App for 'Then & Now' photos

[David L Allen]

Hi,
I'm a history buff with a special interest in old photos. One of my projects is making 'Then & Now' photos - ie a 1920s photo at the top, modern photo at the bottom with the modern photo shot from exactly the same position as the old one.
What would be helpful is an app that displays a stored, semi-transparent old photo on screen allowing me to perfectly position and shoot a new photo over the top. I would then end up with two photos: the original old photo and a new one shot from the same perspective.
Does anyone know of an app that would allow me to do this?

 

[twerppoet]

Nothing I know of will allow you to do this. Every camera app, and app that lets you capture/import pictures takes over the entire device. None of them (that I’ve heard of) will superimpose a picture over the scene.

The possible exception might be the new AR (Augmented Reality) apps that project objects into the camera’s scene. However, I think those capture both the scene and object. That’s assuming you could figure out how to create an object from the original image.

If I were doing this, I’d use two devices. My iPad to dispaly the original picture, and my iPhone (on a tripod) to capture the new one. I’m guessing you are using a similar setup now.

You could disiplay the picture on the iPad, place some transparent paper/plastic over the screen, mark important guide points, and use that to compose the new pictures/scene. If that makes sense?

Of course, anything using the iPad (or iPhone) is going to be aproximate at best. The fixed focal length of the iOS cameras won’t be able to recreate the exact perspective of most older cameras and their widely varing lenses.

 

[David L Allen]

If I were doing this, I’d use two devices. My iPad to dispaly the original picture, and my iPhone (on a tripod) to capture the new one. I’m guessing you are using a similar setup now.

Thanks.
Yes, that's basically what I do at present.
The reason I ask is because somewhere, in the back of my mind I have a faint memory of someone doing just this but on an Android tablet.
Oh well, just thought I'd ask.
All the best.

 

[twerppoet]

No problem. Sorry not to have a better answer.