# Value Study: art reference — Analyze light and shadow

> Art reference tool for analyzing light and shadow in images. (iPhone/iPad app by Diem Limited.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/value-study-art-reference/id1546616127 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Diem Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1439019995)
- Category: Graphics & Design, Photo & Video
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 3,268 App Store ratings · 197 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.6 · 33 MB
- Languages: Canadian English, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, European Portuguese and 3 more
- Released: 2021-01-13
- Data updated: 2026-09-04
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/value-study-art-reference/id1546616127/reviews.md

## What is Value Study?

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/

## Key features

- Step-by-step tone breakdown
- Highlighting areas of same value
- Focus on light, shadow, and form
- Greyscale value studies
- Works with reference images

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Value Study Pro | $3.99 | per year |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Value Study Pro (Lifetime) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Appreciation | $2.99 | one-time |
| Generous boost | $9.99 | one-time |
| Amazing supporter | $24.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Value Study?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful for value studies
- 💡 Allows adjusting number of values
- 🎨 Useful for artists and painters
- ⭐ Great tool for beginners
- 👍 Simple and straightforward

**Cons**

- 🐛 Issues with accurately representing blue hues
- 🔍 Difficulty finding/importing photos
- 🤔 Unclear instructions/lack of tutorial

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes or fails to launch on some devices
- Occasional issues with image processing

**Most requested features**

- Add ability to adjust value midpoint
- Include color study/color adjustment options
- Provide side-by-side comparison of original and simplified images
- Add customizable grid overlay

## Recent user reviews (10 of 197)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/value-study-art-reference/id1546616127/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Too complicated

*2026-08-13, version 4.1.2*

This app may be good for someone who is a tech wizard, but I’m an artist—this just confused me.

### 5/5 — Wonderful app for artists.

*2026-07-16, version 4.1.1*

I use Value Study in designing my multi-block linocut prints. Shane, the developer has created an extremely useful tool, so much better than posterizing in other apps. And he is extremely responsive in adjusting to meet my needs as an artist.

### 5/5 — A Creator who Cares

*2026-07-16*

This is an excellent app for artists and photographers—it’s helped my paintings immensely, making compositional design much clearer and easier. I’ll add that I encountered a minor problem with live view crashes, I messaged the creator, and within a couple of weeks he fixed it—and emailed me personally to let me know. That kind of dedication is worth five stars in itself.

### 4/5 — Good Value Study ap

*2026-07-07, version 4.0.0*

Really like the app as long as it’s on no simplification. If I use the simplification part of the app, it’s very distorted. Without the simplification on it is a great app

### 5/5 — Perfect app for learning

*2026-07-05*

I’ve found this app to be wonderful as a learning assistant. The value decomposition is a crucial tool for learning how to see what matters in a photo, and you can easily change how many values to decompose an image into. The second feature I find so helpful is the grid option. I also like that that secondary grid is diagonal (a feature I haven’t seen anywhere else), which helps you avoid confusion with the major grid axis.

### 5/5 — Great for adult learners

*2026-06-18, version 3.22.1*

I require this app from my students.  Value study is not taught in many art classes.  It is difficult to get students to see value in a colorful work of art.  This app has given many of my students that “ Ah ha” moment.

### 5/5 — The BESTEST

*2026-06-16, version 3.22.1*

Just starting out with painting and this app is fantastic

### 5/5 — My “go to” tool

*2026-06-15*

Thanks for your thoughtful sharing of this app. I is my “go to” tool when I’m in the  design process of creating my paintings. I was easy to learn and now easy to use. I’ve been using this app for years and it is a valuable tool saving me time and often allowing me to understand my work better.

### 5/5 — THIS IS THE BEST APP FOR ART

*2026-05-20*

This has been a daily STAPLE for over three years now. It immediately helped my art game and professionally now I RELY ON IT! A LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION OPTION!? YAS!🙏 🙌To the person who made this THANK YOU SO MUCH 🫡🤌May your pillow always be cool, may your caps lock never negate your last password request and may your sleeves never be damp after washing your hands. YOU’RE ICONIC AND WHEN I CAN I’LL DONATE

**Developer response:** Oh wow, that’s a very positive review thank you so much!

### 5/5 — Fun and useful

*2026-05-12, version 3.22.1*

I am still mostly a beginner with visual arts. This tool has fascinated me and inspired me. I love doing value studies without color. It’s liberating. I can’t wait to use this app again and again.

## Frequently asked questions about Value Study

### What is Value Study?

Value Study is a mobile application designed to help artists analyze light and shadow in their reference images. It assists in understanding how light falls on objects and how to represent depth and form by breaking down tones into greyscale values.

### How does Value Study help artists?

It aids artists in improving their drawing and painting skills by facilitating value studies. Users can break down reference images into distinct tonal ranges, from simple black and white to more nuanced values, making it easier to grasp the fundamentals of light, shadow, and form.

### What are the pricing options for Value Study?

The app can be tried for free with all features enabled on sample images. To unlock the full app for personal images, users can choose between a low-cost yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. All 'Pro' upgrades are considered lifetime purchases.

### What devices is Value Study compatible with?

Value Study Pro upgrades are unlocked across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. This allows users to utilize the app's features on their preferred Apple platform for art creation and study.

### Can I use my own photos with Value Study?

Yes, after trying the app for free with sample images, you can unlock the full functionality to analyze your own reference images. This allows for personalized studies based on your chosen subjects, whether for sketching, painting, or digital art.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.1.2 — 2026-08-03

This update should fix the crashes some of you have been experiencing.

It also brings back the Combine Values tool. I underestimated how useful it was, particularly for linocut and block printing. While the histogram offers more control, Combine Values is often quicker and more convenient to use, so it is back!

Don't forget, you can star it from the Tools menu to add it to the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

Questions, feedback or bugs? Email shane@valuestudy.app

### 4.1.1 — 2026-07-16

This update should fix the crashes some of you have been experiencing.

It also brings back the Combine Values tool. I underestimated how useful it was, particularly for linocut and block printing. While the histogram offers more control, Combine Values is often quicker and more convenient to use, so it is back!

Don't forget, you can star it from the Tools menu to add it to the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

Questions, feedback or bugs? Email shane@valuestudy.app

### 4.1.0 — 2026-07-14

This update brings palettes to the forefront, introducing traditional pigments for value studies and underpaintings. You can also replace the default black-and-white palette with any palette of your choice in Settings.

Questions, feedback or bugs? Email shane@valuestudy.app

### 4.0.0 — 2026-06-21

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

### 3.22.1 — 2026-04-27

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)

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## More apps by Diem Limited

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All apps by Diem Limited: https://appshunter.io/developer/1439019995

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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 2026-09-04.*