Built for how tracing actually works.
True-size grids
Metric 1 cm grid, or imperial 1-inch grid with 1/4-inch subdivisions — sized from each device's actual panel geometry, so 1 cm on the screen is 1 cm on the paper.
Warm to cool light
Color temperature from 2700 K (warm) to 6500 K (daylight), rendered from black-body values — pick the light that lets your pencil lines read through the paper.
Real full brightness
The brightness slider reaches the display's true peak — on HDR displays it rides the extra headroom past normal screen white, so two sheets of paper still glow.
Touch lock
One tap locks the screen so resting palms and shifting paper don't trigger anything. Hold to unlock — deliberate, so it never happens by accident.
Controls that step aside
The control bar fades out while you work and comes back with a tap. The whole screen is light — no chrome competing with your paper.
Private by design
Fully offline. No account, no permissions, no analytics, no tracking — and free with no ads. It is a light box; it behaves like one.
Questions, answered.
Which devices does LightPad run on?
Any iPhone or iPad running iOS 16 or later. On devices with HDR displays, the top of the brightness range extends past normal screen white; on other devices it reaches the panel's hardware maximum.
Are the grids really true to size?
Yes. Grid spacing is computed from each device model's actual panel geometry and verified against physical rulers. If you ever measure a deviation on your device, please report it — model name plus the measured error is enough.
The screen doesn't seem as bright as it could be.
Check that Low Power Mode is off — iOS caps display brightness while it's on. Very warm color temperatures also emit less total light than neutral white; try moving toward 6500 K for maximum punch-through on thick paper.
Does LightPad collect any data?
No. LightPad is fully offline, requests no permissions, and collects nothing. Details in the privacy policy.