A camera plot — also called a camera diagram, shot diagram or overhead — shows where every camera stands, what each lens sees, and where the subjects, lights and set are. These are the apps people use to make one in 2026, what each does best, and what it costs. We make CamPlot, so it is on the list; every price was checked on October 4, 2026, with sources below.
| App | Best for | Runs on | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CamPlot Creator | Multicam: unscripted, live, awards, concerts, sports | Any browser, iPhone, iPad, Mac | $49.99/yr or $4.99/mo; viewers free |
| Shot Designer | Scripted blocking with animation and shot lists | iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows | Free; Pro $19.99 once |
| Cadrage Studio | Script → shot list → storyboard → diagram | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro (OS 26+) | $99.99/yr or $19.99/mo |
| Previs Pro | 3D storyboards and animatics | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro | Free tier; $119.99/yr, $39.99/mo or $359.99 lifetime |
| ShotPro | 3D previs with animated characters | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Android | $39.99 on iOS; desktop from $35 |
| set.a.light 3D | Photo-studio lighting diagrams | Mac, Windows | Perpetual licence from $129 (often on sale) |
| Keynote / PowerPoint / Slides | A quick sketch with no learning curve | Everywhere | Free or already owned |
An overhead camera plot app built by a working multicam TV director. Every camera’s cone comes from its real body, sensor window and lens; the plot carries lights, mics and cables too, and turns into a camera report and a live link the whole crew opens free.
The long-running blocking app for scripted scenes. Actors and cameras animate in real time, and the diagram generates a shot list and storyboard. CamPlot vs Shot Designer →
Launched in July 2026: an Apple-only pre-production suite that links a script, shot lists, storyboards and to-scale diagrams. CamPlot vs Cadrage →
A 3D storyboarding and animatics app: build the scene in 3D with posable characters, cut an animatic on a timeline, and send it to your editor.
3D previs with a large prop library and animated characters with facial expressions, keyframed across several cameras.
A 3D lighting simulator: place lights, modifiers and a model, and see the result before the shoot. Best known for photo-studio lighting diagrams.
Where most camera plots still start: boxes and triangles on a slide. Fine for a quick sketch.
A camera plot says where the camera goes; a viewfinder app shows what it will see from there. The four most used in 2026:
| App | Runs on | Price (USD) | Stands out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| CamPlot Director’s Viewfinder | iPhone, iPad | In CamPlot Plus ($29.99/yr or $3.99/mo) and Max | 185 real sensor windows; video with the look baked in; exposure meter; LiDAR room scan; LUT export for 18 log formats |
| Artemis Director’s Viewfinder | iPhone, iPad | Free; $3.99/mo, $16.99/yr or $29.99 Core | Weekly-updated database; virtual stand-ins; A/B camera compare; External Camera Mode |
| Cadrage Director’s Viewfinder | iPhone, iPad | $19.99 once | Thousands of cameras and lenses; anamorphic; framelines; PDF shot lists |
| Magic ViewFinder (one app per brand) | iPhone, iPad, Android | Free with ads; $4.99 once or $1.49/mo | Brand presets (ARRI, Blackmagic…); LUTs; Frame.io upload |
A camera plot — also called a camera diagram, shot diagram or overhead — is a top-down drawing of a set or venue that shows where every camera stands, which way it points and what its lens covers, along with the subjects, lights and set pieces. Directors and DPs use it to plan coverage and to hand the crew one page to work from.
For multicam work — unscripted TV, live events, concerts and sports — CamPlot Creator is built for it: many setups per project, an operator roster, coverage from each camera’s real body and lens, and a live link the whole crew views free. For single-camera scripted scenes, Shot Designer and Cadrage Studio are strong alternatives.
Shot Designer’s free version covers one scene. With CamPlot, anyone you share a plot with opens it free, and there is a free trial for building your own. Keynote, PowerPoint and Google Slides cost nothing extra but have no scale or lens accuracy.
Shot Designer has a Windows desktop app, CamPlot Creator runs in Chrome or Edge on Windows, and ShotPro and set.a.light 3D have Windows versions. Cadrage Studio and Previs Pro are Apple-only.
Artemis has the longest track record and a weekly-updated database; Cadrage is a one-time purchase with thousands of cameras and lenses; the CamPlot Director’s Viewfinder adds video with the look baked in, an exposure meter, a LiDAR room scanner and LUT export for camera log formats, and works with CamPlot Creator’s plots.
CamPlot Studio makes CamPlot, so weigh this page accordingly. We describe every other app from its own App Store listing, website and launch coverage, checked on October 4, 2026 (sources below). If something here is out of date, tell us at support@camplot.studio and we will fix it.
Built by a working multicam director and used on network television productions. Your crew views for free.