They don’t entirely replace some of these and I still use this workflow, so keep reading for some tips and planning tools to supplement these robust apps 1. So, if you’re willing to sacrifice a few cups of coffee for an app, then go ahead and buy one of those apps. Planit Pro has replaced a few of these apps and has some nice added features.

Before jumping into my workflow around the free tools available, I will say that I’ve heard a lot of good things about PhotoPills and have recently purchased and use Planit Pro: Photo Planner. So my planning workflow needed to include tools that were completely free for me to use. The other thing you need to know about me, I am cheap. It didn’t take long before I became frustrated with this approach and I determined I needed to learn the tools that it takes to plan thoroughly for night photography and capturing the milky way. I’d simply drive away from the city in any direction, moon or no moon, and snap a photo. When I first picked up night photography a few years ago, planning barely included filling up my car with gas.

Stellarium landscapes cloudy nights