AKVIS Charcoal is an image editor that provides you with an easy way to transform your favorite pictures into stunning works of art. This application gives you access to a visual effect that turns photos into charcoal drawings and lets you export or print the final pictures with just a few clicks.
You can import a single image or a folder containing dozens of pictures. The program lets you choose from various output profiles or create your own by adjusting Simplicity, Stroke Thickness, Stroke Density or Smoothing levels. You can save the resulted output profile in case you need to reuse it on a different set of input files.
Another advantage is that the utility lets you check every step of the conversion from plain image to charcoal drawing. The application takes snapshots while altering the picture and allows you to choose the preferred drawing.
My only problem with this image editor is the fact that it supports only 4 output formats: JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and BMP. However, it lets you import a wide variety of image formats, like JPEG, CR2, RW2, RAW, ORF, NEF, PEF, DNG, MOS, PNG, CRW, and many others.
Even though AKVIS Charcoal provides you with quality output files and is very simple to use, I still think you can find better and cheaper solutions for transforming photos into charcoal drawings. For instance, you can try GIMP, an image editor that comes without a price tag, gives you access to more photo altering options, and supports a wide variety of photo formats.
