Pencilera is an innovative iPad app that turns your Apple Pencil into a camera remote. Whether you're taking a group photo or just want to capture the perfect shot from a distance, Pencilera provides a simple yet powerful solution by utilizing the gestures supported by Apple Pencil.
- Camera Remote: Use your Apple Pencil to control the camera on your iPad. Double-tap gestures on Apple Pencil 2 and squeeze gestures on Apple Pencil Pro can be used to capture photos.
- Remote Flip: Use either gesture on Apple Pencil Pro to remotely switch between your front and back camera.
- Easy Setup: Simply install the app, and you're ready to start using your Apple Pencil as a camera remote.
- Privacy Focused: Pencilera does not collect any personal data, ensuring that your privacy is maintained at all times.
- Free and Open Source: Pencilera is completely free to use, with optional tips to support development. The app is open source, allowing developers to contribute and learn from the project.
To build the project locally:
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Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/OmChachad/Pencilera.git
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Navigate to the project directory:
cd pencilera -
Open the project in Swift Playgrounds on iPad or Mac:
open Pencilera.swiftpm
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Resolve dependencies: Pencilera uses several Swift packages that need to be resolved before using.
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Build and run the project:
- If you're using it via Xcode on Mac
- Select the Pencilera target.
- Choose your preferred connected iPad.
- Click the Run button or press
Cmd + R.
- If you're using Swift Playgrounds on iPad - Click the Play Button to Run
- If you're using it via Xcode on Mac
Download Pencilera from the App Store.
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Double Tap:
- If you have an Apple Pencil 2nd Generation, double tap its stem to instantly capture a photo.
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Squeeze:
- If you have an Apple Pencil Pro, squeeze its stem to capture a photo. (or, use Settings to reconfigure this to flipping the camera)
We welcome contributions from the community! To contribute:
- Fork the repository.
- Create a new branch for your feature or bug fix:
git checkout -b feature-name
- Make your changes and commit them:
git commit -m "Description of your feature or fix" - Push to your branch:
git push origin feature-name
- Create a Pull Request on GitHub.
Pencilera leverages several open-source packages to enhance its functionality:
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VariableBlurView: A Swift-based package that provides a customizable blur effect. It’s a one-file, App Store upload-safe version of Janum Trivedi's variable blur effect, obfuscated to bypass Apple’s private API restrictions while remaining functional. | Used during onboarding
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FluidGradient: A Swift package designed to create animated fluid gradients for modern UI designs. It provides an easy-to-use interface for generating smooth, colorful gradients with motion effects. | Used during onboarding to provide the background
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WhatsNewKit: A Swift package for displaying "What's New" updates in iOS apps. It allows developers to easily showcase recent changes or new features with customizable views and animations. It includes a built-in UI for rich feature descriptions and supports localization. | Used during onboarding to inform users about new features after app updates
Pencilera is developed and maintained by Starlight Apps LLP.
Pencilera v1.0 was built on top of Apple's Capturing and Saving a Photo Sample Swift Playground. | Pencilera v2.0 was rebuilt, and no longer relies on the sample code for capturing photos.
Thanks to Arnav Hattiholi for design direction during the process of designing the app icon. The camera lens in the icon is built on top of this Figma Project from Jia.
Thanks to Arsh Jiwani and Joshua Bosco for helping me film the advertisement.
For any inquiries or feedback, please open an issue on GitHub or contact us at [email protected].
This project is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal License - see the LICENSE file for details.