Trace a photo online

How it works

1. Choose a photoPress Photo in the toolbar (or drag a picture onto the canvas). It appears faintly under your drawing.
2. Set the guide strengthUse the Guide slider: stronger while you find the main shapes, fainter as you add your own lines.
3. Draw over itTrace the outlines with the pencil, then commit with the brush and add colour.
4. Remove the photoPress Remove to see your drawing on its own. The photo is never included in your saved PNG.

The photo is read directly by your browser and stays on your device — it isn’t uploaded, and it isn’t saved with the drawing.

Is tracing cheating?

No — it’s how a lot of artists learn and work. Tracing teaches your hand the real shapes and proportions of things, which is exactly what beginners struggle with. Illustrators trace reference for poses, tattoo artists trace stencils, and animators have traced on light boxes for a century.

The trick is to trace actively: look for the big shapes first (circles, boxes, triangles), notice where things line up, and simplify. Then try drawing the same subject again without the photo. You’ll be surprised how much stuck.

Which photos trace well

• Strong, simple lighting — a clear light side and shadow side.
• A clear outline — a pet against a plain wall, not a pet on a patterned sofa.
• Your own photos — your cat, your house, your hand. They’re yours to draw and share.

Tracing photos you didn’t take is fine for practice, but if you publish the drawing, use your own pictures or ones you have permission to use.

From tracing to drawing freehand

Once you’ve traced a subject, follow its step-by-step tutorial to learn the shapes behind it — the cat, dog and face are good next steps. In the Draw Anything app, the Trace panel brings a photo in on its own faded layer, so you can draw over it on a layer above and keep both in the same file on your phone or iPad.