# Trace & Sketch - Easy Drawing — Digital Tracing Draw on Screen

> Digital drawing app for tracing photos with adjustable transparency and export options. (iPhone/iPad app by Shajir Kalady.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-sketch-easy-drawing/id1039621820 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Shajir Kalady](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673992247)
- Category: Graphics & Design, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 157 App Store ratings · 77 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 24 MB
- Languages: American English, German (Germany), Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish
- Released: 2015-10-10
- Data updated: 2026-08-10
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-sketch-easy-drawing/id1039621820/reviews.md

## What is Trace & Sketch?

Turn any photo into a sketch with Trace & Sketch - Easy Drawing.
Your screen becomes a digital tracing paper — select an image, adjust the transparency, and start drawing directly with your finger or stylus. Simple, smooth, and perfect for beginners, hobby artists, and anyone who wants to practice drawing.

How it works:
     Pick an image from your gallery or camera.
     Adjust the transparency to see your image clearly under the tracing layer.
     Draw freely on the screen — all strokes are saved automatically.
     Choose a canvas or plain background to finish your artwork.
     Export your drawing in multiple formats, with or without background.

Features:
     Adjustable Transparency – Control how much of the base image is visible.
     Natural Drawing Tools – Brush with adjustable stroke size, opacity, and pattern styles.
     Eraser & Undo/Redo – Erase strokes with adjustable width and fix mistakes using undo and redo.
     Color Picker – Choose colors easily or pick colors directly from your image or drawing.
     Fill Tool (Pot Fill) – Tap a closed area to fill it instantly with the selected color.
     Zoom, Drag, Rotate – Zoom, drag, and rotate the canvas for precise tracing.
     Multiple Canvases – Use built-in canvases or create a plain colored background.
     Automatic Save – Every stroke is saved instantly.
     Gallery Management – View all your sketches, open them for editing, export them, duplicate sketches, or delete sketches you no longer need.
     Export Drawing Options-
       Export Without Canvas – Save the pure drawing with no background; perfect for stickers, collages, and overlays.
       Export With Base Image – Save your drawing directly on the original photo for photo-based artwork.
       Export With Canvas – Save your artwork as a drawing on a selected canvas.
       Select Dimensions – Choose from multiple image resolution options before exporting.
       Quick Share – Use the iOS share sheet to save or send your artwork anywhere.
     Export Video (Time-Lapse)-
       Time-Lapse Replay – Export a replay video that shows the entire drawing process from start to finish.
       Multiple Video Resolutions – Choose the video quality before exporting.

Whether you’re tracing portraits, practicing outlines, creating digital art, or simply sketching for fun, Trace and Sketch makes it easy and enjoyable — no paper, no setup, no AR required.

## Key features

- Adjustable transparency for tracing
- Natural drawing tools with customizable brushes
- Eraser and undo/redo functionality
- Color picker and fill tool
- Zoom, drag, and rotate canvas
- Multiple export formats and resolutions
- Time-lapse video export of drawing process

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Video Export Watermark Pro | $2.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Trace & Sketch?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Easy to use and simple
- ✨ Great for tracing photos
- 🎨 Wonderful app for drawing and sketching
- 💡 Unique and stands out
- 🚀 Efficient and works well
- 🤩 Amazing for practicing line work and shading
- 💯 Best app for tracing
- 🌟 Good for beginners
- 👍 Great for practice and learning techniques
- 🎉 Fun and enjoyable to use
- 🏆 Outperforms other tracing apps
- ✅ Does what it says it will
- 💯 Excellent responsiveness
- 🎨 Good for doodling over photos

**Cons**

- 🐛 Cannot adjust brush size
- 🐛 Cannot access photo library
- 🐛 No templates offered
- 🐛 Eraser size too large
- 🐛 Zooming feature is janky
- 🐛 Undo button blurs lines
- 🐛 Delete button for saved sketches missing
- 🐛 Brush settings reset on exit
- 🐛 Color copy feature not on chosen image
- 🐛 Difficult to make certain colors (light brown, gray)
- 🐛 Cannot sketch or draw freely
- 🐛 App no longer importing chosen photo
- 🐛 Brush selection area is black
- 🐛 Delete option missing when deleting tracings
- 🐛 Lines become blurred and distorted
- 🐛 Lacks shading options
- 🐛 No landscape view
- 🐛 Color mixers are difficult
- 🐛 Strange pen and brush options
- 🐛 Advertisements interrupt workflow
- 🐛 No option to zoom in on photo for tracing
- 🐛 Brush strokes don't stay same when zooming

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Cannot adjust brush size or anything
- Wouldn't let me access any of my photos
- Zooming feature is janky
- Undo button blurs lines
- Delete button for saved sketches missing
- Brush settings reset on exit
- App no longer importing chosen photo
- When selecting brushes only a few display, most are black
- Delete option missing when deleting tracings
- Lines previously made become blurred and distorted
- Stopped working after several strokes, requires waiting
- Color mixers are difficult to get exact colors
- Brush strokes don't stay same when zooming

**Most requested features**

- Ability to make brush size bigger or smaller
- Option for smaller eraser size than 5
- Bring back brush and eraser size numbers
- Save brush settings when exiting sketch
- Color copy feature on chosen image for tracing
- Add smudge tool
- More swatches for shading
- Option for a plain white background
- Paint fill pot feature
- Add pens like in Google Keep
- Way to delete or copy drawing overlay
- Way to copy sketch and work on a different version
- Option to zoom in on photo for tracing
- Add grays and browns to coloring palette
- Add pens
- More canvas choices
- No ads (willing to pay)
- Rotate to landscape view
- More brush options
- More opacity control

## Recent user reviews (10 of 77)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trace-and-sketch-easy-drawing/id1039621820/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Need help

*2026-06-21, version 5.0*

Opacity is not working

### 2/5 — Brush Sizes

*2026-06-20, version 5.0*

I liked the other version better, this one won’t change the brush size and is stuck on 10🙄

### 3/5 — A review

*2026-05-04, version 4.8*

It’s very good but I cannot make the size of brush bigger or smaller

### 2/5 — Great. Till it wasn’t.

*2026-03-28, version 4.7*

Worked great all of the sudden I can’t adjust brush size or anything

### 3/5 — Does the job

*2026-03-22, version 4.4*

Would prefer a little more option on brush and opacity control, but it does the job and makes me work a little harder to get the effects i want.
Very good for amateurs like me who want to have a little play around.

### 5/5 — Great App

*2026-01-16, version 4.2*

This is a wonderful app, very unique, nothing compares to it!

### 3/5 — Wish I got use it.

*2026-01-03, version 4.1*

I could not use it because it wouldn’t let me access any of my photos in my photo library. And it gave didn’t offer any templates

### 5/5 — Great App

*2025-12-18, version 4.0*

This is a wonderful app, very unique, nothing compares to it!

### 4/5 — Getting better

*2025-11-18, version 3.5*

Thank you for listening to my feedback, definitely improved my experience, but there’s still a few things I would like to see, first I would like to have a eraser size smaller than 5 for more accurate erasing. The zooming feature is a bit janky as sometimes it doesn’t respond that well or the drawing goes out of focus and I can’t drag it back. I’ve also noticed that when you press the undo button enough times when you mess up it kind of blurs the lines that were already on the drawing. Lastly what happened to the delete button for the saved sketches?

### 4/5 — Good but could be better

*2025-09-27*

I like the new update making it simpler, but it also removed a lot of great features from before, such as being able to see the size number of the brush and eraser which helped to keep consistency when tracing, please bring that back. Another thing is every time you exit a sketch it resets your brush settings like size and color which before the update would save, this was very useful when you return to a sketch that wasn’t finished and still had the exact settings. Last thing I would like to somehow be able to use the color copy feature on the image we choose to sketch so it makes it easier to trace the color as well.

**Developer response:** Thanks for your valuable feedback!
In version 3.3, we’ve added size indicators, saved brush and eraser settings, and introduced a color picker from image feature.

## Frequently asked questions about Trace & Sketch

### What does Trace & Sketch Digital Drawing do?

This app allows you to turn any photo into a sketch by using it as a reference on a digital tracing paper. You can adjust the image's transparency and then draw directly on your screen with your finger or a stylus. It's designed to be simple and enjoyable for practicing drawing skills.

### What are the key features of this drawing app?

Key features include adjustable transparency for tracing, natural drawing tools with customizable brushes, an eraser with undo/redo, a color picker, a fill tool, canvas manipulation (zoom, drag, rotate), multiple canvas options, automatic saving, and various export options for your drawings and time-lapse videos.

### Is Trace & Sketch Digital Drawing free to use?

The app is free to download and use, but it does offer in-app purchases. This means you can access basic functionality for free, with the option to purchase additional features or content.

### What kind of artwork can I create with this app?

You can create a wide range of artwork, from simple sketches and outlines to more detailed drawings. It's ideal for tracing portraits, practicing drawing techniques, creating digital art, or simply sketching for fun. The export options allow for various uses, such as stickers, collages, or overlays.

### How can I export my drawings?

The app offers multiple export options. You can export your drawing without a background, directly on the original base image, or on a selected canvas. You can also choose specific dimensions and resolutions for your exported artwork. Additionally, you can export a time-lapse video of your entire drawing process.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.3 — 2026-08-07

Added Japanese language support.
UI improvements and bug fixes.

### 5.2 — 2026-07-10

Improved tool settings and popup interactions for a smoother drawing experience.
Simplified color picking with a more streamlined and accessible workflow.
Enhanced tool layout and guidance to make controls easier to find and use.
UI refinements, bug fixes, and performance improvements.

### 5.1 — 2026-06-23

Fixed issues related to brush size adjustments. 
Bug fixes and performance improvements. 
UI enhancements.

### 5.0 — 2026-06-13

UI and user experience improvements.

### 4.9 — 2026-06-11

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

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## More apps by Shajir Kalady

- [8086 Simulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8086-simulator/id649414124)
- [Smart Tools Pro - SmartTools](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-tools-pro-smarttools/id762552951)
- [Smart Tools Pro HD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smart-tools-pro-hd/id764668765)
- [ArdCompiler Pro HD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ardcompiler-pro-hd/id970543796)
- [ArdCompiler Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ardcompiler-pro/id976922410)

All apps by Shajir Kalady: https://appshunter.io/developer/1673992247

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-10.*