Editing Camera lucida (section)

{{Short description|Optical drawing aid}}
{{for|the 1980 book by Roland Barthes|Camera Lucida (book)}}
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{{use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
[[File:Camera Lucida in use drawing small figurine.jpg|thumb|Camera lucida in use]]
A '''''camera lucida''''' is an [[optical device]] used as a drawing aid by [[artist]]s and [[microscopy|microscopists]]. It projects an [[optics|optical]] superimposition of the subject being viewed onto the surface upon which the artist is drawing. The artist sees both scene and drawing surface simultaneously, as in a photographic double exposure. This allows the artist to duplicate key points of the scene on the drawing surface, thus aiding in the accurate rendering of perspective.