Artemis Director's Viewfinder vs Shadow Planner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Artemis Director's Viewfinder
This app provides a comprehensive database of professional cameras and lenses, allowing filmmakers to visualize shots with custom formats. It streamlines communication between directors and cinematographers, ensuring everyone is aligned on the exact frame.
- Professional camera and lens database
- Custom camera format support
- Accurate shot visualization
- Streamlined crew communication
- Location scouting tool
- Blocking rehearsal recording
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Artemis offers a comprehensive database of professional motion picture cameras and lenses, with the facility to add any custom camera format. Hear from our users: Roger Deakins ASC, BSC: Cinematographer (Two Academy Awards wins, 16 nominations) Blade Runner 2049, Sicario, James Bond: Skyfall, The Shawshank Redemption - “It’s great having Artemis on my iPhone. Since I always have my phone with me, I always have a viewfinder at hand. Not only convenient but extremely accurate.” Claudio Miranda ASC: Cinematographer Top Gun: Maverick, F1, Life of Pi, Benjamin Button, Oblivion - “I've been using Artemis from the very beginning. I love that it's a shared tool. First between the director and myself. Then once we approve shots, the images from Artemis get shared with the crew.” Kate Dennis DGA: Director The Handmaid’s Tale, Glow, The Serpent Queen - "Artemis has streamlined my communication with cinematographers, VFX supervisors and other Heads of Department. Now we all know that we are talking about the exact same frame!" Linus Sandgren FSF: Cinematographer Saltburn, La La Land, Babylon, Joy, American Hustle - "Artemis is an amazing Swiss army knife style lens kit that has helped me frame up countless shots in any format in an instant.” Matthew Libatique ASC: Cinematographer Maestro, A Star is Born, Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain - "Not only do I frame every shot with Artemis , I use it to record blocking rehearsals and as part of my process when debating lens and format choices as I work with a director and production designer while location scouting.” Nicolas Winding Refn: Director Too Old to Die Young, The Neon Demon, Only God Forgives, Pusher - "Artemis Pro has tapped into the way of the future by taking full advantage of the digital revolution. The app quickly became an essential tool to capturing my vision.” Mandy Walker ASC, ACS: Cinematographer Elvis, Mulan,, Hidden Figures, Truth, Australia - "Both Artemis & Artemis Prime are essential tool when scouting locations, allowing accurate information to pass from the director and DP to the crew" Barry Ackroyd BSC: Cinematographer Jason Bourne, The Big Short, Captain Phillips, Hurt Locker - "Artemis makes me feel smarter than I was without it. It’s the sharpest tool on my iPhone.” Toby Oliver ACS Cinematographer Get Out, M3GAN 2.0, Happy Death Day, Insidious IV, Wolf Creek 2 - "Artemis Pro is so well thought out. You can precisely choose the camera package and lenses you have to hand to obtain exact ideas of shot angles and sizes on the location survey.” Darius Khondji ASC, AFC, ACS: Cinematographer Bardo, Okja, The Lost City of Z, Delicatessen, Se7en - "Artemis is the best cinematic tool of modern times. I started using Artemis in 2010 and have loved it ever since. It is so accurate with up to date lenses, cameras and formats. It is always with us on scouts and during shoots. Artemis allows the director and I to share how we see things with each other and with the rest of the crew.” Robert McLachlan ASC, CSC: Director / Cinematographer Landman, Yellowstone, Game of Thrones, Westworld - “On Game of Thrones we scouted locations months in advance. Artemis allowed me to communicate our needs to the VFX and art departments. It was critical in planning the Dance of Dragons sequence.” Artemis also offers: - Virtual Stand-Ins, to assist in blocking actors - Custom Frame-lines - Share camera & lens setups with other Artemis users - Record Images & Videos - Gallery for sorting and planning - Export of Shot-lists & Storyboards - Export of detailed Shot-Plans with sun position data (if paired with the Helios app) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Shadow Planner
Visualize sun and shadow placement on real-world maps before filming. Scout locations by dropping virtual objects, simulating light movement throughout the day, and measuring distances for precise rigging. Export scenes for planning and collaboration.
- Real sun and shadow simulation on maps
- 3D terrain and buildings for accurate shadows
- Place and manipulate virtual frames and objects
- Simulate light movement from sunrise to sunset
- Measure distances and gear ranges
- Export scenes and share links
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Scout the light before you get there. Shadow Planner puts a real sun on a real map. Drop your overheads on the actual location, scrub the day from sunrise to sunset, and watch true cast shadows fall across the ground in 3D — so you know what you're walking into before the truck rolls, and so does everyone you hand the page to. SCOUT ANY LOCATION • Search an address or drop straight onto your GPS position • Satellite, street and dark map styles • Real 3D buildings and terrain, so shadows fall off the geometry that's actually there • Live sun compass with azimuth and altitude KNOW WHEN YOU LOSE THE LIGHT • Sunrise, solar noon, sunset, golden hour and civil dusk for any date and any location, with the day's length • Tap any spot for a shade timeline: when it holds direct sun and when it goes into shade, across the whole day • See the sun's path arced over the map — amber where your spot has sun, blue-grey where something blocks it, so you can watch the moment the sun clears a roofline • Reads the buildings and terrain actually around it, plus your own overheads BLOCK THE SHOT TO SCALE • Drop 12x12, 20x20 and 40x40 frames, or set your own custom size • Dial height above ground, spin and tilt on every frame • Add vehicles and human stand-ins for scale • Stack as many objects as the day needs — each one colour-coded, with its own cast shadow and the area it covers SEE THE WHOLE DAY MOVE • Scrub sunrise to sunset and watch every shadow track with the sun • Pick any date and check the light for a shoot weeks out • Stand-ins and vehicles dim when they fall inside a frame's shadow MEASURE THE RIG IN 3D • Tap two points for a true diagonal distance — overhead down to ground • Know exactly where the base, the truck and the crew gear have to land • Measurements stay locked to a frame, so they update as you raise or move it • Matching gear ranges for the distance you measured, from a PeeWee dolly to a 120' Condor FEET OR METRES • One switch converts every height, span, distance and shadow area, and the gear ranges with them • Gear and frame names stay as the industry says them — a 12x12 is still a 12x12, a Condor 40' is still a Condor 40' • Your choice is remembered between sessions TAKE IT BACK TO THE OFFICE • Save a location by name with its camera angle, date, time, every frame, the measurement and the shade you picked — long-press to rename • Six stops in a day, all still there tomorrow • Export a letter-size page carrying the location, date, time, sun position, sunrise and sunset, the rig you had up, and the lift sizes that reach — so the gaffer, the AD and the office are all reading the same sheet • Same page on every device, straight to Photos, Files or Messages • On iPad, drag the menu panels into the order you work in • Full undo and redo Built by a working cinematographer for tech scouts, gaffers, grips, DPs, location managers and anyone who has ever guessed where the shadow would be. No account. No subscription. No tracking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Artemis Director's Viewfinder at Free against Shadow Planner's $29.99. Artemis Director's Viewfinder also leads on review sentiment (63% vs 40%) and ratings volume (190 vs 3). Shadow Planner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Artemis Director's Viewfinder is free to download; Shadow Planner costs $29.99 up front. Artemis Director's Viewfinder sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Shadow Planner asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.1 for Artemis Director's Viewfinder against 4.0 for Shadow Planner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Artemis Director's Viewfinder has 190 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Artemis Director's Viewfinder's written reviews are positive against 40% of Shadow Planner's.
Artemis Director's Viewfinder ships an update every 3 days, Shadow Planner every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Artemis Director's Viewfinder | Shadow Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $29.99 |
| Rating | 4.1 (190 ratings) — better | 4.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 63.0% of reviews — better | 40.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 190 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 85 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chemical Wedding | Christopher Fenner |
Customer experience
Artemis Director's Viewfinder
Shadow Planner
Bugs and requests
Artemis Director's Viewfinder
Reported bugs
19 issues- App crashes on launch after iOS updates
- Photos disappear from library and app after taking them
- Focus issues in viewfinder - won't focus or loses focus during recording
- App freezes when viewing previously taken photos
- Performance degradation with photo albums exceeding 80 images
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- 4-second delay between photo captures
- Photo button not registering properly
- App closes when changing camera or format settings
- Folder order reverses unexpectedly
- Cloud sync failures between devices
- Photo archiving errors - wrong photos get archived
- Export functionality extremely slow and difficult
- App crashes on iPad without apparent cause
- Lag in photo trigger - photos taken 2 seconds late
- Focal length display blur in some cases
- Custom frame line ratios don't affect composition guide overlay
- Scene viewing causes app to freeze
- Keyboard won't dismiss when reporting bugs
- Data loss after version 7.0 update
Requested features
16 requests- Add Nikon ZR camera support
- Update database with newer camera models (Canon RF mount, Fuji X-H2S, Lumix models)
- Widget for quick app launch
- Save multiple camera and lens profiles for quick switching
- Custom anamorphic squeeze ratios
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- Crosshair composition tool
- Lock screen widget functionality
- Ability to import custom logos instead of Artemis branding
- QR code export for camera/lens settings
- Live depth of field calculator on screen
- Better LUT options
- Support for more prosumer lenses (Sigma, Tamron, Sony G Master)
- PDF export for shot lists
- Ability to customize frame guide ratios independent of camera sensor ratio
- Video recording at higher frame rates
- S16 lens support expansion
Shadow Planner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Artemis Director's Viewfinder
- Monthly$3.991 Month
- Annual$16.991 Year
- External Camera Mode$9.99
- Helios View$9.99
- Core License$29.99
Shadow Planner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Artemis Director's Viewfinder free?
Is Shadow Planner free?
Which has better reviews, Artemis Director's Viewfinder or Shadow Planner?
Do Artemis Director's Viewfinder or Shadow Planner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Artemis Director's Viewfinder or Shadow Planner?
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