Value Study: art reference

Analyze light and shadow

Free · In‑App Purchases

In art, value (or tone) refers to how light or dark a colour is. If you're learning to paint or draw, doing value studies is one of the best ways to improve. These small, loose sketches in greyscale help you understand where shadows fall and highlights appear—essential for capturing depth and form. Value Study is a simple, focused tool designed to help you see values more clearly in your reference images. Instead of just converting a photo to black and white, this app lets you break down tones step by step. Start with just black and white to map out the biggest shapes, then gradually add more values to refine your understanding. You can also highlight all areas of an image that share the same value, making it easier to see subtle shifts in tone. This is especially useful in complex references, like portraits, where different parts of the image might have the same level of shadow but look completely different in colour. Value Study isn’t here to replace traditional studies—it’s here to enhance them. Whether you're sketching, painting, or working digitally, this tool makes it easier to focus on the fundamentals of light, shadow, and form. Try it for free with all features enabled on sample images from Unsplash before deciding to unlock the full app with a low-cost yearly or lifetime purchase. All Value Study Pro upgrades count as lifetime purchase. Either option will unlock Value Study 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/

  • 4.8
    out of 5
    2.9K Ratings

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.

The developer, Diem Limited, 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 Linked to You

    The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

    • Usage Data
    • Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

The developer indicated that this app supports the following accessibility features. Learn More

  • Supported Features

    • Dark Interface

  • Seller
    • Diem Limited
  • Size
    • 19.2 MB
  • Category
    • Graphics & Design
  • Compatibility
    Requires iOS 16.6 or later.
    • iPhone
      Requires iOS 16.6 or later.
    • iPad
      Requires iPadOS 16.6 or later.
    • Mac
      Requires macOS 13.5 or later.
    • Apple Vision
      Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
  • Languages
    English and 11 more
    • English, Dutch, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish
  • Age Rating
    4+
  • In-App Purchases
    Yes
    • Value Study Pro (Lifetime) $6.99
    • Value Study Pro $1.99
    • Appreciation $2.99
    • Amazing supporter $24.99
    • Generous boost $9.99
  • Copyright
    • © 2020 Diem Ltd