Trace on your Android. Nothing to install.
Open artoverlay.com in Chrome, allow the camera, and your reference photo sits on top of the paper while you draw. No Play Store, no account, no ads.
- Free forever
- No account
- Nothing to install
- Your images never leave your device
Start in under a minute
- 1
Open it in Chrome
Go to artoverlay.com. Samsung Internet and Firefox work too. Nothing to download, no account.
- 2
Tap Start camera, then Allow
Chrome asks once per site. Choose "While visiting this site" and it stops asking.
- 3
Add your reference
Pick a photo from your gallery, or tap Trace Arty to try it with the sample drawing.
- 4
Line it up and trace
Drag and pinch to place it, or drag the four corners onto the paper. Set the opacity so you can see your pencil through it.
If the camera does not turn on
On Android this is almost always the camera permission, at one of two levels.
Chrome
Tap the icon to the left of the address bar → Permissions → Camera → Allow. Then tap Try again.
Samsung Internet
Tap the lock or tune icon in the address bar → Permissions → Camera → Allow, then reload the page.
The browser itself has no camera access
Android Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions → Camera → Allow. This is the level above the website permission, and both have to be on.
Inside Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
Links opened inside those apps use their own browser, which usually cannot reach the camera. Tap ··· → Open in browser.
Why a web page instead of an app
No install, no storage
Nothing takes up space on the phone, and there is no update to keep installing.
No ads, no in-app purchases
Free tracing apps on the Play Store usually pay for themselves with ads or a locked feature. This one has neither.
Your photos stay put
The reference and the camera feed are handled inside the browser. Neither is uploaded anywhere unless you choose to share your drawing.
Keep it one tap away
In Chrome, tap ··· → Add to Home screen and it opens like an app, still without the Play Store.
What it will not do
The honest list, so you do not find out halfway through a drawing.
- It needs a connection to load the page. Once it is open you can keep tracing, but a reload on a dead signal gets you nothing.
- The reference lives in the tab. Reload it or close it and you pick your photo again.
- No layers, no stylus drawing, no saving your work. You draw on paper — the screen only shows you where the lines go.
- Battery saver dims the screen, which makes a faint reference harder to see. Turn the opacity up.
Questions
Does it work on a tablet?
Yes. Same page, same browser, and the bigger screen helps when you are tracing something small.
Do I need the Play Store?
No. There is no Android app to install — it runs as a web page in Chrome, Samsung Internet or Firefox.
Does it work offline?
The page has to load first, so you need a connection to open it. After that, tracing does not send anything anywhere.
Is it really free?
Yes, and there is no paid tier to upgrade to. There is a tip jar in the footer, and that is all.
Where do my photos go?
Nowhere. The image you pick and the camera feed stay on the phone, inside the browser.