TraceCam: Sketch Overlay
Trace any image onto paper
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Trace a photo, a template or a word onto real paper: line-art filter, grid method, 35 templates, lettering in 22 typefaces, camera zoom and progress snapshots.
TraceCam turns your iPhone or iPad into a tracing overlay. Pick a photo, a built-in template or your own text, point the camera at a blank sheet of paper, and the image appears over the paper as a translucent layer — ready to trace with a pencil.
No printing, no light box, no transfer paper. Just your device, your reference and a sheet of paper.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Choose a photo, pick a template or type a word.
2. Point the camera at a blank sheet.
3. Line the image up with the paper — pinch to scale, drag to move, twist to rotate.
4. Set the opacity, choose a filter, add a grid if you like.
5. Lock it, and trace.
FILTERS THAT MAKE TRACING EASIER
• Line art keeps only the edges of a photo on a transparent background
• Sketch, Grayscale and Ink turn a busy photo into clean strokes
• Invert for light lines on dark paper
• Flip horizontally or vertically
GRID METHOD
• Square grid over the camera view or attached to the reference, from 2×2 to 12×12
• Copy the drawing cell by cell, the way artists have done for centuries
BUILT-IN TEMPLATES
• 35 templates: basic shapes and solids, face and figure proportions, one- and two-point perspective, golden spiral, mandala, ellipse guide, isometric and dot grids, lettering lines, calligraphy slant, comic panels and patterns
LETTERING
• Type any word or name, choose one of 22 typefaces and get an outline to trace — for cards, signs, posters and calligraphy practice
CAMERA TOOLS
• Zoom in on the paper, switch the torch on, freeze the frame
• Save a snapshot of the paper with the overlay to Photos to compare your progress
YOUR PROJECTS
• Every image is kept with its position, opacity and filter, so you can pick up where you left off
• Reopen recent projects from the library, or paste an image from the clipboard
AND MORE
• Opacity slider from 10% to 90%
• Lock the image so a stray touch cannot move it while you trace
• The screen stays awake while you draw
• The control panel folds away so nothing covers the paper
• Portrait and landscape, iPhone and iPad
PRIVATE BY DESIGN
TraceCam has no networking features at all. The camera feed is only shown on screen — never recorded, never saved, never uploaded. A snapshot is written to Photos only when you tap the button. No accounts, no analytics, no ads, no tracking.
Free. Requires iOS 17 or later.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
The developer, Rustam Gulov, 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
- Rustam Gulov
- Size
- 990.2 KB
- Category
- Graphics & Design
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English and Russian
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Rustam Gulov