AKVIS Sketch for Mac

By AKVIS
Trial version
User Rating

Used AKVIS Sketch for Mac?

AKVIS Sketch Analysis

AI Assisted Content · June 11, 2026

Not written by CNET Staff.

AKVIS Sketch is a versatile multimedia application designed to convert photographs into beautiful pencil and watercolor sketches. This software streamlines the process of image transformation, allowing users to select specific areas of a photo for conversion. With its user-friendly interface, AKVIS Sketch enables quick image processing, delivering impressive results in just a few clicks. Users can further enhance their sketches by adjusting various effects, such as watercolors and charcoal levels, providing a range of creative options to explore.

Top Recommended Alternative

Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5

Trial version

Although the software excels in producing high-quality sketches, it does have limitations. The selection tool is somewhat restricted, allowing only a portion of the image to be converted at one time, which may frustrate users wanting to apply effects to an entire photo. Additionally, the multitude of post-processing controls can be overwhelming for some. Nevertheless, AKVIS Sketch stands out for its capability to create striking pencil sketch effects efficiently.

AKVIS Sketch for Mac

By AKVIS
Trial version
User Rating

Used AKVIS Sketch for Mac?

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Full Specifications

GENERAL

Release: September 16, 2020

Latest update: June 11, 2026

Version: 28.0

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Mac

Also available in:: Windows

Operating System: Mac OS X

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 6,925

Downloads Last Week: 0

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Last Updated

User Reviews

3.3/5

4 User Votes

I have used this for almost 4 years.
DragonWizardNovember 27, 2009
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I started using this back when it was version 3. I used the 10 day trial and posted a bunch of pictures to the different art gallery sites I post to and many people liked the way my artwork looked and I started to tell them what I was using. I then contacted the guys who made it and told them about my pictures and that I had been advertisiing it by way of word of mouth and they asked if I could send some examples of my work and a small tutorial on how I mad the pictures. I did and they gave me a home license so I thought "Hey, that was really cool of them" so I did some more stuff and they gave me a full license for the program. I didn't pay the price and have always thought it was a little steep.. They have updated this a bunch of times and have made a few changes, some I liked, some I found useless for my type of artwork. They continued to honor my license up to Version 9 and then have decided I had enough "FREE" so I would now have to pay to upgrade.. Even though 9 and up has some new features that I think are very nice I still feel the price is too high so I won't be upgrading unless I can get a reduced price as I still tell people all about the plugin.. I must say that the plugin when used in photoshop does seem a little touchy and will either crash or just locks up and won't save but the stand alone has always worked fine for me. I don't work for the company and would never recommend something that I would not use myself so we can kill the talk of me being a shill and as you can see not all of my review is on a positive note (ie. the price and the crashing of the plugin.) this program does however make some of the best sketch and paint simulations of any of the Mac programs I have ever found.. If only it would come down in price and fix the plugin part of this item.. I might be convinced to buy in at 30 or 35 dollars US but not at the high price it has at present.. You would think they would make a lot more money with a lowered price as their sales would probably be a 400% increase with a more reasonable price... I am not upset that they won't give me a free upgrade because they were so good about my license through 6 versions and the changes they made and the increased quality of the end results are worth an upgrade... JUST not at that high a price... so if you are a rich guy and don't care abourt price so much as results I highly recommend this product but if you are an average kind of guy like myself then I am afraid we will both be out of luck....sorry akvis but I had to be honest...
Decent algorithm, poor app implementation
mactester.comSeptember 22, 2009
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />The sketch-processing code seems easy to use and produces very nice results; too bad the app is so poorly packaged. To this user, it screams "not Mac" (goofy un-Mac-like open dialog file chooser, no app menu prefs, and such). I used this app just briefly and was able to crash it very quickly (10.6.1 and 10.5.7). Especially for a single-purpose app, priced at a hefty $72, this Mac user (and software tester) expects much better implementation and testing. I wasn't able to find another stand-alone photo-to-sketch Mac app; perhaps another developer will give this app - poorly implemented and expensive - some competition.
The New Version Is Better Than Ever!
DrSchubertAugust 17, 2009
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I have been using this plugin almost every day since I installed it... and now they made it even better! If you haven't tried Akvis Sketch, you don't know what you are missing. Every Photoshop friend I have has become addicted to the Sketch plugin. The developers listen to the users and keep making it better with each release. Try it, buy it, and thank me later.
Very Buggy
Spiritman1October 7, 2008
Pros
Cons
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.<br />I used Sketch 7 and found that it was very delicate and would crash easily......version 8 does not seem to see Photoshop files and two of the first three jpg's crashed the program....you cannot drag and drop files of the dock icon to open them either.....if it would just not crash it can provide some cool results although not watercolorful enough for me....

Developer’s Description

Convert photos into pencil sketches and watercolor drawings.