It’s nice taking a time off from games to check out what other types of AR apps out there. Today I came across an app called “Paper Lightbox – Collage Frame”. This app lets you create your own stunning virtual paper Light Box / Shadow Box
I love artistic AR apps. The last one I tried was Flotogram and I really liked it. Paper Lightbox can be used without AR, but I think that AR is the best way to showcase your beautiful paper lightbox masterpiece.
The app features an advanced interactive design tool. A Light Box/shadow Box is composed of several cut paper layers or pages as it’s called in the app. The editing of the lightbox is done in 2D, not in AR. You can see the layered art, browse through the pages layer by layer, rearrange the pages, cut out and adjust shapes using anchor points, add new paper items from a large selection, move, rotate, set background photo and more.
You can also choose from a wide variety of beautiful pre-made paper lightboxes that other people have made and save them as lock screen beaming wallpaper if you like.
The Paper Lightbox can be displayed, rotated and modified in standard 3D or you can tap the AR mode to see it in augmented reality. In AR you can place it everywhere you want, move it around and rotate it. For both, you can set the lighting on and off, set the table material, choose the type of lighting, apply a color switching interval, apply the direction and flow speed for the rainbow lighting and more.
Users can import photos or make their own original paper cuts. You can export your art to a PDF file and print your real paper lightbox pages out if you like. There are more than 30 LED lighting effects for illumination that look amazing in the dark. the online gallery is a great place to get inspiration from.
The end result is a stunning digital paper lightbox art that really stands out, especially in augmented reality. I personally think that it looks better in the dark. After placing the paper lightbox on the table, I closed the light to see how it looks in the dark. It turned out to look even more mesmerizing than in a lit room.
Paper Lightbox Collage Frame won my hurt with its beautiful aesthetics, complementary lighting effects and great editing tools. There is also an option to share your artwork with friends. The app has a nice tutorial that shows you what each button does. It has a medium learning curve but I think that after like half an hour with it, you’ll be fluid with it.
There is also an option to purchase two types of add-ons for $1.99 each. The first one is a lightbox that shines in rainbow colors and the second is a crystal frame with 20+ LED colors. I haven’t bought it, so I can’t provide any feedback on that.
Conclusion
Paper Lightbox is an amazing app for artists and anyone who enjoy creativity. It’s a professional tool that gives you complete freedom for creating your own beautiful paper cut light boxes. It’s like the perfect virtual DIY Paper Lightbox tool you can ask for, it’s so rich in features and the visual presentation is second to none. You can even visit the online art gallery and see what people create with it, it’s amazing.
Apart from being a great creation tool, I found it to also be a very relaxing experience. The Augmented Reality mode enhances the experience. It’s beautiful being able to actually see your virtually designed art coming to life in your bedroom or wherever you decide to play it. It is less accessible than I wanted it to be, but till, artistic people need that large selection of tools to be able to create amazing artworks, which is for whom this app is aimed for—Recommended!
You can download Paper Lightbox from the App Store here.