Trace on your iPhone. Nothing to install.
Open artoverlay.com in Safari, allow the camera, and your reference photo sits on top of the paper while you draw. No App Store, no account, no subscription.
- Free forever
- No account
- Nothing to install
- Your images never leave your device
Start in under a minute
- 1
Open it in Safari
Go to artoverlay.com. There is nothing to download and no account to create.
- 2
Tap Start camera, then Allow
iOS only opens the camera after you tap something, so the button comes first and the permission prompt second.
- 3
Add your reference
Pick a photo from your library, 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 iPhone this is almost always the camera permission, and where it lives depends on the browser you are in.
Safari
Tap aA (or ···) in the address bar → Website Settings → Camera → Allow. Then tap Try again.
Chrome
Open the iPhone Settings app → Apps → Chrome → turn on Camera. Then go back to the page and tap Try again.
The Google app, Instagram, Facebook
These open pages in their own built-in browser, which usually cannot reach the camera at all. Copy the link and paste it into Safari.
Still nothing
Check the page address starts with https. iOS blocks the camera on insecure pages, and it needs a tap every time — nothing opens the camera on its own.
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 account, no email
Nothing to sign up for, and nothing to unsubscribe from later.
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 Safari, tap Share → Add to Home Screen and it opens like an app, still without the App 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 Apple Pencil drawing, no saving your work. You draw on paper — the screen only shows you where the lines go.
- Low Power Mode dims the screen, which makes a faint reference harder to see. Turn the opacity up.
Questions
Does it work on iPad?
Yes. Same page, same Safari, and the bigger screen helps when you are tracing something small.
Do I need the App Store?
No. There is no iOS app to install — it runs as a web page in Safari or Chrome.
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.