Laser Graffiti — draw on walls with a laser pointer

Laser Graffiti

2 min read Original article ↗

Point a projector and a webcam at any wall. Draw with a laser pointer. The projector paints your strokes — glowing neon, dripping ink, spinning in 3D.

Inspired by this video — laser tagging buildings with a projector, done years ago and still magical.

Try it right here

No projector needed for this one — your mouse (or finger) is the laser. Pick a brush, flip on a mode, or play tic-tac-toe against the computer by drawing an X in a cell.

How it works

Everything runs in the browser — no install, no native app.

01

Set up

Connect a projector as a second screen and point a webcam at the projected area. Open the control window and the projector window (press F for fullscreen).

02

Calibrate

One click flashes markers into the corners of the projection; the camera finds them and computes the camera→projector mapping. Then wave the laser for 4 seconds so the detector learns its brightness and colour.

03

Draw

Every frame the camera finds the laser dot, maps it onto the projector, and the projector renders the stroke — right where you pointed. Hold the laser in the ☰ corner to open an on-wall menu.

Features

  • Six brushes: round, marker, calligraphy, neon, spray, rainbow
  • Wet ink that drips down the wall
  • Spin your drawing as an extruded 3D object
  • Fade-out mode and kaleidoscope mirroring
  • Sparkle particle trail
  • Tic-tac-toe against the computer, on the wall
  • Coloured border around the drawable area
  • Snapshots: save photo + drawing, download as files
  • Laser-operated menu — no need to touch the laptop
  • Reflection-robust tracking for shiny floors
  • Works with green or red lasers
  • Zero dependencies, MIT-licensed, open source

What you need

A laptop with Chrome, a projector (any HDMI projector works — it's just a second screen), a webcam that can see the projected area (the built-in one is fine), and a laser pointer. Green shows up best on camera.

Start Laser Graffiti →