Shutter Speed

Help

Shutter Speed is a planning companion for photographers and filmmakers. It helps you decide when and where to shoot, and what to expect once you are there: light, moon, sky, weather, and tides for your location.

How the app is organized

The bottom bar has three tabs: Location Planner, Community Spots and Tools. On iPad they are in the sidebar instead. The app opens on Community Spots. On iPhone and iPad, if you left the app while on Location Planner and reopen it within 30 minutes, it goes back to Location Planner where you were.

Tools lists everything else by section. At the top, the Dashboard shows the Sky Status Card with the sun and moon right now (tap it to open Light Conditions or Moon Phase), and below that are your favorites. Tap the star on any tool to pin it there. Right now these are available:

Some tools are limited to certain devices. Compass and Barometer work on iPhone and iPad only. Everything else works on every platform the app runs on.

Each tool has its own page with steps, how to read the results, and tips. Inside the app, tap the (i) icon on a card for a short explanation of that card, or open Settings, then About & Support, then Quick Reference for a summary of what each tool does.

Getting started

  1. Set a location. Most tools depend on where you are. Use the Location picker at the top of a tool to choose Current Location or a saved location, or add one. You can also manage this in Settings. Until a location is set, location-based results show a dash or ask you to set one.
  2. Open a tool from Tools, or use the search icon in the toolbar to find one by name.
  3. Read the result, and tap the (i) icon if a term is unfamiliar.

An account is optional

You do not need an account to use the tools. Location Planner and Community Spots work signed out too, and ask you to sign in or create a free account when you save a pin or a spot, so it can be stored and synced. Account options (email, password, two-factor authentication, deleting your account) are under Settings then Account.

Settings worth knowing

Open Settings from the gear icon in the toolbar on Tools, or from the sidebar on iPad.

  • Units: switch between Metric and Imperial. This affects distances, temperatures, and similar values. Focal length always stays in millimeters. Pressure has its own unit setting (hPa, inHg, or mmHg).
  • Display: Appearance follows your device, or choose Light, Dark, or Mono. Icon Style switches between color icons and black and white icons.
  • Dashboard: choose which cards show at the top of Tools.
  • Notifications: the Daily Astro Summary, Light Reminders before golden hour, blue hour, and sunset, and on iPhone the Live Activities settings. These are part of Pro.
  • Backup & Restore: under Your Data.

See the FAQ for common questions.

Tool guides

Planning

Field Kit

Conditions

Astrophotography