Comparison

Photo Tools HD vs Light Paint

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

Head to head
About

Photo Tools HD

Features
Read full description

Create stunning images, artistic effects, social media content, collages, GIFs and more with professional editing features designed for everyone. Edit photo • Professional photo editor • Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, warmth, and more • Crop, rotate, flip, and resize photos • Enhance image quality instantly Filters and effects • Beautiful photo filters • Vintage, cinematic, black & white, and artistic effects • AI-powered art filters • Creative glitter effects Background remover • Remove photo backgrounds automatically • Create transparent PNG images • Replace or edit backgrounds easily Collages • Create stunning photo collages • Multiple grid layouts and templates • Customize spacing, borders, and backgrounds Image compressor • Reduce image file size • Compress photos without noticeable quality loss • Optimize images for sharing and storage GIF maker • Convert videos to GIFs • Convert image sequences to GIFs • Create animated content in seconds • Popular formats PNG, JPEG, MP4, MPEG, FLV etc. Frames and shapes • Add stylish photo frames • Use heart, circle, square, and custom shapes • Create unique social media posts Watermarks • Add text watermarks • Protect your photos and artwork • Customize fonts, colors, and opacity Colorize photo • Bring old black-and-white photos to life • Add realistic colors automatically • Restore memories with AI technology More to love it • Fast and easy-to-use interface • Professional editing tools • High-quality exports • Perfect for social media creators • All essential photo tools in one app Create, edit, customize and share amazing photos with Photo Tools HD. Terms of Use: https://sites.google.com/view/iterms/ Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/ipprivacy-policy/

About

Light Paint

Create stunning light art and timelapses with professional camera controls and real-time previews. Capture city lights, fire spinning, star trails, and more with intuitive tools and creative effects.

Highlights
  • Manual camera controls (ISO, shutter, focus)
  • Live light trail preview
  • Advanced frame blending
  • Timelapse and video creation
  • Multiple light painting profiles
  • Real-time color grading
Features
Read full description

Paint with light. Watch it happen. Turn a flashlight, LED wand, or light whip into glowing trails. Light Paint's real-time camera shows your painting as you make it, so you can shape the effect while capturing photos, videos, or timelapses on iPhone and iPad. Pick a camera profile, dim the lights, and start moving. PAINT SOLO OR DIRECT A PERFORMANCE Start with a simple light and a phone on a tripod. Use the front camera to see yourself while you paint, or the rear camera to film friends, dancers, and performers. Watch the trails build live, adjust the look, and capture your creation. PUT THE CAMERA UNDER YOUR CONTROL Fine-tune exposure, trail length, frame blending, color, and effects. Use camera profiles or save your own setup. Updated for iOS 27, with Camera Control button integration on supported iPhones and aperture controls for iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. PERFORM TO YOUR SOUNDTRACK Explore 500+ royalty-free tracks in the integrated music library. Choose a song, play it while you record, and include the music in your saved video. Connect a Bluetooth speaker to bring the soundtrack to your performance. Use the same library to mix music into edited videos or generate performances in Studio. TAKE YOUR LIGHT PAINTING TO THE BIG SCREEN Send your live light painting to a TV, backyard projector, or external monitor through a compatible USB-C HDMI connection. Your audience sees the painting while you keep the camera controls on your device. Build a connected setup with a compatible USB-C hub and Power Delivery: power your iPhone or iPad, output to an external screen, use a USB-C microphone for audio input, and connect external storage. Save recordings and projects to a supported external drive to free up device space and take your work with you. BUILD AND EXPLORE IN STUDIO Step into a full light-painting camera simulation studio. Build scenes, position cameras and performers, choose lights, and experiment with trails and effects. Rehearse a real performance or create a complete video inside Studio. Generate performances from tracks in the music library. Bring real movement into your scenes with motion capture, combine performers, and develop your own choreography. Build a show, refine the camera view, and export an immersive performance video. EDIT THE WHOLE SHOW Bring your footage into the video editor, trim and arrange clips, and mix in music. Create vertical 9:16 videos or widescreen 16:9 projects, with 4K and 1080p export options. With Pro, the Blender plugin turns ordinary video into light trails. Create a fresh look from footage you already have. KEEP YOUR CREATIONS TOGETHER Browse photos and videos in the media gallery, revisit recordings, and continue working on saved video projects. Customize your home screen with color themes and keep favorite camera setups ready for your next session. CONTROL IT FROM YOUR WRIST OR WITH YOUR VOICE Use Apple Watch to preview the camera, capture photos, start and stop recording, and adjust supported settings. Use Siri for camera actions and Now Playing for music playback controls. CREATE WITH THE COMMUNITY Share photos, videos, camera profiles, Studio scenes, and performances with other Light Paint users. Discover ideas, try shared setups, and build on what other creators are making. Start with one light. See what you can create. Some features require Pro or a Production license. Camera controls, export options, motion capture, and external connections depend on your device and compatible accessories. EULA: https://shutterspeedapps.com/lightpainted/tos/ Privacy: https://shutterspeedapps.com/lightpainted/privacy/ AI Usage Policy: https://shutterspeedapps.com/lightpainted/aiusage?lang=en

Screenshots

Photo Tools HD3 screens
Light Paint4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Light Paint at every 5 days against Photo Tools HD's every 2 months. On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Photo Tools HD sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Light Paint sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Photo Tools HD ships an update every 2 months, Light Paint every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Photo Tools HD versus Light Paint: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhoto Tools HDLight Paint
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—6 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size62 MB136 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOlekcii PonomarenkoShutter Speed Apps, LLC

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Photo Tools HD

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly subscription7 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Monthly subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Yearly subscription7 Days trial$69.991 Year
7 purchases

Light Paint

Subscriptions4
  • LightPaint Pro — Monthly$0.991 Month
  • LightPaint Pro — 3 Months$2.493 Months
  • LightPaint Pro — 1 Year$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Production Display$99.991 Year
One-time3
  • 5 AI Scene Analyses$1.99
  • 20 AI Scene Analyses$5.99
  • LightPaint Pro — Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Photo Tools HD free?
Photo Tools HD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Light Paint free?
Light Paint is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Photo Tools HD or Light Paint have ads?
Neither Photo Tools HD nor Light Paint shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Photo Tools HD or Light Paint?
Photo Tools HD ships an update every 2 months, and Light Paint every 5 days. Most recently, Photo Tools HD was updated on October 25, 2026 and Light Paint on October 26, 2026.

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