Value Study: artist assistant
Analyse light and shadow
Free · In-App Purchases
In art, "value" (or tone) measures how light or dark a color appears. If you’re on a mission to learn to draw or paint, practicing value studies is a proven way to boost your skills. These relaxed, grayscale sketches allow you to understand where shadows fall and highlights appear—essential for creating depth and realistic form.
Value Study is a streamlined tool crafted to help you see and analyze values in your art references. Instead of simply converting a photo to monochrome, the app lets you break down tones gradually. Begin with a basic black and white layout to capture the overall shapes, then add more nuanced values as your understanding deepens.
The app also offers the ability to highlight parts of an image with the same value, making subtle tonal variations more visible. This feature is particularly useful in detailed subjects like portraits, where similar shadow levels can result in different color perceptions.
Value Study isn’t here to replace traditional methods—it’s here to complement them. Whether you’re sketching by hand, painting on canvas, or using one of the top iPad drawing apps, this tool refines your focus on the essentials of light, shadow, and form.
Try it for free on sample images from Unsplash, and then unlock the full experience with a low-cost yearly or lifetime subscription. Every Value Study Pro upgrade qualifies as a lifetime purchase, usable across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Annual: Auto-renews yearly.
Lifetime: One-time payment, no fees.
Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
more I love all the little extra features that make this more than just a simple notan converter. An essential app for artists!An improvement suggestion: It’d be perfect if it had the option to add a simple 3x3 grid overlay (maybe even a customisable grid?). I currently switch between this app and another that adds the grid but I’d love to have this feature included here!
Developer Response Grids are something I’ve always wanted to add ☺️ have been very focussed on bug fixing but it feels quite stable now so can think about useful new features to add. Really appreciate your review cheers
I love all the little extra features that make this more than just a simple notan converter. An essential app for artists!An improvement suggestion: It’d be perfect if it had the option to add a simple 3x3 grid overlay (maybe even a customisable grid?). I currently switch between this app and another that adds the grid but I’d love to have this feature included here!
Grids are something I’ve always wanted to add ☺️ have been very focussed on bug fixing but it feels quite stable now so can think about useful new features to add. Really appreciate your review cheers
I sometimes use this for watercolours instead of doing a value study. It works great the only improvement I would like to see is some type of slider to shift the mid point when I have the image broken down to 3 values which is how I usually use it.
I sometimes use this for watercolours instead of doing a value study. It works great the only improvement I would like to see is some type of slider to shift the mid point when I have the image broken down to 3 values which is how I usually use it.
Thank you for helping me better understand value. I love it. It's helped my 'art' skills develop quickly.
Thank you for helping me better understand value. I love it. It's helped my 'art' skills develop quickly.
This app helps me to check the balance in tonal values in my work, love the graphic quality it brings to my sketches too
This app helps me to check the balance in tonal values in my work, love the graphic quality it brings to my sketches too
Big update! Value Study’s code is now much more cross-platform, making Android and iOS updates easier for me to work on and paving the way for a future Windows version.
This release also adds optional accounts, accessed via Settings, so you can use your purchases across platforms and sync settings across devices.
Questions, feedback or bugs? Email shane@valuestudy.app
4.0.0 6 days ago
Introducing the Continue button!
So many of you have requested the ability to resume a session. This will let you resume your previous session or view the recent sessions to choose which one. If you've paid, you will keep the past 20 sessions. It will be 5 for free users.
This does not currently sync between devices, but let me know if you want me to add that (shane@valuestudy.app or @valuestudyapp on IG)
3.22.1 27 Apr
The old Add to Photos has been replaced with Export. You can now use Export (in the tools menu) to save to Photos, use the Share Sheet, or print your value studies.
This new system will allow more export customisation in future. If there’s something you'd like added, let me know: shane@valuestudy.app
Also includes improved zoom-out behaviour (helpful for tracing) and a new Blink setting to make the selection highlight easier to see, especially when using a projector.
3.21.0 16 Mar
This update brings improvements to the zooming and panning, so it should feel more robust and not reset randomly. In Fullscreen mode it will now let you zoom much further out, for use with projectors.
3.20.3 9 Mar
This fixes the issue with image loading on some iPads. Many people were seeing blank screen or a single line of the image. I appreciate your patience while I figured out the cause!
3.20.2 16 Feb
Some more improvements around image loading and error handling.
As always please email me (shane@valuestudy.app) with any issues, questions or feedback.
3.20.1 16 Feb
Today I've got a bunch of behind-the-scenes improvements. This tidies the code up and hopefully will prevent crashes around image loading.
As always please email me (shane@valuestudy.app) with any issues, questions or feedback.
3.20.0 14 Feb
This update fixes a crash that affected some people.
As always please email me (shane@valuestudy.app) with any issues, questions or feedback.
3.19.3 26 Jan
A small update to support schools that are using Value Study. This also includes a bug fix for some people who were wrongly seeing French instead of English.
As always please email me (shane@valuestudy.app) with any issues, questions or feedback.
3.19.2 27/12/2025
Just a small update today to ensure MacOS is updated with all the latest features from iOS version.
As always please email me (shane@valuestudy.app) with any issues, questions or feedback.
3.19.0 23/12/2025
Today's update is a small one but lays groundwork for more to come! The collections page now is more well-suited to multiple collections rather than just the one currently shown. There's also now an Attribution tool in the tools menu that will show the credit and source of the image where possible.
As always please email me (shane@valuestudy.app) with any issues, questions or feedback.
3.18.0 11/12/2025
New features!
1) Fullscreen mode. This has been heavily requested, find it in the tools menu. It will hide all UI until you exit the fullscreen mode.
2) Browse files. You can now browse your iPhone/iPad and iCloud directly from Value Study! On the right of Choose image you will see a ... menu. You can access the browse files from there. I've also moved the Take photo option to there.
I've also updated the Information page to support videos. Currently it just has the one I was previously linking to, I need to re-record that as the app has improved a lot since I made the video!
As always please email me (shane@valuestudy.app) with any issues, questions or feedback.
3.17.0 05/12/2025
Small bug fix for photos that have been edited/cropped in photo library. It should now show the most recent version!
---
Usually my work on the app focusses on new features, performance improvements or bug fixes.
This update is a bit more business-ey. I’m incredibly grateful for all of you that support Value Study through subscriptions and lifetime purchases, not to mention reviews and word-of-mouth. I’m working to make sure new people who discover Value Study see its worth straight away and want to join in too.
I’ve made some changes to improve how the app introduces itself to new users and to better show what it can do from the very start. I’m also putting more time into YouTube, creating videos that help newcomers get started and highlight new features as they’re released.
As always, every App Store review, bit of feedback, or question sent to shane@valuestudy.app
is really appreciated. Thank you for continuing to support an independent app. You’re helping Value Study grow and reach more artists around the world.
3.16.2 01/11/2025
Usually my work on the app focusses on new features, performance improvements or bug fixes.
This update is a bit more business-ey. I’m incredibly grateful for all of you that support Value Study through subscriptions and lifetime purchases, not to mention reviews and word-of-mouth. I’m working to make sure new people who discover Value Study see its worth straight away and want to join in too.
I’ve made some changes to improve how the app introduces itself to new users and to better show what it can do from the very start. I’m also putting more time into YouTube, creating videos that help newcomers get started and highlight new features as they’re released.
As always, every App Store review, bit of feedback, or question sent to shane@valuestudy.app
is really appreciated. Thank you for continuing to support an independent app. You’re helping Value Study grow and reach more artists around the world.
3.16.1 27/10/2025
Usually my work on the app focusses on new features, performance improvements or bug fixes.
This update is a bit more business-ey. I’m incredibly grateful for all of you that support Value Study through subscriptions and lifetime purchases, not to mention reviews and word-of-mouth. I’m working to make sure new people who discover Value Study see its worth straight away and want to join in too.
I’ve made some changes to improve how the app introduces itself to new users and to better show what it can do from the very start. I’m also putting more time into YouTube, creating videos that help newcomers get started and highlight new features as they’re released.
As always, every App Store review, bit of feedback, or question sent to shane@valuestudy.app
is really appreciated. Thank you for continuing to support an independent app. You’re helping Value Study grow and reach more artists around the world.
3.16.0 24/10/2025
Those bug fixes just caused more bugs... apologies to anyone that got locked out of Value Study! Should all be fixed now.
3.15.6 17/10/2025
Improving the offline mode with a few more bug fixes.
3.15.5 17/10/2025
A bunch of bug fixes today. Especially around improving image support and performance.
3.15.4 14/10/2025
Here's another small update to the new Grid feature. As requested by Howard, we can now adjust the colour of the grid, from the Line appearance section of the Grid settings.
---
GRID MODE IN VALUE STUDY APP!!
This update brings one of the biggest feature requests Value Study has had since day one, Grids. In fact it was on my original wish-list of features when I started building the app! Every approach I took early on was too slow and clunky... but with all the performance and code improvements, it's now ready for launch.
I always say to send me feedback but this update is more important than others, it's a very large feature that will improve over time. So I need your help to ensure it is perfect for you all, please do email shane@valuestudy.app with feedback (reviews are always helpful too).
3.15.3 25/09/2025
Here's a little update to the brand new grid feature to introduce multiple cell selection and an option for hiding non-selected cells!
---
GRID MODE IN VALUE STUDY APP!!
This update brings one of the biggest feature requests Value Study has had since day one, Grids. In fact it was on my original wish-list of features when I started building the app! Every approach I took early on was too slow and clunky... but with all the performance and code improvements, it's now ready for launch.
I always say to send me feedback but this update is more important than others, it's a very large feature that will improve over time. So I need your help to ensure it is perfect for you all, please do email shane@valuestudy.app with feedback (reviews are always helpful too).
3.15.2 24/09/2025
A quick update to translate the app to more languages.
---
GRID MODE IN VALUE STUDY APP!!
This update brings one of the biggest feature requests Value Study has had since day one, Grids. In fact it was on my original wish-list of features when I started building the app! Every approach I took early on was too slow and clunky... but with all the performance and code improvements, it's now ready for launch.
I always say to send me feedback but this update is more important than others, it's a very large feature that will improve over time. So I need your help to ensure it is perfect for you all, please do email shane@valuestudy.app with feedback (reviews are always helpful too).
3.15.1 21/09/2025
GRID MODE IN VALUE STUDY APP!!
This update brings one of the biggest feature requests Value Study has had since day one, Grids. In fact it was on my original wish-list of features when I started building the app! Every approach I took early on was too slow and clunky... but with all the performance and code improvements, it's now ready for launch.
I always say to send me feedback but this update is more important than others, it's a very large feature that will improve over time. So I need your help to ensure it is perfect for you all, please do email shane@valuestudy.app with feedback (reviews are always helpful too).
3.15.0 20/09/2025
Okay, it's here... iOS 26. This update to Value Study ensures it works well for the new version of iOS. It's only subtle changes, I have not gone heavy on the glass effect!
As always please review on the App Store, share with friends and send me and questions and feedback to shane@valuestudy.app
3.14.0 18/09/2025
Just a small fix for the new toolbar on smaller screens.
3.13.1 29/08/2025
This adds Portuguese, Polish and Dutch languages and improves how translations are handled generally.
3.13.0 27/08/2025
Big update! Value Study’s code is now much more cross-platform, making Android and iOS updates easier for me to work on and paving the way for a future Windows version.
This release also adds optional accounts, accessed via Settings, so you can use your purchases across platforms and sync settings across devices.
Questions, feedback or bugs? Email shane@valuestudy.app
more Version 4.0.0 6 days ago
Data Not Linked to You The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
