Quickstart Guide

Getting Started

LivingPostcard is an animated postcard maker. You load a photo (or pick a template), write a message with freehand drawing or handwriting fonts, and export the result as an animated GIF that plays back your handwriting in real time.

Download

Available on the iOS App Store. Also works in any modern browser at the web app URL.

Interface Overview

• Canvas — the main area where your photo and drawings live
• Toolbar — mode buttons (Draw, Text, Stamp, Move) plus sub-options for each mode
• Tabs — switch between Create, Library, and Settings

On mobile, the toolbar sits at the bottom of the screen with collapsible sub-options. On desktop (768px+), you get a sidebar layout with a left tools panel and centered canvas.

Choosing Your Canvas

Upload a Photo

Tap the + button to pick a photo from your library or take a new one with the camera. On desktop, you can also drag and drop an image onto the canvas. Images are automatically downscaled to max 2048px for performance.

Templates

Browse 19 single-image templates across 8 categories:

Collage Templates

3 multi-photo layouts with animated entrance effects:

Tap each slot to assign a photo. Pinch-zoom and drag to position the photo within its slot.

Blank Canvas

Create from scratch with no background image.

• Aspect ratios: 1:1 (1080×1080), 4:3 (1440×1080), 16:9 (1920×1080), Full (device size)
• Background color: 8 presets + custom color picker
• Change background color anytime via the toolbar

Drawing Mode (Freehand)

Activate by tapping the pencil icon or pressing D on desktop.

Ink Color

8 preset swatches: black, red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, white. Plus a custom color picker for any color.

Brush Size

Adjustable from 1 to 12 units via slider. Default is 3. Your choice persists in settings.

How Drawing Works

• Draw with your finger or stylus on mobile, mouse or trackpad on desktop
• Pressure sensitivity is supported on iPad with Apple Pencil
• Every stroke is timestamped — playback replays at your natural drawing speed
• Strokes have a subtle line width ramp (fade in over first 100ms) for clean starts

Undo

Tap the undo button or press Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z on desktop. Removes the last stroke.

Text Mode (Handwriting Fonts)

Activate by tapping the text icon or pressing T on desktop. This opens the Text Composer.

Text Composer

• Type your message (max 200 characters)
• Live animation preview as you type
• Select font from horizontal scrollable list
• Choose ink color (same swatches + custom picker)
• Adjust font size via slider
• Press Enter to confirm, Escape to cancel

Text is automatically word-wrapped based on character widths. Each character animates stroke-by-stroke, simulating real handwriting.

Available Fonts

Free Fonts (4):

Pro Fonts (8+): Pro

Editing Existing Text

• Double-tap text in Move mode to edit inline with keyboard
• Change font: select text in Move mode, pick a new font from toolbar
• Recolor: select text in Move mode, pick a new color

Custom Fonts Pro

Create your own handwriting font from your actual handwriting.

How to Create

1. Open Handwriting Capture from the font selector or assets panel
2. Choose a character set: Quick (A–Z uppercase) or Full (A–Z, a–z, 0–9, 20+ punctuation)
3. Draw each letter on the capture canvas — multi-stroke is supported (lift and re-draw)
4. Record multiple variations of the same letter for natural randomness
5. Save — your font appears in the font selector with a preview thumbnail

Management

• Resume incomplete fonts later
• Add or delete character variations anytime
• Strokes are auto-normalized to a consistent grid and simplified for clean paths
• Stored locally in IndexedDB — persists across sessions

Stamp Mode

Activate by tapping the stamp icon or pressing S on desktop.

Tap anywhere on the canvas to place a stamp at that location.

Custom Stamp Creation

Free users can create up to 3 custom stamps. Pro unlocks unlimited stamps.

1. Open the stamp capture canvas
2. Draw any shape, icon, or design
3. Strokes are simplified and normalized to a standard bounding box
4. Save — your stamp is available across all sessions

Minimum stroke size is enforced to prevent accidental micro-stamps.

After Placement

Switch to Move mode to resize, rotate, recolor, or delete placed stamps.

Move Mode (Select & Transform)

Activate by tapping the arrow icon or pressing V on desktop.

Selecting

• Tap any stroke, text, or stamp to select it
• Shift + click for multi-select (desktop)
• Selected elements show transform handles

Transform Handles

Actions on Selection

• Change font — for text strokes, pick a new font from the toolbar
• Change color — recolor any selected stroke
• Delete — remove selected elements
• Record motion — animate the selection along a path (see next section)
• Double-tap text — edit text inline with keyboard

Motion Recording

Record a movement path for selected strokes. During playback and GIF export, they'll animate along that path — moving, scaling, and rotating over time.

How to Record

1. Enter Move mode (V)
2. Select one or more strokes
3. Tap the record button in the toolbar
4. Drag, resize, or rotate the selection — all movements are captured with timing
5. Tap stop to finish recording

Details

• Duration: capped at 15 seconds
• Data captured: position, scale, and rotation at each point in time
• Playback: smooth interpolation along the recorded path
• Non-destructive: original stroke positions are preserved; motion is an overlay
• Pivot point: rotation and scale happen around the center of the selection

Animation Preview

Tap the Preview button or press Space on desktop.

Playback Sequence

1. 1-second static hold — background image visible, no strokes yet
2. Strokes draw themselves in the order you created them, at natural speed
3. Motion paths animate simultaneously
4. Collage photos dissolve in with stagger timing

Gaps between strokes are preserved (capped at 5 seconds max).

Speed Control

Adjust playback from 0.5x to 2x speed.

Watermark

Free users see a semi-transparent "LivingPostcard.app" watermark in the top-left and bottom-right corners. Pro removes it entirely.

GIF Export

Tap the Export button in the toolbar to open export settings.

Quality Presets

Options

• Loop: on/off (default on — GIF replays continuously)
• Filename: customizable; a timestamp is appended automatically

Encoding

GIF encoding runs in a background Web Worker — the app stays responsive. Uses delta-frame encoding and bounding-box sub-rectangles to keep file sizes small.

After Export

• iOS: Save to Photos or Share via the native share sheet
• Web: Download to device or Share (if your browser supports Web Share API)
• Automatically saved to Creations Library

Watermark

Free exports include a "LivingPostcard.app" watermark. Pro exports are completely watermark-free.

Creations Library

Access via the Library tab (bottom tabs on mobile, sidebar on desktop).

What's Saved

• Exported GIFs — full GIF file + metadata (filename, size, date)
• Document drafts — canvas state: background image + all strokes + thumbnail

Capacity

Up to 30 items. When full, the oldest item is automatically evicted.

Features

• 3-column thumbnail grid, sorted newest-first
• Metadata display: filename, file size, relative creation date (e.g. "2h ago")
• "DRAFT" badge on saved documents for easy identification
• Tap to preview; load a draft to continue editing
• Multi-select for batch delete (with confirmation)
• Share or re-download exported GIFs

All data is stored locally in IndexedDB. Nothing is uploaded to any server.

Settings

Access via the Settings tab.

Export Defaults

• Default quality: Low / Medium / High
• Default loop: on or off
• Default filename: customizable base name

Drawing Defaults

• Default ink color: any hex color
• Default brush size: 1–12

Library Management

• View item count and total storage used
• "Clear All" button to delete all creations (with confirmation)

Pro Status

• Displays current tier: Free or Pro
• "Upgrade to Pro" button (free users)
• "Restore Purchase" button (iOS only — re-activates on new device)
• Price display from App Store

Canvas Utilities

Additional tools available in the toolbar:

• Rotate 90° — rotate the entire canvas
• Change Photo — swap the background image without losing your strokes
• Background Color — change blank canvas background color anytime
• Clear All Strokes — delete everything on the canvas (with confirmation)
• Save Draft — save your current work-in-progress to the Creations Library

Keyboard Shortcuts (Desktop)

Mobile & Desktop

Mobile (< 768px)

• Full-screen canvas maximizes drawing area
• Bottom toolbar with collapsible sub-options
• Tab bar for Create / Library / Settings
• Respects iPhone notch and home indicator (safe areas)
• Two-finger pinch to zoom canvas

Desktop (768px+)

• Sidebar layout with left tools panel and centered canvas
• Optional right panel for Library / Settings / Assets
• Full keyboard shortcut support
• Drag-and-drop image upload
• Shift+click for multi-select

Upgrade to Pro Pro

$2.99 — one-time purchase, yours forever. No subscriptions, no recurring fees.

What You Unlock

• All 12+ premium handwriting fonts (Permanent Marker, Finger Paint, Lacquer, Alex Brush, Qwigley, Courier Prime, Hershey Script, Hershey Sans)
• All city templates (NYC, Las Vegas, LA, Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Milan) + Polaroid Board collage
• HD / Original quality GIF export (1280px+)
• No watermark on exports
• Unlimited custom fonts — create as many handwriting fonts as you want
• Unlimited custom stamps (free is limited to 3)
• Pro app icon — automatically switches after purchase

How to Upgrade

• Tap any Pro-locked feature (font, template, export quality) — the upgrade prompt appears
• Or go to Settings → Upgrade to Pro

Restore Purchases

Bought Pro on another device? Go to Settings → Restore Purchase to re-activate.

Tips & Best Practices

• Draw slowly for smoother curves — the app records your actual timing
• Preview before exporting to check animation timing and motion paths
• For smaller GIF files, use Low or Medium quality
• Record custom font variations (2–3 per letter) for more natural text
• Use motion recording sparingly — subtle movement is more elegant than dramatic
• Collage templates look best when photos fill their slots tightly (pinch-zoom in)
• Save drafts frequently — the library holds up to 30 items
• Double-tap text in Move mode to quickly edit without re-creating the text
• Use blank canvas with a colored background for minimalist, typography-focused postcards
• Try the Courier Prime font for a typewriter effect with realistic jitter and ink fade

Privacy & Data

• 100% local: all photos, creations, custom fonts, and stamps stay on your device
• No accounts: no login, no registration required
• No analytics: no tracking, no data collection of any kind
• No server communication: the app never contacts any external server
• Purchases: handled entirely by Apple's App Store — we never see your payment info

Read the full Privacy Policy.