Scan a real location. Plan the light before crew call.
WATT-IF turns a LiDAR-equipped iPhone capture into a photo-textured spatial reconstruction where filmmakers can test virtual fixtures, compare estimated light values, and export a repeatable setup for the crew.
Beta. Processing time and output quality vary. Verify exposure and electrical decisions with professional tools and qualified crew.
WATT-IF combines real-location capture, lighting design, estimated light values, and crew-ready export in one mobile-first workflow. Capture-time lighting remains visible in the reconstructed surface color. Virtual lights are a planning preview.
01 / Capture
Capture the location
Walk through the space with a LiDAR-equipped iPhone. Three loops: eye-level, downward-tilted, upward-tilted. The app collects up to 1,500 frames of RGB, depth, and pose data.
iPhone 12 Pro+ · LiDAR
02 / Build
Build the spatial reconstruction
Cloud processing produces a photo-textured mesh and aligned static splat. Processing target is approximately 15 to 25 minutes; time varies by room and scan quality.
Cloud processing · Time varies
03 / Light
Test virtual fixtures and estimated light
Drop cinema fixtures into your reconstruction. Review estimated lux, ratios, and exposure values. Experiment with modifiers, color temperature, and placement. Values are estimates for planning.
Physics-informed estimates
04 / Export
Export the plan for the crew
Generate a Set Plan PDF, Recipe PNG, Gear CSV, or Digital Twin JSON. Hand the gaffer a document they can rig from. Final native export QA is pending.
PDF · PNG · CSV · JSON
Concept illustration, not current UI
The Stage · Fixture Planning Surface
Drop a fixture. Review estimated values. Plan your setup.
The Stage lets you place virtual cinema fixtures on your reconstruction and review estimated illuminance values. Lux, exposure, and electrical values are estimates and must be verified with professional tools and qualified crew on set.
Fixture-led planning
Build a virtual lighting setup with supported fixture types, modifiers, placement, and color controls. Treat manufacturer references as planning inputs, then verify the final plan on set.
Estimated light values
Review subject illuminance, key/fill relationship, exposure guidance, and power planning values as physics-informed estimates. Professional tools and qualified crew remain the final authority.
Lighting presets
Start with classic portrait patterns such as Rembrandt, Butterfly, Split, Loop, or High Key, then revise the supported fixture setup for the room in front of you.
Recipes — save the intent
Save a lighting setup with its fixtures, camera, and subject context, then revisit the plan when you need to explore a related setup.
Recipe Library
Browse curated starter recipes and adapt them to the constraints of a new scene. Their usefulness depends on the room, capture, and production context.
Concept illustration, not current UI
Lighting Presets
The classic recipes, one tap each.
Start from classic portrait patterns, then adjust the supported fixture setup for the location. Presets are planning starting points, not a substitute for a crew's on-set judgment or physical measurement.
Rembrandt
45° key, triangle shadow on cheek
Butterfly
High front key, nose shadow
Broad
Key on near side, wider face
Short
Key on far side, more dramatic
Split
Hard 90° side, half in shadow
Loop
30–45° off axis, small nose loop
Cross
Two equal lights, opposite sides
Low Key
Tight warm key, deep shadows
Paramount
High key + chin bounce + rim
High Key
Soft source, minimal shadows
Clamshell
Key above, fill below — beauty
Set Plan PDF · For the Gaffer
Hand your crew a plan that prints.
When the design is done, WATT-IF can generate a Set Plan PDF with a cover, top-down diagram, per-light technical table, and power summary. Exports are implemented in source; final native-device QA remains pending.
Set-plan PDF · Beta
Location review — share with electric department
A single-look document with cover, top-down diagram, per-light technical table, and a power summary. Verify every electrical decision with qualified crew.
Cover · Diagram · Gear · Power Budget
Recipe PNG · Beta
A compact record of a saved look
A PNG card that records the saved Stage and its lighting context for quick reference or sharing. Final native-device QA remains pending.
Saved-look reference
Gear CSV · Beta
Rental order to the rental house
A per-light export for planning and cross-checking a gear list. Treat it as a starting point for a rental order, not an automatically approved order.
Rental order
Digital-twin JSON · Beta
Re-import on another device
A structured scene-state export for a supported downstream workflow. Local Stage and recipe persistence should not be described as cross-device sync.
Scene archive
Electrical planning note
The Set-plan PDF can summarize estimated fixture wattage and safe-load circuit counts. It is a planning aid, not an electrical calculation or a substitute for a qualified crew member's approval.
Cine Camera · Real Bodies + Real Lenses
Pre-light through the actual lens.
The Cine camera lets you explore body, lens, aperture, shutter, ISO, and focus-distance settings while you pre-light a Stage. Use it to compare framing and planning guidance before you commit to a package; confirm exposure decisions with the actual camera and professional tools.
Full-Frame Portrait
Sony A7 IV + Sigma 85 mm f/1.4 Art
@ f/1.8
Environmental 35
Sony A7 IV + Sigma 35 mm f/1.4
@ f/2.8
S35 Cinema 50
ARRI Alexa 35 + Sigma Cine 50 mm T1.5
@ T2.0
S35 Cinema 25
ARRI Alexa 35 + Sigma Cine 25 mm T2
@ T2.8
iPhone 15 Pro Main
The iPhone you're holding
Native
Vintage Tele 135
Sony A7 IV + Sigma 135 mm f/1.8
@ f/1.8
Current beta presets include framing, depth-of-field, and exposure guidance for supported camera bodies and lenses. Treat the output as pre-production planning context, not a replacement for physical camera tests.
M/mk AI · Text Lighting Assistant
Ask M/mk in text. Get a lighting critique you can act on.
M/mk reviews the current Stage, explains lighting choices, and can assist with supported recipe and setup actions through typed requests and tap-based actions.
Type a question or tap a supported action to work with the current Stage or save a recipe.
Local still-image critique
The current shell's still-image critique is local and deterministic. Your taste/style state is also local.
Cloud text reasoning
Text requests can use cloud reasoning for supported analysis and setup assistance. Treat outputs as creative guidance, not production approval.
Recipe and setup actions
Use supported actions to capture a recipe or explore a lighting plan, then confirm the final setup with crew and physical tools.
Lighting Reference Vocabulary
Use references to start the conversation, not replace the craft.
M/mk can discuss visual references and lighting vocabulary in text. These are interpretive learning cues, not affiliations, endorsements, or exact reproduction instructions.
Roger Deakins
Blade Runner 2049 — Interrogation
Single Fresnel overhead at 80° down, warm CTO gel. Eyes go dark. Oppressive, clinical. 10:1 key-to-fill ratio.
Gordon Willis
The Godfather — Office
Overhead key at 80° tilt, warm CTO. Eyes in deep shadow. The Prince of Darkness signature. 8:1 ratio.
James Laxton
Moonlight — Beach
Cool blue key (8000 K, CTB) from camera-right. Warm accent from camera-left. Skin glows against blue shadows.
Emmanuel Lubezki
The Revenant — Forest
Warm backlight (CTO) from directly behind. Cool skylight fill from camera-left. No front key. Golden rim.
Hoyte van Hoytema
Her — Apartment
Giant soft key from camera-right, 4000 K, half-CTO. Matching soft fill from camera-left. Dreamy overexposure.
Linus Sandgren
La La Land — Planetarium
Deep blue under-fill (8000 K) from below. Purple strip lights from both sides. Cool backlight. No warm tones.
A Realistic Day
From pre-light to wrap, in six moves.
WATT-IF is designed to support the handoff between an early lighting idea and an on-set plan. The final decisions still belong to the DP, gaffer, electrician, and the physical location.
01
Pre-light morning
You and the Gaffer review a Set Plan PDF and flag equipment or location constraints. Revise the virtual plan, regenerate the export, and confirm the updated approach together.
02
Camera prep
Use the Cine camera settings as a planning reference for today's package, then make final exposure decisions with the actual camera and physical tools.
03
Walk-through
Use the reconstruction to discuss possible blocking and fixture placement before talent arrives. Confirm occlusion, shadow behavior, and final positions in the real location.
04
First setup
The crew uses the PDF as a planning reference. Take physical readings, confirm electrical load and rigging, and revise whenever the room, gear, or talent blocking changes.
05
Coverage
Save supported recipe context as you work, then keep the physical shoot log and crew communication as the authoritative record.
06
Wrap
Export a final planning record where appropriate and retain the crew's verified notes. Final native-device export QA is pending in the current beta.
Post-beta pricing strategy
Professional plans, with compute discipline.
WATT-IF's public plan strategy begins after TestFlight beta. Cloud processing is governed by defined credits or limits. Included credit quantities remain unpublished until successful-job cost telemetry is measured and billing is verified.
Creator
$19.99
$199 / year
For independent creators and photographers building repeatable lighting workflows.
Cloud processing limits will be defined from measured job costs before public billing launches.
Pro
$29.99
$299 / year
For working filmmakers, DPs, gaffers, and higher-use professionals.
Higher-use access is planned around measured credits and responsible cloud economics.
Studio / Team
Contact sales
Contract pricing
For companies, agencies, schools, and shared workflows that need support and managed access.
Team workflows and support terms are scoped with each organization.
Current TestFlight beta access is free during beta. Public plan pricing is a post-beta strategy and paid billing must be verified before launch.
The Creator
Joshiua Cole
Creative Director, Leidos Inc. — Filmmaker — WATT-IF Inventor
WATT-IF was built by a Creative Director and filmmaker who got tired of watching talented people waste hours on lighting problems that could be solved in minutes — if the right tool existed. The gap between knowing what a lighting setup should look like and executing it on set was the problem WATT-IF was designed to close.
With a background spanning high-volume content pipelines, broadcast production systems, and cinematic pre-production, WATT-IF is a pre-lighting workflow that speaks the language of light in estimated units, reasons about fixtures from real manufacturers (Aputure, ARRI, ETC Source Four), and lets you scan your actual location and plan the light before you load a single case.
Capture the location. Plan the next lighting conversation.
TestFlight beta is free during beta. Capture a compatible location, build a photo-textured spatial reconstruction, explore virtual fixtures, and prepare a crew-facing planning export.
