AKVIS Refocus can help you fix out-of-focus images. Moreover, the tool can apply artistic effects to any kind of photographs. If you have any experience using other products by the same developer, you will probably find it extremely easy to use this one. Luckily for beginners, the program´s interface responds perfectly to its workflow, so it is easy to find your way around. In addition, the tool comes with some features that certainly save a lot of time and effort. Such is the case of batch processing, which allows enhancing multiple photographs in a row. Likewise, it is possible to use presets, which you can create and save for further use.
Luckily, the program lets you select specific areas within the photographs. It supports working with various effects. The main of these is Refocus, which gives a name to the product. Although the most skeptical people would certainly say it is impossible to rectify a photograph’s focus once it has been taken, this tool at least makes a try and sometimes succeeds in this purpose. With an intelligent algorithm that increases pixel contrast according to other neighboring pixels, AKVIS Refocus manages to make edges look sharper. It even has a variation called selective focus, which you can use for portraits and close-ups.
There is also the Tilt-Shift mode, which is meant to leave a sharp strip in the photo. This way, the edges appear blurred. This is usually used to make a photo of a city look like an architectural model or sketch. Iris Blur, in turn, keeps the foreground object while blurring the rest of the image. As to Motion Blur, this effect simulates movement even when the original objects were motionless. Finally, you can use Radial Blur to create a circular blurring and it has two additional options: Zoom Blur, which creates the illusion that the image is moving toward to the viewers or away from them; and Spin Blur, which makes the object appear as spinning.
In general, AKVIS Refocus usually does a fine job. Yet, much of the success of the work depends on the user’s skills and good taste. The product is available as a standalone program or a plugin compatible with Corel Paint Shop, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Elements. There are three editions with different features and prices: Home, Home Deluxe, and Business. Fortunately, they all can be tried for 10 days at no cost.
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