ShadowMagic vs MyETC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ShadowMagic
A virtual lighting simulator for theatrical and stage design. Visualize lighting, color, shadows, and scenery with realistic fixtures and over 1600 gel colors. Save and share your designs.
- Virtual light lab and Black Box theatre
- Realistic Source Four® Spotlight and Fresnel fixtures
- Zoom and dimming capabilities with photometric accuracy
- Over 1600 gel colors from major manufacturers
- Precise fixture positioning and auto-focus
- Save, organize, and share designs as PDF reports
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A virtual light lab, or Black Box theatre for visualizing lighting, color, shadows, and scenery. The lab has a 40’ x 30’ stage and a 40' x 20' cyclorama. The theatre space is 80’ wide, 40’ high, and 80’ deep. Designers can choose up to eight fixtures to light a very basic scene. Two types of lights are available. The Source Four® Spotlight is available with 14°, 26°, 19°, 36°, 50° lens barrels. The The Source Four® 7” Fresnel may also be selected and zooms from full flood at 65° to spot focus with a beam angle of 20°. All of the beam spreads are photometrically correct. The lamp for both fixtures is a 750 W HPL, and when it is dimmed the color temperature decreases from 3200° K at full down to 2300° when the light is at 4%. Each light can be dimmed individually or the entire scene lowered using a grand master. Intensity has a resolution of 1%. A theatre lighting simulator would not be complete without gels and we have over 1600 colors to choose from the 4 major manufacturers. The gels can be assembled into a collection called a gel string and any color from the string can be applied to each light. Each of the lights may be positioned anywhere around the theatre to simulate booms, shinbusters, or the balcony rail. Resolution of the position is 0.1 feet. When focused on the actor, the lights are auto-focused so you can move the light’s position and see the resulting angle. Lights focused on the backdrop are focused manually by touching the cyc. When you move or rotate the actor, the lights will follow and stay focused right in the center of the body. Scenes may be saved and organized into projects. Both can be shared as a .pdf report with colleagues and friends to show off your ideas. While simple in concept and operation, ShadowMagic has subtleties such as reflections from a matte gray stage covering and the coloring of shadows from other light fixtures. From beginners to seasoned professionals, ShadowMagic makes visualizing and lighting a scene much quicker and easier and more fun.
MyETC
Estimate luminaire performance on stage with dynamic photometric data. Configure, compare, and save custom photometrics for any fixture, including gel libraries and DMX values. Quickly access condensed datasheet information for ETC fixtures.
- Dynamic photometric data estimation
- Fixture configuration and comparison
- Customizable photometrics
- Full gel libraries with DMX values
- Condensed datasheet information
- Save favorite fixtures
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The MyETC: Photometrics app helps you estimate how an ETC luminaire will perform on stage by providing dynamic photometric data. MyETC: Photometrics pulls photometry from across a fixture product line and combines it into an intuitive app for all your design and fixture comparison needs. Designers, specifiers, and lighting enthusiasts can easily configure and display customized photometrics for each fixture in any color, compare products, and save favorites. Full gel libraries are included with DMX and full spectral values so you can easily reproduce any gel color you’ve used in the past. Select any ETC fixture and its array and quickly get condensed datasheet information. Meet your new swatchbook in the MyETC: Photmetrics app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShadowMagic at 100% against MyETC's 0%. ShadowMagic also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0). MyETC's advantage is price (Free vs $14.99) and ratings volume (8 vs 2). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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
MyETC is free to download; ShadowMagic costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ShadowMagic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of ShadowMagic's written reviews are positive against 0% of MyETC's.
ShadowMagic ships an update every 3 months, MyETC every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | ShadowMagic | MyETC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.0 (8 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 8 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 114 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Crossroads Motorsport, LLC | Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc. |
Customer experience
ShadowMagic
MyETC
In-app purchases
ShadowMagic
No in-app purchases
MyETC
No in-app purchases









