Sightline Analysis comes to TPE (The Photographer’s Ephemeris) Web
Sightline analysis gives a precise elevation profile between two points and goes further, becoming an invaluable tool for landscape and night photography planning.
We’ll be launching a new PRO feature in TPE Web later this week: Sightline analysis.
Sightline analysis starts by giving you an elevation profile between two points, but then goes much further to offer an invaluable tool for landscape and night photography planning.
We derive the detailed effective sightline from the red map pin to the grey pin, calculating the apparent elevation angle, corrected for the Earth’s curvature and for the effects of atmospheric refraction. Areas that are visible are clearly marked in more vivid colours, while those that are out of sight are shown with a dotted line and a paler colour.
You can spot-check distance, elevation and altitude angles along the sightline. As you move the mouse, the corresponding location on the map is highlighted by a moving map marker, making it simple to compare key points on the sightline to the corresponding feature on the map itself.
When the Sun, Moon or Galactic Centre is close to the same bearing as the line from the red pin to the grey pin, it is shown in the sightline chart too, so you can see whether it is visible at any given moment.
Going further, sightline visibility is calculated accounting for any elevation offset applied to the map pins. For example, if you’re a drone photographer planning a drone landscape shot and want to confirm the sightline to a mountain summit when flying at 107 m (350 ft) above ground level, you can do exactly that.
Sightline adjusted for elevation above ground level (+107 m / +350 ft)
The same applies to the grey pin – an elevation offset applied to the secondary pin is included in the visibility calculation, so you can check whether the top of a building is visible.
The new tool is invaluable for quickly evaluating alignment possibilities for a given date and site. If you want to find an angle on the next full Moon that aligns with a landmark, sightline analysis makes it easy.
Sightline analysis will be available in TPE Web 3.11, coming later this week.
If you’d like to learn more, join our free webinar on Saturday 10 February at 10:30am Mountain Time.
Register using this link.
