The Planner in Sun Moon Expert is a vital feature that offers photographers a powerful tool for planning their creative pursuits. The Planner functionality enables users to visualize their dream shots, determine the ideal timing for capturing them, and ultimately venture out to capture the perfect image amidst nature's beauty. This feature simplifies intricate planning, allowing photographers to focus on their artistic vision and translate it into breathtaking photographs of celestial wonders, radiant moons, and captivating sunsets.
When you initially access the Planner screen, you will encounter a map featuring marked Starting (green pin) and Ending (red pin) locations. These pins can be easily adjusted by dragging and dropping them on the map to your desired positions. This intuitive feature allows you to customize the locations with simplicity.
The colored lines originating from the starting points on the map represent the following positions:
Sun related lines:
- Yellow Line: Current position of the Sun
- Orange Line: Location where the Sun is rising
- Red Line: Location where the Sun is setting
Moon related lines:
- White Line: Current position of the Moon
- Light Blue Line: Location where the Moon is rising
- Purple Line: Location where the Moon is setting
These color-coded lines provide a visual representation of the current positions, rising points, and setting points of both the Sun and the Moon on the map.
On the map, you can utilize the layer icon located in the bottom-right corner to select which layers you want to display or hide. By toggling the Sun, Moon, Milky Way, FOV (Field of View), and DOF (Depth of Field) layers on or off, you can tailor your planning to match your preferences. This allows you to make your plans based on the specific layers that you find most relevant.
In the top-left corner of the map, you will see a circular arrow icon. Tapping on this icon will reveal a new layer on the map. Within this layer, you will find the following views, in order:
Planner Info View:
In this view, you can see the sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset times for the Sun and Moon for the relevant location and date. Additionally, elevation values for the Start and End points, the elevation difference between these two points and the distance between the Start and End points are displayed.
Planner Front View:
In this view, a simulation is provided from the perspective of someone looking directly from the Start point to the End point. This allows you to gain insight into how the Sun or Moon would appear from this angle. By adjusting the time slider at the bottom of the screen left or right, you can easily understand how the positions of the Sun and Moon change over time when viewed from this frontal perspective.
Planner Side View:
In this view, a simulation is provided from the perspective of someone looking from the side at an angle from the Start point to the End point. This offers insight into how the Sun or Moon would be visible from this lateral angle. By adjusting the time slider at the bottom of the screen left or right, you can easily grasp how the positions of the Sun and Moon change over time when viewed from this lateral perspective.
Planner Visible Dates:
In this view, for the designated Start and End points on the map, the dates and times when the Sun or Moon will be visible from the specified perspective are listed. For instance, if you're looking from point A to point B on the map, you can determine the dates and times when the Sun or Moon will come into the view of someone looking from point A to point B. This allows you to identify when the Sun or Moon will be within the observer's field of view for the chosen line of sight.
Planner Camera:
In this view, the default camera information and specifications of the device on which the application is being used are provided. The FOV and DOF drawings displayed on the map are generated based on the selected camera's brand and model. If you possess a camera different from your smartphone's camera for photography, you can click on the camera name in this screen to access the camera brand and model selection screen. Here, you can choose the appropriate brand and model for your camera. After changing your camera, the FOV and DOF lines on the Planner will be automatically updated according to the chosen camera.
(Note: If the camera brand and model you're looking for are not in the list, please notify us through the Feedback option under Settings. This way, we can promptly add the relevant camera to our list.)
After you've created your plan, you can save it for future use. To save your plan, click on the three-dot icon within the circular shape in the top-right corner. This will reveal the Save and Load buttons. By clicking the Save button, you can give a name to your current plan and save it. The Load button allows you to use a previously saved plan again.