automatic conversion using the Stroke Direction tool that helps to change the direction of the strokes.

  Draw guiding lines and click on to re-process the image.

  Automatic Strokes	Guiding Lines	Reoriented Strokes

• Step 6. To make your work of art even more realistic and truly impressive, you can use the Decoration options: Canvas, Frame, and Text.

  Hint: The order of the application of the decoration effects depends on the position of the tabs. Drag the tabs to change the order.

  
  Pastel Painting + Canvas + Text
• Step 7. If you like your new settings, you can save them as a preset and use them later. Type a name for the preset into the Presets field and press Save. When a new preset is created, it will be available in all three tabs and will contain their settings.
• Step 8. Using the Timeline feature you can get variations of your pastel drawing without adjusting the effect settings. If you like some semi-processed image more than your final result, click on it to choose. The selected shot will be shown in the After tab, as a result.

  If you want to get back to your final result, click on the last shot in the Timeline list.

  Note: This feature is only available for the Home Deluxe and Business licenses.

  
  Timeline Shots

  You can set the number of the shots in the Preferences dialog box.

• Step 9. You can put the finishing touches to your pastel painting with the Post-Processing Tools , , , available under the Home Deluxe/Business licenses, in the After tab.

  Attention! Use these tools at the final step. If you run the processing again, the changes made with the tools will be lost!

• Step 10. Share your work of art by clicking on . It opens the list of the services where you can publish the image: Twitter, Flickr, Google+, Dropbox.

  In the standalone version, you can also print your pastel painting with .

• Step 11. Save the processed image.

  - If you work with the standalone edition:

  Click on then on to open the Save As dialog box. You can use the hot-keys: Ctrl+S on Windows, ⌘+S on Mac. Enter a name for the file, choose the format (TIFF, BMP, JPEG or PNG) and indicate the target folder.

  - If you work with the plugin:

  Press the button to apply the result and close the plugin window. The AKVIS Pastel plugin will close and the picture will appear in the workspace of the photo editor.

  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.

  
  Pastel from Photo