Comparison

Values at Play vs Color Study

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

Head to head
About

Values at Play

This app helps users practice identifying and analyzing values in art. It offers tools to create value studies, inspect specific color values, and find areas matching a chosen value. Users can import their own images for practice.

Highlights
  • Create value studies from images
  • Import custom images
  • Inspect Denman Ross and RGB values
  • Find points matching selected values
  • Colorized value studies
  • Full-screen value study viewing
Features
Read full description

Use "Values at Play" to practice seeing values in art. Practice with one of the images included in the app or import your own image. Values at Play includes: VALUE STUDY Create a Value Study for any image. Choose the number of values to include in the study, and the value study will be created within seconds! View the value study full-screen, and easily toggle between it and the original image. Create "colorized" value studies. IMAGE INSPECTOR Use Image Inspector to find the Denman Ross Value and RGB value of any point on an image. VALUE FINDER Find all the points on an image with the value you've selected. VALUES-TAC-TOE Drag the cross hair to a precise location on the image you've selected. Do you know the value at that point? If so, you're on your way to a "Values-Tac-Toe." If not, keep practicing.

About

Color Study

This tool helps artists analyze images by simplifying colors, values, and shapes. It provides guidance for mixing paints to match observed colors and offers advanced features for deeper artistic study. Organize your work and sync across devices.

Highlights
  • Image simplification for color and value
  • Accurate color picker with magnification
  • Paint mixing guidance with real-time feedback
  • Value, saturation, and color code inspection
  • Interactive value, shape, and temperature maps
  • Project organization and iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Color Study is a tool for artists to simplify images, study color and value, and accurately match colors through paint mixing. Load any photo and reduce it to clear shapes and essential color information. Color Study generates a clear color map of your reference and provides guidance for mixing paints to match the colors you see, giving you a practical guide you can use at the easel or in study. Focus on the fundamentals that matter in drawing and painting. Made for artists Core tools: • Accurate color picker with magnification and pixel averaging options • Place and customize color markers directly on your reference • Inspect value, saturation, and color codes (RGB, HSV, HSL, CMYK, LAB) • Automatically extract key colors and accents in an image, and mark their locations • Compare colors to assess value, relative temperature, saturation, and perceptual difference • Customizable grid overlay for precise alignment Advanced tools: • Interactive value maps, shape simplification, temperature maps and notan controls • Paint-mixing guidance designed for opaque paints, with real-time feedback from photographed mixes • Export analysis views and color maps as images for reference or study • Advanced grid controls for precision alignment and subdivision • Generate simplified line drawings and contour maps to clarify structure, edges, and major shapes • Organize your work into projects with images, paint palettes, and artwork details • iCloud sync keeps your projects and palettes in sync across all your Apple devices Advanced tools available with subscription. Train your artistic eye Color Study is not a design tool or palette generator. It is a learning tool for painters, illustrators, and art students who want to analyze what they see and make better decisions in their artwork. Study master paintings, analyze your own photos, and deepen your understanding of value structure, color harmony, and visual design. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Values at Play4 screens
Color Study4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Color Study at every 11 days against Values at Play's every 5 months. Color Study also leads on ratings volume (541 vs 6) and chart position (#144 vs unranked). Values at Play's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 87%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Values at Play sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Color Study sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Values at Play against 4.9 for Color Study. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Color Study has 541 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Values at Play's written reviews are positive against 87% of Color Study's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Values at Play ships an update every 5 months, Color Study every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Values at Play versus Color Study: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterValues at PlayColor Study
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better4.9 (541 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better86.6% of reviews
Number of ratings6541 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank—#144 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB175 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNeil DalyBrushLabs LLC

Customer experience

Values at Play

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Color Study

All ratings541 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive86.6%
Neutral7.5%
Negative6.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Values at Play

One-time1
  • Values at Play Unlimited$4.99
5 purchases

Color Study

Subscriptions3
  • Color Study Pro monthly2 variants$4.991 Month
  • Color Study Pro yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
  • Color Study Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • Color Study tip$1.99
  • Color Study tip$29.99

Questions

Is Values at Play free?
Values at Play is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Color Study free?
Color Study is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Values at Play or Color Study?
Values at Play is rated higher. Values at Play averages 5.0 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Color Study averages 4.9 from 541 ratings.
Do Values at Play or Color Study have ads?
Neither Values at Play nor Color Study shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Values at Play or Color Study?
Values at Play ships an update every 5 months, and Color Study every 11 days. Most recently, Values at Play was updated on October 24, 2026 and Color Study on October 31, 2026.

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