Comparison

Value Study vs Colorwaver

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

Head to head
About

Value Study

This app helps artists improve their skills by analyzing light and shadow in reference images. It allows users to break down tones step-by-step, from simple black and white to more complex value ranges, aiding in the understanding of depth and form. It's a tool to enhance traditional art studies.

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

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/

About

Colorwaver

Discover natural color palettes from your environment. This tool is ideal for artists, designers, and developers seeking inspiration. Capture and analyze colors to create unique palettes.

Highlights
  • Natural colorwave discovery
  • Palette generation
  • Color analysis from surroundings
  • Inspiration for artists and designers
  • Developer-friendly color tools
Features
Read full description

The perfect app for artists, designers and developers - find natural colorwaves and palettes in your surroundings!

Screenshots

Value Study4 screens
Colorwaver4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Colorwaver at none against Value Study's 7. Colorwaver also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.6). Value Study's advantage is ratings volume (3.3K vs 7) and review sentiment (92% vs 80%). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Value Study sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Colorwaver asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Value Study against 4.7 for Colorwaver. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Value Study has 3.3K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Value Study's written reviews are positive against 80% of Colorwaver's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Value Study versus Colorwaver: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterValue StudyColorwaver
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (3.3K ratings) — better4.7 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews92.0% of reviews — better80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3.3K — better7
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.611.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size35 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiem LimitedMarc Rousavy

Customer experience

Value Study

All ratings3,333 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews200 reviews
Positive92.0%
Neutral1.5%
Negative6.5%

Colorwaver

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Value Study

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

4 requests
  • 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

Colorwaver

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Value Study

Subscriptions2
  • Value Study Pro$3.991 Year
  • Value Study Pro (yearly)$6.991 Year
One-time5
  • Appreciation$2.99
  • Value Study Pro (Lifetime)$9.99
  • Generous boost$9.99
Show 2 more
  • Value Study$17.99
  • Amazing supporter$24.99
None

Colorwaver

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Value Study free?
Value Study is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Colorwaver free?
Colorwaver is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Value Study or Colorwaver?
Value Study is rated higher. Value Study averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Colorwaver averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.
Do Value Study or Colorwaver have ads?
Neither Value Study nor Colorwaver shows ads.

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