Comparison

Screen Light Color vs Photographers Light Table

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Screen Light Color

Transform your device's screen into a customizable light panel without distractions. Easily adjust to any color for various uses, from photography to tracing and mood lighting. Unlock advanced features like precise color temperature control and external display mirroring through in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Adjustable color panel
  • Distraction-free interface
  • Photography lighting
  • Tracing and animation lightbox
  • Color matching reference
  • Night light functionality
  • External display control
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a clean, full-screen color light. Pick any color, adjust the brightness, then hide the controls so the display becomes the light — with nothing else in the way. Screen Light Color is useful as: → A studio light for accent or soft fill lighting → A lightbox / light table for tracing, drawing, animation, film negatives, radiographs, and more → A color reference and matching tool → A night light or screen flashlight → A red light for stargazing, night walks, or darkroom use → A beacon, visual signal, or mood light Made to stay out of your way: → Open colors from Home Screen widgets or Control Center → Use Siri and Shortcuts to open the app and set colors → Use Split View and multiple windows on iPad, each with its own color → Temporarily disable touch to prevent accidental taps or palm input → Use custom in-app screen brightness without changing your device brightness elsewhere → Navigate the app with VoiceOver Want more control? An optional in-app purchase unlocks: → Precision white-balance controls for warmer or cooler light, including magenta/green tint → Hue, saturation, brightness, RGB, and HEX controls → Saving as many custom color swatches as you want → Sync saved colors across your devices with iCloud → External-display support, so you can turn a TV or connected display into a larger light panel using AirPlay or a cable Simple when you want it. Precise when you need it.

About

Photographers Light Table

Transform your mobile device into a portable light table for viewing film negatives, prints, and creating astrophotography calibration flats. Offers adjustable brightness, white balance, and an optional grid overlay for precise alignment and accurate color work.

Highlights
  • Device to light table transformation
  • Adjustable brightness control
  • Adjustable white balance
  • Optional grid overlay
  • User-friendly interface
Features
Read full description

Photographers Light Table turns your iPhone or iPad into a clean, evenly lit surface for viewing film negatives and slides, checking prints, and shooting astrophotography calibration flats. Precise, portable, and ready whenever you are. VIEW FILM AND SLIDES Backlight negatives, transparencies, and contact sheets for inspection, DSLR scanning, or digitising — no bulky light box required. PRECISE LIGHT CONTROL Dial in brightness and colour temperature with full-width sliders and live readouts, from warm tungsten to daylight. Pick any custom colour, and keep the ones you use most one tap away. GRID OVERLAY Turn on an adjustable grid for alignment, framing, and repeatable setups. REMOTE CONTROL Adjust your light table from another device without touching it — handy when it's under a camera or telescope. Use any web browser on your WiFi, or a nearby iPhone or iPad directly, with no shared network needed. Group several tables and drive them together, or focus any single one. An optional PIN keeps your table private. SAVED SCENES Store your setups by name and recall them instantly. Apply, rename, and export scenes right from the remote, and back them up or move them between devices. LIGHT EFFECTS Gentle, photosensitivity-safe effects — Breathe, Colour Cycle, and Candle — plus your own programmable colour sequences. ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY FLATS Produce an even, stable illuminated field for flat frames, with fine brightness control and steady output. Photographers Light Table is free and supported by ads. A one-time Premium purchase removes them.

Screenshots

Screen Light Color4 screens
Photographers Light Table4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Screen Light Color at 4.5 against Photographers Light Table's 2.3. Screen Light Color also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 50%) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Screen Light Color sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Photographers Light Table sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Screen Light Color holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Screen Light Color has 495 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Screen Light Color's written reviews are positive against 50% of Photographers Light Table's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Screen Light Color ships an update every 5 weeks, Photographers Light Table every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Screen Light Color versus Photographers Light Table: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScreen Light ColorPhotographers Light Table
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (495 ratings) — better2.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews89.6% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings495 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrian Li Sui FongWilliam Termini

Customer experience

Screen Light Color

All ratings485 ratings
Positive87.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive89.6%
Neutral3.0%
Negative7.5%

Photographers Light Table

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Screen Light Color

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Paid features not functioning as advertised
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to show multiple colors at once
  • Random color generator slideshow option
  • Support for Split View on iPad
  • Option to add the app to Control Center

Photographers Light Table

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Screen Light Color

One-time2
  • Tip Jar$3.99
  • Unlock Extra Features$3.99
1 purchases

Photographers Light Table

One-time1
  • Premium (Ad-Free)$1.99

Questions

Is Screen Light Color free?
Screen Light Color is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Photographers Light Table free?
Photographers Light Table is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Screen Light Color or Photographers Light Table?
Screen Light Color is rated higher. Screen Light Color averages 4.5 out of 5 from 495 ratings, while Photographers Light Table averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Screen Light Color or Photographers Light Table have ads?
Photographers Light Table shows ads; Screen Light Color does not.
Which is updated more often, Screen Light Color or Photographers Light Table?
Screen Light Color ships an update every 5 weeks, and Photographers Light Table every 3 weeks. Most recently, Screen Light Color was updated on October 29, 2026 and Photographers Light Table on October 24, 2026.

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