Comparison

Shot Designer vs HollyView

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

Head to head
About

Shot Designer

Create detailed camera diagrams and shot lists quickly. Animate characters and cameras in real-time to visualize scene rhythm. Import storyboards and sync projects with your team.

Highlights
  • Real-time camera and character animation
  • Integrated shot list generation
  • Director's viewfinder and storyboard import
  • Set and lighting design tools
  • Team sharing and syncing
  • Template creation and library
Features
Read full description

WHAT IS SHOT DESIGNER? • CAMERA DIAGRAM - Shot Designer dramatically speeds up the Director's process of making camera diagrams. Create full-blown diagrams in seconds. The software does most of the work. • ANIMATION - Animate your characters and cameras to move around your diagram in real-time. Previsualize the rhythm of a scene by seeing it play out. • SHOT LIST - The integrated Shot List is tied into the diagram and writes itself while you work. Edit shots intuitively in the diagram, not in a confusing spreadsheet. • DIRECTOR'S VIEWFINDER / STORYBOARDS - Bring in lens-accurate camera angles via the integrated Director's Viewfinder or Storyboard Import. • MAC/PC DESKTOP VERSION - An identical Mac/PC Desktop Version is included with the Pro Version (in-app upgrade). • SYNC & TEAM SHARING - Sync your scenes across all your devices. Share scene folders with teams. Control who owns which scene. (Pro Feature) Watch the feature-demo at https://www.hollywoodcamerawork.com/shot-designer-videos.html CAMERA-BLOCKING ON STEROIDS Shot Designer was developed by Per Holmes, the creator of the renowned Hollywood Camera Work training, and has been developed in conjunction with major TV and Film productions. Shot Designer is based on the realization that neither Camera Diagrams, Shot Lists, or Storyboards by themselves give you a satisfying understanding of camera-blocking -- you have to use them *together*. Shot Designer is FAST. The app knows how Directing works and automatically does most of the work for you. Cameras rearrange themselves when you move characters. Animate characters and cameras with simple Walk To and Track To commands. Create sophisticated tracking shots with multiple marks. Shot Designer is fast enough that you can rearrange the diagram with actors waiting. OTHER FEATURES • Integrated Set Designer for building floor plans. • Integrated Lighting Designer for DPs, with lighting symbols provided by Ari Golan of Atomic Imaging Studios Chicago. • Import production drawings as backgrounds and block on top of them. • Factory Templates of pre-made camera setups for any situation. • Make your own templates as starting points for new scenes. • Large and growing prop/furniture library. Email us requests, we'll build them. • Scene Freeze: Experiment easily by taking snapshots you can return to (Pro). • PDF/JPG/Excel export and emailing of Camera Diagrams and Shot Lists (Pro). • Unlimited Folder Structure for organizing scenes (Pro). The Free Version of Shot Designer is full-featured except for Save, Export and Sync/Team. Your current scene is always saved, and you can be fully productive working on one scene at a time. The Pro Version (in-app upgrade) adds File Management, identical Mac/PC Desktop Version, Sync and Team Sharing, PDF/JPG/Excel Export and more.

About

HollyView

This app facilitates real-time wireless video transmission for monitoring and analysis. It allows users to doodle on images, record and share videos, and manage device firmware and diagnostics.

Highlights
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Image analysis
  • Photo doodling
  • Video recording
  • Firmware updates
  • Device diagnostics
Features
Read full description

HollyView is a wireless video transmission app by Shenzhen Hollyland Technology, enabling real-time monitoring, image analysis, photo doodling and sharing, video recording and sharing, firmware updates, and device diagnostics.

Screenshots

Shot Designer3 screens
HollyView4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shot Designer at 68% against HollyView's 15%. Shot Designer also leads on rating (3.8 vs 2.4). HollyView's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (73 vs 10). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Shot Designer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HollyView asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shot Designer holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HollyView has 73 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Shot Designer's written reviews are positive against 15% of HollyView's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Shot Designer versus HollyView: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShot DesignerHollyView
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (10 ratings) — better2.4 (73 ratings)
Positive reviews68.0% of reviews — better14.9% of reviews
Number of ratings1073 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB162 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHollywood Camera Work SRL深圳市昊一源科技有限公司

Customer experience

Shot Designer

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive68.0%
Neutral9.1%
Negative22.9%

HollyView

All ratings73 ratings
Positive32.9%
Neutral8.2%
Negative58.9%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive14.9%
Neutral19.4%
Negative65.7%

User reviews

Shot Designer

From 10 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy-to-use interface
  • 🎬 Excellent tool for shot planning and blocking
  • 📱 Seamless cross-device sync (iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC)
  • 🎨 Useful for visualizing camera movements and lighting setups
  • 📊 Ability to export to PDF and share with crew

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and white screen issues
  • 😞 App feels outdated and abandoned
  • 🔐 Login and account synchronization problems
  • 📱 Poor optimization for modern devices and screen sizes
  • ⚠️ Limited props and lighting equipment library

HollyView

From 73 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works for some users
  • 👍 Good for client viewing
  • 👍 Reliable with older versions
  • 👍 Fast connection (sometimes)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App frequently crashes
  • 🐛 Connection issues
  • 🐛 Black screen on mobile
  • 🐛 Updates break functionality
  • 🐛 Poor device compatibility

Bugs and requests

Shot Designer

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • White screen of death on app launch
  • App crashes when adding image props
  • Login not working on iPhone devices
  • Cannot register due to UI form scrolling errors
  • Keyboard overlay blocking sign-in form
Show 12 more
  • Sync deletes user work unexpectedly
  • Pro version purchase not recognized after updates
  • Cannot save designs to phone
  • App doesn't fill entire screen on modern devices
  • Lag when renaming scenes
  • Keyboard doesn't appear when naming files
  • Difficulty selecting objects when grouped closely together
  • App crashes on iPhone 6s and newer devices
  • Incompatibility with iOS 10.2 and later
  • Director's viewfinder doesn't save metadata to photo gallery
  • Cross-device sync losing work
  • Account login issues between iOS and desktop versions

Requested features

25 requests
  • Apple Pencil integration for iPad
  • Import custom designs and elements
  • Drag-and-drop file import from Files app
  • More lighting instruments and props
  • PDF export functionality
Show 20 more
  • Ability to import background images from Files app (not just Photos)
  • Copy and paste functionality
  • Assignable character names for multiple scenes
  • Moveable background images
  • Scene metadata for automatic camera labeling
  • Ability to reorder shots in Mac version
  • Undo functionality
  • iCloud sync support
  • Google Drive integration
  • Full-screen mode for modern iPhones
  • French language support
  • Spanish language support
  • Scene duplication feature
  • More than 5 pages available
  • Storyboard animation export
  • Audio/soundtrack integration
  • Script import capability
  • Hide individual objects instead of entire categories
  • Retina Display support for Mac
  • Real-time sync between devices

HollyView

Reported bugs

40 issues
  • App not recognizing phone/iPad connection
  • No feed when manually connecting
  • App only works on older devices
  • Black screen on iPad/Mac
  • App won't connect after update
Show 35 more
  • Firmware update fails
  • Constant glitching and freezing
  • WiFi issues
  • Record button placement issue on iPhone SE
  • New interface is clunky
  • Cannot import LUTs
  • App requires precise location
  • No stream on iPhone 14
  • M1 MBP not supported
  • Stream address abnormal error
  • Invisible text in stream setup
  • App goes back to connect page
  • Black screen after connecting
  • Prompted to join HLD_null network
  • Showing 'check input' error
  • Random inbuilt LUT bug
  • Screen goes black when applying installed LUTs
  • App crashes and reboots iPad
  • App quits randomly and reboots iPad
  • Struggles with distance outdoors
  • Prompts in Chinese characters
  • Black bar over video stream
  • App not working on iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • App only shows signal strength, blank screen
  • No internet connection error in WiFi option
  • Check input source error on iPhone
  • Resolution is 480p not 1080p
  • App crashes constantly
  • WiFi disconnects and app crashes
  • Scanning QR code leads to system settings
  • Manual code entry doesn't work
  • Fix LTE WiFi issue
  • App cannot connect when location/cellular disabled
  • LUTs have strange purple coloring
  • Laggy on iPad

Requested features

7 requests
  • Make auto brightness optional
  • Hide iOS application bar
  • True display out support
  • Add remember serial number feature
  • Allow deleting preset LUTs
Show 2 more
  • De-squeeze option
  • Add advanced functions like LUTS or contrast

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Shot Designer

One-time1
  • Pro Version Upgrade$19.99
None

HollyView

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shot Designer free?
Shot Designer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HollyView free?
HollyView is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shot Designer or HollyView?
Shot Designer is rated higher. Shot Designer averages 3.8 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while HollyView averages 2.4 from 73 ratings.
Do Shot Designer or HollyView have ads?
Neither Shot Designer nor HollyView shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shot Designer or HollyView?
Shot Designer ships an update monthly, and HollyView monthly. Most recently, Shot Designer was updated on September 14, 2026 and HollyView on September 23, 2026.

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