Camera Lucida App Reviews

App is very good and well written. I’m a beginner so the app helps practice.

This has really helped me with my art projects. I’ve been trying new ideas and am excited to put pencil to paper!

I have been searching for an app to use for my business. I watched the first video and was sold on the app. I am not good on designing cakes and cupcakes cookies....well! Enough said. I didn’t want to invest in the whole thing of drawing on cookies. This works for me. Also I use my iPhone for cookies!

Love love love Camera-Lucida. It is the best tool for helping get perspective correct. I have been able to creat wonderful drawings. Easy to use and the developer is extremely responsive about helping with any issues you have. Best spent money.

I bought this app as a Christmas present for my husband. The app is phenomenal! It allows him to line up the picture he wants to draw from, and lets him get the general placement of what he is drawing, such as the eyes and the shape of the head. We are older, and I must admit, it was a bit confusing at the very first. However, I reached out to the Camera Lucida community I follow on FaceBook, and received the help I needed. Also, the apps developer built in a help section right into the app. It even has the e-mail address of the developer himself. I e-mailed him and he got right back with me. His tips were exactly what we needed to use the app to obtain the desired results. Couldn’t be happier with the app and with their customer service! If you can’t figure out the app, reach out for guidance instead of leaving a negative review.

Amazing!! I can draw! And just go ahead and get the Osmo. Perfect combination.

Excellent powerful application. The author appears to have spent much time and thought making a complicated process easy for us earthlings. It’s not just plug and play — you have to spend some time reading the provided instructions and viewing the videos. I am not an artist and my first pencil drawings drew much of praise from my family and friends. RTFM !

I have been using this app for a few months now and it is wonderful. The ability to use it to make sure perspective is correct and to get things done that took hours before. I cannot say enough good about this app and look forward to any and all updates that maybe in the future that will make it even better. (Which will be hard to do given how awesome it is now.)

I love this app. It does everything I expected it do do and the developer is quick to reply with any questions. It’s worth every penny. Thanks peter.

Terrible. Poor quality. Seems like it was developed by a 5th grader.

I have used this for a long time and it gets better every update. Artists , this is a great resource.

I’ve been using this app for several years and while at first it’s a learning curve, once you get the hang of it it is an awesome tool! It has helped me transfer drawings and fonts onto my Cookies and Cakes. It has saved me a couple hundred dollars, which is the cost of a mini projector. Highly recommended!

I just joined peters Camera Lucinda. Computer technology is hard for me. I was and older introduction to computers and if it was not for people like Peter and his knowledge to teach us and share his special techniques I would have to close the book on my future to learn. Stop crushing my chances to move forward. I am waaaaay to old to go back to school or be chosen for a big money making job. You one star people should be tested. Do not make the mistake to put yourself out there.

I purchased this app before shelling out $150 for a mini projector. Boy, am I glad I did. Does the job at a fraction of the price. Thanks Peter!!!

I rate this app the best in its category. Easy enough to use right after downloading, and plenty of videos on YouTube for in-depth instruction. If that’s not enough, there is also a private FB group that offers plenty of support from both users and the developer of the app. Peter is really helpful and highly responsive. I’d give it 10 stars if I could! 👍

I’m very excited to use this app as I’ve been in a drawing lull for sometime now. I know this app will help me reconnect to my right brain minds eye. It looks extremely easy to use and the video tutorials are perfect! Thank you so much for such an innovative solution for my artistic needs!

I began to paint 2 years ago. I struggled with perspective and was reluctant to branch out due to poor quality of my drawing skills. This app corrected both immediately. It provides proper perspective and gives me the base I need for a good painting. I find that it has even improved my drawing skills when free handing. I love it!

I’m a retired scenic artist from the TV and Motion Picture Industry and this app has shortened the process of creating images where accuracy in likeness is important. I used to do grids, worked with overhead projectors etc. It was just too time consuming Peters app has turned me into a prolific artist.

I love this app for it’s outstanding quality and for the support always available from the developer. This is the best app for getting a drawing done quickly and beautifully.

The best app I have ever used..

This app is incredibly useful for anyone working in traditional media, but using new tools to assist. I love how easy it is to quickly lay out all my proportions and know everything is correct. Being able to use the front camera and correct for any perspective shift has been very helpful, allowing me to more easily work on larger pieces comfortably.

I am a watercolor/colored pencil artist who has always “eyeballed” my drawings for painting. I’m not too bad at it but had to spend long hours getting dimensions and perspectives right on buildings and other mechanical or architectural structures. Recently, I was commissioned for the first time to paint a house which took hours just to draw making my pay next to nothing for the work I put in. I was really pleased with the painting and did another as a gift for a friend. This time I purchased an art projector to make the drawing go faster but the projected image was terrible for detail and again I spent way too much time hand drawing the house. I searched for a faster way to draw these types of images to sell and to give more gifts like these and discovered Camera Lucida. Wow! After watching the training videos and purchasing a $17 iPad bed stand from Amazon to hold the iPad above the canvas, I had a great tool! I finished drawing the third house for painting with every small detail perfect in about an hour and a half instead of five or six hours going back and forth with a small ruler from a blown up photo to my canvas (on an 12x16” piece of watercolor paper). Now I feel like I can make money by spending much less time drawing these. Thank you, Camera Lucida, for such a great tool!

A great learning tool that hearkens back to the methods employed by the masters. A device that helps to open up the joy of art to those of all levels of skill.

Love this app. My drawings are greatly improved and a real time saver. I’ve recommended it to artist friends.

Sublime. Superb quality. Seems like it was designed by Vulcans! It’s a versatile, feature-rich drawing assistant, allowing for many creative possibilities from tracing, compositing, enlargements, and comparisons.

OMG! This app is just what I wanted. I have been using a clunky lightbox to trace art onto my drawing surfaces and it just wasn’t practical for the large size art I want to create, 22”x30” for example. This app makes doing huge art easy and effortless. The developer, Pete, was super helpful in walking me through how to mirror my iPad to my flatscreen and now I am making large art with intricate detail like a master! Thanks Pete for this amazing app and the affordable price. When you release an IPO for this app, I want to invest! Thanks!

I am a professional artist, university level teacher of art, and have found this app to be one of my most significant and helpful tools in creating art for sale and for teaching projects. A great buy! Don’t miss out & get yours today.

Good Golly Miss Molley. I love this app. Love experimenting with things you can do. I was going to buy a Camera Lucia prism, but this is so much more versatile. From just tracing to working with shadows. I built a holder out of cardboard for the iPad it keeps it @12 inches over my work. This app is going to create a serous health problem, I’m staying up till 2-3 am working on drawings, and experimenting with all the features. All I can say is Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. I love it. It has reawakened my love of drawing.

First time trying this app out and it worked beyond my expectations. Well done!

I just purchased the app for use in cookie decorating and so far I couldn’t be more impressed. I don’t have room for a projector so I was thrilled to discover this for my iPhone. It even includes great video tutorials to get you started.

I didn’t know such a thing existed until I came across this app accidentally and now I couldn’t be more excited had I just found a pony under the Christmas tree. This is great!

Great drawing aid. Worth every penny! Wonderful customer support also. Join their FB page for tips.

The best art related app ever! It motivated me to draw again after a decade long pause. It let me rediscover passion for art. Thank you Pete. The best gift I could hope for.

The recent 9.0 updates to this app make it even more useful! Buy the app - you will not be sorry. Join the Facebook group to see all of the great art it makes possible. I do both watercolor painting and relief printing. This app is very useful in getting the image to the paper or directly to the Lino or woodblock. One can do a simple outline or even just indicate points accurately to later be completed by brush or by cutting the plate. It can easily be used to create a complete drawing though this Is not how I use it. It is a very versatile tool with many applications.

I'm not a techie. Not even remotely. So, when I had a question I emailed the developer, Pete. I've never had such awesome customer service and response from an app before. Super helpful and friendly. So nice to see this in today's world. He helped me out and now I'm off to use this app for making cookies. I didn't want to invest in bulky, expensive equipment. Now, why would I?? This is perfect for projecting (or overlaying) the image and tracing it on to my cookie. I'll definitely be passing this app along. Thanks Pete!!

This is a very, very clever idea that has been superbly-translated into an application. Smart, highly-useful features, an intuitive, uncluttered interface, and great support all make this a clear winner.

In 15 minutes I had sketched out my first drawing. I'm in love!

Ever since I purchased the Camera Lucida app four years ago, I have been using it to make pencil drawings onto my painting surface before painting from a digital photograph - no more transfer paper, no more inkjet printer! I've probably saved hundreds of dollars not buying ink. While I am painting, I turn on the posterize feature and refer to it in order to guide my color/value choices - the app helps A LOT to identify the light and dark areas of the photograph. It's also great to zoom in on details, like eyes, and draw them accurately. For most paintings, after making the initial drawing, I do not attempt to paint while looking through the app/ipad - just have it next to me as a reference. Sometimes, however, I do the whole painting using the app, and skip the pencil drawing altogether, especially if I am using pastels. There is a Facebook group for Camera Lucida users, and I've learned a lot of tricks there, including ideas on how to build a stand to support the iPad. I love this app!

OMG! This app is just what I wanted. I have been using a clunky lightbox to trace art onto my drawing surfaces and it just wasn’t practical for the large size art I want to create, 22”x30” for example. This app makes doing huge art easy and effortless. The developer, Pete, was super helpful in walking me through how to mirror my iPad to my flatscreen and now I am making large art with intricate detail like a master! Thanks Pete for this amazing app and the affordable price. When you release an IPO for this app, I want to invest! Thanks!

The app as stated in other reviews is worth every penny. The zoom function that allows you to get into detailed sections of your picture to add more detail to your drawing is phenomenal. As a serious watercolorist, this app has allowed me to reduce my sketching times by at least 4x and sketch subjects I probably wouldn't have tackled before, such as portraits. This program is really a great piece of software and coding by the developer.

This app is wonderful. Easy to use, I am enjoying drawing with it.

I Love this app so much that I switched from a droid to an iPhone just so I could use it! This app is so invaluable to my art business as it helps me to accomplish so much more so much faster rather than having to painstakingly sketch out things constantly. I still have to sketch sometimes on the fly and a life situation but this saves me a lot of time in the studio. It can be used for so many different applications! And a major plus is the support available. Peter the developer is extremely prompt in replying to any questions or concerns with the app.

Every once in a while an app comes along that changes the way you do things in your life... This is one of them!! This app is really a fantastic tool for any artist or aspiring artist. The app is very easy to use and offers a huge arsenal of tools to aid in your own creative journey. I would highly recommend this app to anyone looking to explore their creativity. Whether you are a professional or a hobbits or even if you have ever had a desire to draw give this app a try...you won't be disappointed!

For someone that's new to photography, this app is a lot of fun. Most of my friends are senior citizens and they get a lot of kick out of the photos I send.

If you how to trace, you can use this app and create art.

My daughter loves to draw and this app is helping her get a better artist instinct. Later this week I will have her setup with a complete mobile setup that will work with all our devices so that she can use the app wherever she happens to be without worry of device getting knocked around. Thanks for the app....as we VLOG about it I'm sure we can add many more users.

This app is the reason I will never buy anything other than an iPhone! I've made traditional camera lucidas using mirrors, glass and lens combinations, but the lighting has to be perfect for them to work. You also cannot zoom or apply photo filters with a real camera lucida, but with this app you can. (Finger spread zoom allows you to get serious fine detail and resolution still is very good.) The posterize and levelize commands help you to visualize depth and proper shading. I've been drawing and painting for 39 years (Since I was 1 year old) and I wish I had this app when I started out. Disregard early reviews as the new version has no perceptible lag time. I used to link the app to a laptop using Airserver to record the screen. No more! Now you can record your drawing right from the app and share it with friends on social media. The great Spanish Baroque master Diego Velazquez never sketched any preparatory drawings before painting, and none have ever been found. Yet, he painted very quickly and was able to paint many of his most famous works in a matter of days and they appear photo-realistic. Could it be that Diego had a similar device to the camera lucida like a lens behind a curtain to copy each portrait? I believe due to various mistakes he made like tilting his lens at an angle making portraits with long bodies and small heads reveal he used optical aids. There are also some subtle double image effects in his portrait of Pope Innocent X that reveal he was definitely using some kind of projection device. Who paints double images with just their natural eye? Whatever Velazquez used, it was not as good as an overhead projector we have today, and hundreds of times less powerful and easy to use than the Camera Lucida app. Also, the master Johannes Vermeer in his painting, ‘Girl with a Red Hat’ painted the girl with crisp detail, but the lion bed posts in the foreground were painted slightly blurred. How do you paint things in the foreground closest to your natural eye blurry unless you are using a poor optical aid? I can do it if I half shut my eyes, but I think this proves Vermeer used optics too! The only drawback is that you cannot work on super large works (like greater than 20” X 20”.) What I do if I want to go big is posterize or levelize my photo in the app. I email the snapshots saved from the app to myself. I then make a transparency print at the printer and use an old overhead projector to project as large as I need. But what do you expect, to paint a 5 foot tall painting with your phone? Its a 3 dollar app! It has insane features and well worth the money for normal sized drawings and paintings. This app’s features beat anything I’ve ever seen. When used properly, this is an invaluable secret of the pros that anyone can learn to use even if you have no artistic experience at all. My mom tells me often how poor she is at drawing. I’ve seen her ‘art’, and she’s right its not good. She is a nurse and plays piano, so visual stuff is not that exciting to her. After she used this app, her drawing looked like it was done by a skilled artist. After using this app for several years now, I’ve found it helped me to paint more accurately as drawing with the posterize function helps you to analyze new images in terms of darks and lights. So, amazingly I think this app makes you unconsciously into a better and more accurate artist, even if you go back to the old painting without optics “by eying it” method. If it had 20 stars I’d rate it 20/20. Incredible app that I think every aspiring or professional artist should own.

Camera Lucinda is a fun art tool regardless of your age or skill .it can make an artist out of anyone . It helps you create art with whatever medium you choose because you aren’t drawing on the screen you are drawing on paper or canvas or whatever ! You can draw anything you can take a picture of . It has image processing filters that can simplify the drawing and functions such as posterizing, color reduction, comic book effects,and much more . The developer is passionate about his app and offers great support ! This is my favorite art app and a real bargain .

I love being able to draw pictures from my photos. Really let's you overcome fears if you are, like me, drawing challenged... Have made many lovely pen and ink drawings of some of my favorite photos of my daughter that I put in my journal. It is fun, plus they won't fade over time like photos might (given an archival ink)... I have always wanted to make pen and ink drawings that look good and this has been an absolutely fabulous tool. I just got an Osmo stand and front camera mirror and am looking forward to using it as it seems like it will be more convenient than the standard setup of putting the iPad on a stack of books. I set it up with the Osmo but have yet to actually draw with the Osmo in use. That said, it certainly seems like it will be more convenient to have the iPad and drawing both easily visible while you are drawing, instead of basically 100% looking "through" the iPad. I very, VERY rarely purchase apps (I think this is my second in history) but have absolutely no regrets. It really is a wonderful tool to help ANYONE draw well and I am thrilled!

I've enjoyed using this app as a drawing tool to minimize the parts of the process I don't particularly enjoy and let me concentrate on the parts I do.

I didn't notice the tutorial videos for a while and really didn't understand how to use the app for weeks! Now that I understand how to use it, I see it's quite a clever tool!

This app will allow you to use real physical drawing and painting tools like you've never dreamed possible. All those digital photos you have can now with relative ease be turned into physical works of art in any medium, and on any surface you choose. Don't get me wrong, you still need an understanding of painting and drawing techniques, but with this app you have a shortcut to seeing things as they really are.

I am enjoying this app very much! Also, I had a technical problem when I first installed it and Peter was amazingly quick to respond and help and solve the problem. He even reached out a few days later to make sure it was still working!

This app makes drawing fun, I am learning so much! Cannot wait for the grandkids to try it out. Try it and discover the artist in you.

This is such a great app to learn how to see a like an artist, and practice the principles of drawing. It is addictive and there are so many useful features. And best of all, the creator and customer service is outstanding. Peter welcomes suggestions and is awesome at answering questions. I've only owned the app less than two weeks and I've done some really nice watercolor portrait paintings! I have absolutely no art background and this app is building my confidence and ability.

This app is really getting me back in touch with my love of drawing. When you get so busy with work and everyday life you forget some things you used to enjoy. This app has brought this back to me! Yes I need to practice, and I am enjoying it! Yes, I recommend this app! Thank you!!

I actually make my living as an artist and it is simply the greatest timesaver I have ever found. This saves me about 15 minutes a drawing by allowing me to map out the landmarks of the figure and I know the proportions are right from the get go. I purchased the stand that was recommended in the tutorial and was up and going in five minutes. The ability to zoom in on the reference picture and have it scale on the drawing is brilliant. Get this app you will NOT be disappointed!

I'm so excited about this app....it's a wonderful tool for any artist, no matter your skill level. It's a modern day version of an antiquated invention used by the old masters like Michelangelo and Vermeer to create beautiful art with ease. You will not regret this purchase!

While many artists have commented about the utility of this app, as a novice, I find the app great fun. Basically, if you can trace, you can begin using this app and experimenting with various techniques. I have done some drawings of my grandchildren that really turned out great!

Words can't express how happy I am with this app. I will be using it for cookie decorating for my business. Peter went above and beyond my customer service expectations. He answered every question promptly in a very friendly manner. I highly recommend this app to anyone who is interested in drawing in a fun and new way. And the best part is you don't have to be an artist to use it.

The camera lucid sometimes used by the old masters is a wonderful tool for artists. I just found out about it and already love how it works with my iPhone. I can now quickly capture details and add them to my paintings. Has effects I like to use for color blocking. Good job!

My wife has asked me for twelve years why I stopped drawing, and I never had a good answer. In the month following my purchase of this app, I have drawn more than I have in the past twelve years. Camera Lucida has made me fall in love with drawing again. iTunes has that 15 minute grace period where you can "return" an app, right? I wanted to see what I could accomplish in that 15 minutes, and after a very quick sketch session, I realized that in the short time I had been sketching I had accomplished hours worth of work. This app would be a bargain at twice the price.

I love this app. The other good reviews have said it all, so I won't repeat them. I don't think there could be a better app for an artist's productivity. Easy and intuitive for beginners - do watch the tutorials and join the Camera Lucida Facebook group for inspiration. I can't speak for advanced artists as I am not one, but I'm sure it would be a great tool for anyone.

I've had this app maybe an hour but I'm already absolutely in love with it. It does everything I'd want it to, yet it's very easy to use. So glad I took the chance to buy it! And this review is completely voluntary, by the way. The app didn't even ask me to rate it.

This Lucida app helps me quickly layout drawings that I can finish later, and allows me to work away from the subject in my study.

Bought this app based on a recommendation on a cookie decorating page. This app works great and costs a fraction of what the expensive projectors do!! I was able to project an image onto my cookie and trace! A must have for all cookie decorators!! Thank you camera lucida!!!

This app has been so valuable to me in my custom cookie business. It’s easy to use, and has so many cool applications. Thank you!!!

4 stars for making me retype this review multiple times....having great fun with the ap. I have not been disappointed with its functions, great on its own for sketchbook size, possibilities for bigger art work.

got this app this morning and have been messing with it all day. I never write reviews but this app does what it says and it works like it claims and when you email you get an answer right away. Just get the app and enjoy all sorts of fun and creativity.

This app is an incredible implementation. Well thought out and easy to use. I have cut down my drawing time and increased the quality of my work. I cannot give it more than five stars because Apple won’t let me give it 10. Don’t hesitate — time you spend gridding or free-handing is time you’re wasting.

The earlier version of Camera Lucida was terrific. This new release is a knockout! As much as I love drawing and painting on my iPad, there's nothing like working with real paint, real pencils, and the sensuousness of real paper. You can accelerate your learning by watching the videos, and reading the web site. Be prepared to be surprised. I have recommended this app to several friends who, though interested in art, but were intimidated by the drawing process. Camera Lucida has opened new possibilities for them. I have been drawing and painting for most of my life, and made a living creating on a Mac. I had been frustrated that I could not put the technology to use other than to scan, compose, print, and then project onto a canvas in a totally dark room, flipping the lights on an off to check myself. With Camera Lucida, the path is so much smoother, from concept to completion. This is a brilliant use of the two cameras on iPhones, iPods and iPads. (All except the first generation iPad). It works better than the traditional camera lucida for transferring images to any surface, and truly more functional than my $400 Artograph Super Prism. The light bulb for the Artograph is six dollars! Your source image is viewed on the screen, as you see your working surface through user controllable transparency of the source image. You can zoom in for working with fine detail, and move back and forth with the sliders between different opacities— 100% source image to 100% natural media image, and every degree in between. After a bit of practice, the process will become intuitive to you. It takes a little while for you to tune in to the hand/eye coordination necessary, if you usually draw from life. Secure your drawing surface with tape, raise your iDevice on a stack of books or a solid tripod/device holder, and lock it down so that the iPad doesn't wobble and your drawing doesn't slip. Your image remains aligned with your drawing. This is not as complex as this sounds. The zoom and pan feature boggles my mind. I can zoom in and out, pan to whatever part of the image I want, and continue drawing with the image still aligned. The scale is only limited by your imagination. I have just mirrored this app onto my large screen TV through my Apple TV. This way, I could work with a much larger format. The distance from the iOS device to the drawing surface determines the size of the final piece. This is a one-of-a-kind app, there are no others for for real drawing with iOS, and I have not found an art projector that works as well. It is worth the purchase price, and much more. Bravo to the developer of Camera Lucida, for creating a valuable and original artists' tool! ************************************************************************************ June 7, 2013 Update Great new features added, thank you!

I seem to do fairly well artistically on my own… except for getting proportions just right. And when I don't, I get frustrated and scrap everything. The fun is taken out of it. That's where this app comes in. I can take a photo, any photo, and have the proportions projected onto my work surface, taking all of the hard part out of it. It closes the gap in my abilities, making it possible to turn out a fantastic and impressive work. Calligraphers, leatherworkers, sketchers, painters, printmakers, etc.: You need this app! It will be worth every penny.

I am artistically challenged and cannot draw a straight line if my life depends on it - at the beginning I was very frustrated with the app but I learned to use it in in less than two days and I can't be happier with the results - really worth the price

Best $5 ever spent. Makes making art cookies so much easier. Thank you!

Have enjoyed spending less time sketching and more time painting since I found this app! Awesome customer support, too! Thanks for your hard work and time, Peter!

Before using Camera Lucida I was either forced to use a grid or my light box to transfer images to my drawing paper. Now in 30 minutes or less I can creat an extremely accurate line drawing. This has really improved my art and I’ve even been able to increase my prices and my clientele. I can’t recommend this product enough!

Most useful tool ive ever come across. This will give you a giant head start in any artistic project. Seriously. 6 stars all day. Even if you are an experienced artist this app will let you cross reference your work to let you see how accurate you are. For portraits this app is a g** send. There are many ways to use this as well. I wish i came across this sooner.

This is the most fun I've had with any app from any category! I'm a decent artist on my own but this app is helping me get to the next level. I want to find a good phone mount to use on my table that won't move, even still this app is a miracle for artists

The first time you try it, you will be addicted. It's easy to use and amazing to review the time lapse at the end. You will be going through your old photos looking for something else to draw. My eleven year old daughter loves it as well.

Camera Lucida app is amazing! I love using it for tracing designs or lettering on cookies. My daughter also enjoys using it with an Osmo and she is really developing her drawing skills. Lastly Peter is great and provides wonderful app support.