Projection mapping software: the easiest way to start

Projection mapping software fits a projector's image to real surfaces. Instead of throwing a flat rectangle at a wall, you outline a window, a door, a box or a house front, and the software warps and masks the video so it lands only where you want it.

Most tools run on a Mac or Windows computer wired to the projector and were built for professional shows. Mobile projection mapping moves the job to a phone or tablet: you draw the shapes, pick the visuals and run the show from the device in your hand.

Lazy Lighting is a projection mapping app for iPhone, iPad and Android, built so a first-timer can have a mapped display running in minutes. It is free to download, and it is not only for holidays or music: one app covers mapping, built-in visuals, seasonal displays, VJ-style sets and teaching. Disclosure: we make Lazy Lighting.

• Platforms: iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets. No laptop or desktop software needed.
• Mapping tools: Square, circle, text, freehand outline, cube and box shapes. Drag corners, bend edges into curves, add points, use snapping to line edges up and cut areas out with masks. Every shape plays its own visual.
• Built-in visuals: 100+ generative shaders and video loops, including 45 Halloween scenes and a Holiday collection of Christmas scenes. You can import your own videos and photos too.
• Shows: Build a show from scenes and a timeline, not just one looping clip.
• Pro: Audio-reactive visuals, BPM sync, MIDI, LFOs and live camera input for VJ sets, plus video export at up to 4K, project saving, every visual and effect, and no watermark. Pro is monthly, annual or lifetime.

1. 1

   Connect the projector. Use a USB-C or Lightning to HDMI cable, AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad, screen mirroring (Miracast or Smart View) on Android phones that support it, or the Lazy Lighting Link receiver app on an Android TV or Google TV projector for a wireless setup.

2. 2

   Add shapes. Drop a square, circle, box or cube onto the projection, or trace a freehand outline around a window or door.

3. 3

   Line them up. Drag corners and bend edges on your screen while you watch the projection, until each shape sits on its surface.

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   Pick the visuals. Give each shape a built-in scene or one of your own videos or photos, then press play.

Lazy Lighting is listed first because it is our app. Desktop prices and licensing were checked on each vendor's official site in October 2026; they exclude tax and can change, so check before you buy.

• Lazy Lighting free plan: Free to download, with the mapping tools, a starter set of about 20 visuals, imports and masks. The projector output carries a small watermark; Pro removes it and adds saving, the full library, and the audio and MIDI features.
• TouchDesigner Non-Commercial: Free for personal, non-paid work, capped at 1280×1280. It is a visual programming environment, so expect a learning curve.
• MadMapper, Resolume and Millumin: The free versions watermark the output (Millumin after a 30-day trial), so they suit learning and testing rather than shows.
• HeavyM, VDMX and Isadora: HeavyM's demo includes every feature with no time limit, but it can't save projects and puts its logo on the output. The VDMX and Isadora demos work fully but can't save projects.
• MapMap: Free and open source. Its download page currently offers a Linux build, with macOS and Windows installers listed as coming soon.

Lazy Lighting drives one projector from one phone or tablet. These jobs need a computer and a desktop tool:

• Several projectors: Running more than one projector, or blending them into one wide image, calls for Resolume Arena, MadMapper, Millumin or HeavyM Pro.
• Lighting and LED control: Lazy Lighting has no DMX or Art-Net. MadMapper and Millumin control DMX fixtures and LEDs, and Resolume Arena adds lighting-desk control and SMPTE timecode sync.
• Interactive installations: Work driven by sensors, motion tracking or custom logic belongs in TouchDesigner or Isadora.
• Stage cues and permanent installs: Millumin is built around cues and timelines for theater and dance, and HeavyM Pro+ adds start-up automation for installations that run every day.
• Sharing video between apps: Lazy Lighting has no Syphon or Spout. HeavyM supports Syphon and Spout (plus NDI on Pro), and Resolume accepts Syphon, Spout and NDI sources.

• Your first projection mapping project: Lazy Lighting. Start on the free plan and map your first surface in a few minutes.
• Halloween or Christmas at home: → Lazy Lighting, with 45 Halloween scenes and a Holiday collection of Christmas scenes built in.
• Parties, pop-ups, shop windows and small events: Lazy Lighting Pro, for audio-reactive visuals, BPM sync, MIDI and saved projects on one projector.
• Classrooms and workshops: Lazy Lighting on the iPads or Android tablets you already have. Students can map a model or a wall in one lesson.
• Festival or touring stage: Resolume Arena.
• Architectural, LED or multi-projector installations: MadMapper.
• Interactive installations: TouchDesigner or Isadora.
• Theater or museum shows on a Mac: Millumin.
• A gentle first step into desktop mapping: HeavyM.

Any projector with an HDMI input works with Lazy Lighting, and Android TV or Google TV projectors also work wirelessly. Brightness decides where it works.

• Indoors, dark room: A small portable projector is plenty. We recommend the Nebula Capsule 3 Laser.
• Indoors with the lights on: About 2,000 ANSI lumens or more.
• Garage door at night: About 3,000 ANSI lumens or more.
• House front at night: 4,000 ANSI lumens or more. We recommend the XGIMI Horizon 20 Pro; it fills about 6.6 m (22 ft) wide, so on a large house, map the street-facing section.