plzxplainHow to use Overlay
Overlay lets you compare your reference and artwork directly, while the painting is still easy to change. It works best as a short checking pass: align, spot one useful difference, make the correction in paint, then come back when you need another check.
Add the reference and your artwork
Open Overlay and attach the Reference first, then Your artwork. Photograph the painting as square-on as you can, in even light. A tilted photo makes a rectangular canvas look distorted and turns a simple alignment task into guesswork.
Tap Compare when both images are attached. Overlay keeps these images on your device.
Align the two images before judging them
Start in Align mode. Match an obvious anchor first: the outside of the canvas, a head, the horizon, or the largest object. Then pinch, drag and rotate until that anchor and one or two nearby landmarks sit together. For compatible portraits or figures, the app may offer an automatic starting alignment; always check it with your eye.
You do not need pixel-perfect alignment. Get the overall scale, position and angle close enough that a difference in the picture is more likely to be in the painting than in the setup.
Switch views to reveal different problems
Use the view controls according to what you are checking.
- Overlay places the images together with adjustable transparency. It is the quickest way to find shifts in placement and scale.
- Edges compares the main contours, making angle and silhouette differences easier to see.
- Diff emphasises areas that do not line up.
- Wipe lets you slide between the two images, which is useful when a full overlay feels visually busy.
Try one view, name the largest difference you see, and return to the painting. A long list of tiny mismatches is rarely as helpful as correcting one big structural issue.
The clip above keeps the same aligned pair in place while moving between all four views, so only the comparison changes—not the setup.
Frame one area when the whole image is too much
Choose Frame to place a box around the area you want to examine, such as an eye, a hand or the edge of a vase. Resize and move the box, then confirm it. This is a way to narrow your attention—not a claim that the boxed area is the only thing that matters.
Use Inspect when you want to pan and zoom around the aligned images. Work from large to small: correct the outer silhouette and major angle before spending time on a local detail.