AKVIS announces the release of AKVIS Retoucher 4.0 for Windows and Macintosh. AKVIS Retoucher is a multifunctional tool. It can be used for restoring old damaged photographs from family archives by removing dust, scratches, stains, and by reconstructing the missing parts of a photo automatically. It can also be used to improve composition of a photo by removing irrelevant details and even large objects that spoil the impression of a photo. Defects and details are removed automatically, just select them and run the program. The wide variety of capabilities are demonstrated at http://akvis.com/en/retoucher/examples-image-restoration.php The software is also able to reconstruct the missing parts of a photo using the information of the surrounding areas. So you can restore a torn photo or a photo with some parts missing. AKVIS Retoucher is a handy tool for improving the composition of your photos. You can remove date stamps, logos, small irrelevant details (wires, refuse bins, etc). If you need to increase the canvas size (from one side or proportionally) to bring the main object into focus, AKVIS Retoucher will help you to fill the blank areas of the canvas with appropriate image textures. Version 4.0 of Retoucher offers a new algorithm and tools to remove even large objects. If you only need to remove small details, just to select object you want to remove and run the program, for larger and complex objects (people, cars, buildings) you may need to give the program a hint where it should take textures from to fill in the area. This can be done with the new Linear Retouch and Patch tools. The first time you open the program it works in Express mode. In this mode only the necessary tools are shown, so that one does not get lost in the parameters and still can get a good result. It is possible to switch to Advanced mode anytime to have all available parameters at hand. The program is now available in the standalone version. The plugin version is compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS5 64 bit. The software runs on Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/Win7 and on Macintosh Mac OS X 10.4-10.6. The full functional trial version of AKVIS Retoucher is available at http://akvis.com/en/retoucher/ Registered users with a Home license can upgrade to Retoucher 4.0 for free. Only owners of a Business license will need to pay 19 USD to upgrade, but those who purchased Retoucher during July-August 2010 can upgrade for free. AKVIS Retoucher sells for $87 USD, downloadable from http://akvis.com . Home users can enjoy the full line of AKVIS plugins in the AKVIS Alchemy bundle (all 13 plugins) for USD $325 USD. Retoucher is also available in the Restoration bundle which has been expanded and now includes Retoucher, MultiBrush, and Coloriage with the discount of 83 USD.