How to Do Projection Mapping with an iPad

Projection mapping used to mean a laptop, a media server licence and a long evening of calibration. Today the device in your bag is fast enough to do the job. This guide walks you through a first mapping with an iPad and LayerMapper MApp – from cables to a finished, repeatable show.

What you need

• An iPad with iPadOS 17.6 or later. Any Metal-capable iPad works; newer ones give you more headroom for layers and shaders.
• A projector. Brightness matters more than resolution: for a dark room 2,000–3,000 lumens is plenty, for a lit space go higher.
• A way to send the image: a USB-C or Lightning to HDMI adapter or an Apple TV for AirPlay. (A wireless Android TV receiver is coming soon.)
• Content: your own videos and photos, the camera, or the 100+ GLSL shaders built into MApp. If you need loops to start with, grab our free footage packs.
• LayerMapper MApp – every feature is free for 30 days.

Step 1: connect the projector

The simplest route is a cable: plug the HDMI adapter into the iPad and the projector. MApp sends a clean output – only the mapped image, without the interface – so the audience never sees your controls.

Can’t run a cable to the projector? Direct-LAN is already built into MApp: it sends the output over Wi-Fi. The matching LayerMapper receiver app for Android TV boxes is in final testing and coming soon to Google Play – then you just plug a TV box into the projector and keep the iPad in your hands, anywhere in the room. More on the Android TV receiver page.

Step 2: build the composition

MApp works like a VJ clip grid:

1. Add a layer and fill it with clips – videos, photos, a shader or a live camera.
2. Add more layers for elements that should behave independently, for example a background texture and a logo on top.
3. Pick a blend mode per layer – Add and Screen are great for light-on-dark looks, Multiply for masking.

Tap a clip to trigger it. Each layer plays one clip at a time, so you can switch content live without breaking the mapping.

Step 3: warp the image onto the surface

This is the actual “mapping”. Create a mesh for each surface you want to light and assign a layer to it.

• For a flat, rectangular surface, drag the four corners onto the corners of the object – a keystone.
• For a wall that is not square to the projector, use homography, which keeps straight lines straight.
• For curved or organic shapes, switch to a Bézier mesh and add points until the image hugs the surface.
• Circular meshes fit drums, speakers and round windows; mask meshes hide the light where it should not fall.

Work in the Preview view and zoom in for the final pixel-level adjustments. Fine-tune with the 1 px nudge buttons and scale a mesh ×2 when you need to grab handles more precisely.

Step 4: make it move

Static mapping looks good; movement makes it a show.

• Record corner motion: move a mesh live and MApp records it at 30 FPS. Overdub more passes and loop them seamlessly.
• Sync to music: BPM sync and Ableton Link keep clips and animations in time with the DJ or band.
• Audio-reactive shaders: drive shader parameters from the music or the microphone.

Step 5: save it and perform

Save the whole setup – meshes, layers, media and automations – to one of the 16 preset slots and recall it instantly during the show. Set cue points on clips and trigger them from the movable cue panel, or map everything to a MIDI controller with MIDI Learn.

Want to share the show beyond the room? Stream the clean output to YouTube, Facebook or any RTMP server directly from MApp.

Common first-time problems

• The image is too dim: turn off room lights, lower the projector’s eco mode and avoid stretching the image larger than you need.
• Edges look soft: set the projector’s focus on the surface itself, not the wall behind it.
• Content looks distorted after warping: use homography instead of a free keystone for flat surfaces seen at an angle.
• The projector shows the iPad interface: make sure you’re using MApp’s external display output, not screen mirroring.

Summary

With an iPad, a projector and LayerMapper MApp you can map an object in minutes and run a full show from your hands. Start with one surface and a few clips, then add meshes, motion and MIDI as your setup grows. For a full video walkthrough, see the tutorials.