Over the past couple of years I've been doing a lot more portrait photography and even getting my work in print. I've also been teaching some lighting and workflow workshops here and there. Now whenever I do a shoot I try to remember to document the setup because inevitably if the shot is popular someone will ask "how did you light that?" Sylights is a website and an iOS App that allows you to create lighting diagrams using common symbols. You can drag in the symbols you need to document your setup from the built-in library of symbols. Once the symbol is on the layout you can move it, rotate it and resize it. You can also lock these attributes so that you aren't accidentally changing them once you have them where you want. The App makes good use of multi-touch gestures.
It's great, but I want more
The Sylights App performs as advertised and it's definitely hard to beat the price (FREE). However, now that I've used it I want some more features and perhaps it's time for a "plus" version that is paid. In the Paid version I'd like to have the ability to not only save my diagrams to the device, but also to the cloud so that I can create, edit or view diagrams either on my device or the website. I'd also like to be able to add my own custom vector symbols. These apps usually lack a tri-flector symbol and I use one all the time. While this is great to have on the iPhone, I'd use it even more if it were a native iPad app. Lastly I'd like to be able to incorporate a picture of the setup. Why not allow you to use your iOS device's camera to snap a photo of the actual setup? Sylights as is performs as advertised, but this free version only makes me want more features that I'd be willing to pay for in a paid version.
Update: I was informed by the developer that you actually can attach up to 5 photos to your diagram, both via the website or in the App. Thanks! Off to go play with that feature now.
You can get Sylights for FREE here from the 
This is great, because I get people wanting to know how I would light something or how I did light something! This would be great on the iPad2, I would also wish for a way to take your lighting diagram and rotate it to a side view, so you could show a reference to heights and angles of the lighting set up. Thanks for the heads up! I’m downloading it now…
You actually have the option of taking a setup picture with your iPhone or choose one from the photo library. But you do it in the diagrams list, not in edit mode. In the diagrams list just click the diagram and then click the icon with the 2 polaroid pictured (second from the left). I have been using both the website and the iPhone App, and I have been active in the feedback section on their page, and several of my improvement ideas is actually implemented, so I urge everyone to go to over to http://feedback.sylights.com/ and vote for the idea of editing the diagram from the iPhone on the website and vice versa. As for the iPad App, I guess Olivier Lance has already given some inside information on that here: http://feedback.sylights.com/forums/45941-sylights/suggestions/834647-allow-usage-via-ipad-there-is-no-right-click-on-?ref=comments
Terry, thanks a lot for your great review!
I just wanted to precise you can actually attach up to 5 photos to your diagrams, on the website as well as on the iOS app!
In iOS, just tap your diagram in the diagrams list and you’ll get some options (just like in the Twitter app), including the ability to take a picture with your built-in camera
Olivier
(Sylights co-founder)
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