Akvis Software has released version 10 of AKVIS Sketch for Windows and Macintosh. The software converts photos to colour and black-and-white pencil drawings and watercolor paintings. Version 10.0 has a new tool – Stroke Direction, which makes the effect of a hand-drawn sketch yet more realistic thanks to the ultimate control over the hatch direction. New presets have been added, the Preview Window improved and other features made available. The program is now compatible with Windows 7 and Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6). The plug-in version also works with Photoshop CS 4 64 bit and PhotoShop Elements 8. AKVIS Sketch Home Licence (plugin or standalone) sells for $72 or €55, downloadable from http://akvis.com. The upgrade for the users of version 9 is free