# Stensa

> Stensa is a composition camera for iPhone. You pick a template (two circles on the rule of thirds, a row of three bottles, a headshot), point the camera at real things, and Stensa recognises each item, guides it into its place, and takes the photo the moment every guide locks. No subscription, no account, no ads; everything runs on the phone.

Stensa is for people who photograph things on tables: product and food photos for shops and socials, flat lays, and people from headshot to full body. It runs on any iPhone on iOS 16 or later, including iPhone Duo on both screens.

## What it does

- Fifty templates: hero shots, pairs, rows, triangles, the rule of odds, flat-lay grids, milk tea trios, pastry boxes, shelf rows, size lineups, outfit flat lays, and people (headshot, waist-up, full body, couples, groups).
- Each guide knows what it is waiting for (a cup, a plate, a bottle, a pastry, a product, a person), so the hint names it: "Slide the cup left", not "move something".
- Auto-capture: the shutter fires when every item sits in its guide and the phone is level; a haptic tap as each one locks.
- Smart Match: point at the table and Stensa ranks the layouts that fit what it sees.
- Product sets: a short shot list for every product; each one gets the first product's zoom, colour and angle, with its photo as a ghost to match; the whole set exports as named, square photos in one go.
- Export sizes for Shop (1:1), Feed (4:5) and Story (9:16); Replay makes a short vertical clip of the guides locking in.
- Your own templates: draw one in the Studio or copy the layout of a photo; share it as a file that opens straight into Stensa.
- Shortcuts and Siri ("Shoot with Stensa"), a Lock Screen widget, and a Control Center button for Smart Match.
- Private by design: no network calls at runtime; photos, templates and settings stay on the iPhone.

## Pages

- [Home](https://trystensa.com): how it works, Smart Match, templates, product sets, Replay, questions answered.
- [Guides](https://trystensa.com/guides): practical photography guides, each citing its sources. All of them in one file: [llms-full.txt](https://trystensa.com/llms-full.txt).
  - [How to shoot marketplace product photos with an iPhone](https://trystensa.com/guides/marketplace-product-photos): What the marketplaces ask of a listing photo, and how product photographers meet it with a window, a sheet of white paper and a phone. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/marketplace-product-photos.md
  - [How to make a whole product catalogue look consistent](https://trystensa.com/guides/consistent-product-photos): How e-commerce studios make hundreds of photos look like one shoot, and the parts of their method a one-person shop can copy. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/consistent-product-photos.md
  - [Flat lay photography at home with a phone](https://trystensa.com/guides/flat-lay-photography): Keeping the phone parallel to the table, finding soft side light, choosing a surface, and building an arrangement from the hero outward. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/flat-lay-photography.md
  - [Drink photography for a café menu: milk tea, coffee and juice](https://trystensa.com/guides/drink-photography): How beverage photographers make a drink glow, keep glare off glass and plastic cups, deal with ice and condensation, and line up a menu set. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/drink-photography.md
  - [The rule of thirds and the rule of odds in food and product photos](https://trystensa.com/guides/rule-of-thirds-and-odds): Where the rule of thirds comes from, how food and product photographers use it, why groups of three read well, and when to centre instead. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/rule-of-thirds-and-odds.md
  - [How to take a professional headshot with an iPhone](https://trystensa.com/guides/iphone-headshot): How portrait photographers frame, light and pose a headshot, and how to get the same with an iPhone, a window and the self-timer. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/iphone-headshot.md
  - [Food photos for GrabFood and foodpanda menus](https://trystensa.com/guides/food-delivery-app-photos): What GrabFood and foodpanda ask of a menu photo, the angle for each dish, window light instead of flash, and one shot that crops for both apps. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/food-delivery-app-photos.md
  - [How to photograph clothes without a mannequin](https://trystensa.com/guides/clothes-photos-without-a-mannequin): Flat lays and hanging shots done properly, and the shot list a clothing listing needs, from the size tag to every flaw on a second-hand piece. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/clothes-photos-without-a-mannequin.md
  - [How to photograph jewellery and small products on a phone](https://trystensa.com/guides/jewellery-small-product-photos): Macro or a step back at 2x, soft light with a little sparkle, cards that control the reflections, and the angles and scale buyers need to see. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/jewellery-small-product-photos.md
  - [Build a DIY lightbox for small product photos](https://trystensa.com/guides/diy-lightbox): A cardboard box, tracing paper and a white sweep, lit from both sides with matching bulbs, and the phone settings that turn its grey into white. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/diy-lightbox.md
  - [Shopee shop banner, cover and decoration sizes](https://trystensa.com/guides/shopee-shop-banner-sizes): The banner, carousel and category image sizes in Shopee’s own decoration guides, the file limits, and how to design a shop banner that reads on a phone. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/shopee-shop-banner-sizes.md
  - [TikTok Shop product videos that sell, shot on an iPhone](https://trystensa.com/guides/tiktok-shop-product-videos): What TikTok Shop asks of a listing video, the hook in the first three seconds, showing the product in your hands, and iPhone settings that keep the file small. As Markdown: https://trystensa.com/guides/tiktok-shop-product-videos.md
- [Marketplace photo checker](https://trystensa.com/tools/photo-checker): a free tool that checks a product photo against Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop's main-image rules (shape, size, file, white background, product fill) and makes a square, white-background version. It runs in the browser; the photo is never uploaded.
  - [Shopee photo checker](https://trystensa.com/tools/shopee-photo-checker): the same checker, judging Shopee's rules only.
  - [Lazada photo checker](https://trystensa.com/tools/lazada-photo-checker): the same checker, judging Lazada's rules only.
  - [TikTok Shop photo checker](https://trystensa.com/tools/tiktok-shop-photo-checker): the same checker, judging TikTok Shop's rules only.
- [About](https://trystensa.com/about): what Stensa is and who it is for, how the guides are researched and sourced, how the marketplace rules are checked, and how to report a mistake.
- [Support](https://trystensa.com/support): how to reach support (support@trystensa.com), what to include, common fixes.
- [Privacy policy](https://trystensa.com/privacy): what the app and this site do with data.
- [Stensa on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6825131746): the listing, for iPhone.

## Marketplace main-photo rules

What each marketplace's own seller pages asked of a listing's main photo, checked 2026-11-05. A rule a marketplace does not publish is left out.

- **Shopee:** square (1:1), up to 10 MB, JPG or PNG, a solid background, white recommended, the product filling at least 60% of the frame, uncropped. A cover photo and up to 8 more, so 9 in all, and an optional video. The background and fill rules are Shopee Mall’s; Shopee publishes none for other sellers, so they count as advice there. Source: https://open.shopee.com/documents/v2/v2.media_space.upload_image?module=91&type=1
- **Lazada:** 330 to 5,000 px a side, up to 3 MB, JPG or PNG. Up to 8 photos for each product; the first is the main image. Lazada’s own pages give no background or fill rule, and an older one gives a 1 MB limit; the 3 MB here is the newer. Source: https://open.lazada.com/apps/doc/doc?nodeId=30718&docId=120947
- **TikTok Shop:** square (1:1), at least 600 × 600 px, up to 10 MB, a solid background, white recommended, the product filling at least 60% of the frame, uncropped. Up to 9 square photos, each from a different angle, and one product video. Source: https://seller-ph.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=7654193087743745&lang=en

## Facts

- Updated: 2026-11-06
- Platform: iPhone, iOS 16 or later. iPhone only; no iPad or Android version.
- No subscription and nothing to unlock inside the app; templates added in later updates are included.
- Data: processed on the device. No account, no analytics in the app, no ads.
- Contact: support@trystensa.com

## Questions people ask

- **Which iPhones does it run on?** Any iPhone on iOS 16 or later, including iPhone Duo on both its cover screen and its open inner screen, where the library, the gallery and the camera split at the fold.
- **Is there a subscription?** No. There is nothing to unlock inside the app and nothing that renews. Templates added in later updates are included.
- **Is there an Android version?** Not yet. Stensa is built for iPhone first, and the camera and recognition are written for it. There is no Android version today.
- **Does it work for people, not just things?** Yes. There are headshot, waist-up and full-body templates, plus couples and groups. The face guide sets the distance: step back until the face fits it and the whole outfit is in frame. Guide: [How to take a professional headshot with an iPhone](https://trystensa.com/guides/iphone-headshot)
- **What does it recognise?** Cups, plates, glasses, bottles, pastries, products on a table, and people. Each guide in a template knows what it is waiting for, so the hint says “Slide the cup left”, not “move something”.
- **Do I need a tripod or a stand?** No. You hold the phone. For top-down shots the level guide shows when it is flat, and the shutter waits until it is. A stand helps with product sets, where every photo should match, but nothing needs one. Guide: [How to make a whole product catalogue look consistent](https://trystensa.com/guides/consistent-product-photos)
- **Can I turn off auto-capture?** Yes. The Auto button turns it off and the shutter is always there. With it on, Stensa fires when every guide is gold and the phone is level, with a tap in your hand as each item locks.
- **What if I am not sure which layout to use?** Open Smart Match and point at the table. It looks at what is there, two cups, a plate and a glass, a row of bottles, and ranks the layouts that fit. Tap one and the guides are already waiting. Guide: [The rule of thirds and the rule of odds in food and product photos](https://trystensa.com/guides/rule-of-thirds-and-odds)
- **Can I make my own layouts?** Yes. Draw one in the Studio, with shapes that snap to thirds and the golden ratio, or copy the layout of a photo you love in one tap. Share it as a file and it opens straight into Stensa on another phone.
- **Does it work for shop listings?** That is what Product sets are for: a short shot list for each product, the same zoom, colour and angle every time, and the whole set exported as named photos in one go. Guide: [How to shoot marketplace product photos with an iPhone](https://trystensa.com/guides/marketplace-product-photos)
- **What sizes does it export?** Shop 1:1, Feed 4:5 and Story 9:16, each from the same shot; the original stays as it was. Replay turns a shot into a four-second vertical clip of the guides locking in, for Reels, Stories and TikTok.
- **Does it need an account or a connection?** No. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing is uploaded. Recognition runs on the phone, so it works offline, on a plane or in a basement café.
- **Does anyone see my photos?** No. Photos stay inside the app on your iPhone until you save or share them yourself. There are no ads, no tracking and no account, so there is nothing to see them with.