ReferenceFrame: Frame Designer
Picture Frame Build Calculator
$4.99 · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
The fiddly arithmetic of picture framing: cut lists, mat openings, rabbet depths, material stacks — calculated so you don't have to do it on your favorite scrap plywood.
ReferenceFrame does the math for custom picture framing. Enter your artwork size and frame stock dimensions, and it sorts out mat cuts, rabbet clearances, material stack depths, and a complete cut list.
WHAT IT DOES
- Calculates frame, mat, and cut dimensions from your artwork size
- Checks that everything actually fits in the rabbet (and tells you when it won't)
- Generates a technical cross-section diagram with labeled dimensions
- Plans corner spline slots: placement and safe depth for your moulding
- Lays out hanging hardware: hanger positions, wire length, and where the hook lands
- Estimates finished weight and wire tension from real wood, glass, and board densities
- Exports a PDF summary you can take to the workshop
- Saves configurations and keeps a history of your designs
DETAILS
- Inches (including fractions) or millimeters
- Traditional rabbet or sight-size (full-bleed) frame styles
- "Cut to fit" sizes that honor assembly clearance
- Standard and custom artwork sizes
- Adjustable defaults for frame stock, mat width, material thicknesses, and more
- Works entirely offline — nothing leaves your device
Built for anyone who's ever needed to know exactly how wide to cut a mat, and would rather not find out the hard way that they were off by an eighth.
Ratings & Reviews
New in this release:
- Sight-size frames: keep the full image visible with no lip overlap — the opening matches your artwork exactly
- Spline joinery guide: safe corner-spline slot placement and depth, drawn right on the diagrams from your moulding and rabbet
- Hanging layout: hanger positions, wire cut length, and where the hook lands
- Weight & wire tension estimates from real material data — pick your wood species, glass or acrylic, and backing board
- "Cut to fit" sizes for glazing, backing, and matboard that honor assembly clearance
- Share links now carry mat borders, overlap, clearance, and frame style; all measurements respect your inch/mm setting
- New Settings for spline, hanging, and clearance defaults, plus diagram layer toggles
The developer, Graham Larue, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Graham Larue
- Size
- 26.8 MB
- Category
- Lifestyle
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 14.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 14.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 14.0 or later. - iPod touch
Requires iOS 14.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Graham Larue
