# LightPlan - Photo Planner — See the light before you shoot

> 3D sun, moon, and shadow planner for outdoor photography. (iPhone/iPad app by Rivolu LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightplan-photo-planner/id1668588896 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Rivolu LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086229238)
- Category: Photo & Video, Weather
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 6 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.6 · 89 MB
- Languages: Korean, Greek, Dutch, Danish, German (Germany), Vietnamese, Norwegian Bokmål, Swedish, European Spanish, American English and 9 more
- Released: 2025-10-01
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightplan-photo-planner/id1668588896/reviews.md

## What is LightPlan?

Plan Perfect Outdoor Shots with Stunning 3D Sun, Moon & Milky Way Visualization

See exactly where the sun, moon, and Milky Way will be at any time with photorealistic 3D visualization overlaid on real‑world terrain. Turn your photography from guesswork into precision planning.

Why Photographers Love LightPlan

Photorealistic 3D Visualization — The only app that shows celestial paths in true 3D space. Watch the sun arc across mountains and the moon rise behind city skylines with pinpoint accuracy.

Choose Your Map — Switch between photorealistic 3D, 2D satellite, and a true 3D terrain map with real elevation. Your sun and moon paths stay aligned, even behind ridgelines.

Weather That Matters for Light — Overlay a cloud‑cover forecast to find clear skies for astro or dramatic clouds for golden hour, plus a precipitation layer — all scrubbable along the timeline.

Plan the Milky Way — Find the dark‑sky window, galactic‑core direction and altitude, and the best nights this month.

Golden Hour Perfection — An interactive timeline shows golden hour, blue hour, sunrise, and sunset with color‑coded periods and elevation charts. See the day's light at a glance.

Moon Calendar — Scroll month‑by‑month moon phases; tap any day for moonrise, sun & twilight times, and eclipses.

Shadow View — Visualize real‑time 3D building shadows through the day and across seasons — perfect for photographers, architects, or anyone studying how light shapes a place.

Smart Location Library — Save shooting spots with custom camera angles, organize them into folders for trips, and sync across all your devices.

Home Screen Widgets — Golden hour, moonrise/moonset, and tonight's Milky Way visibility at a glance.

Perfect for Every Photographer

• Real Estate — Plan exteriors for flattering light, avoid harsh shadows, and time twilight shoots when interiors glow against a blue‑hour sky.
• Landscape — Scout remotely; know when the sun aligns with a peak or canyon wall, and check the cloud forecast first.
• Astro & Night — Plan around the dark‑sky window and galactic core, line up the moon with a foreground, and pick the clearest nights.
• Wedding — Mark ceremony and portrait spots in advance and know exactly when golden hour begins.
• Commercial & Architectural — See when sunlight hits glass facades at the ideal angle and plan multi‑day shoots around optimal light.

Free Forever
• 3D sun & moon paths for anywhere on Earth
• Multiple map engines — photorealistic 3D, 2D satellite & 3D terrain
• Plan up to 72 hours ahead
• All preset camera angles
• Complete rise/set timings
• Golden & blue hour calculations
• Full elevation charts
• Moon calendar with eclipses
• Tonight's Milky Way window
• 3D Compass

LightPlan Pro
• Unrestricted dates to plan any shoot, any time
• Unlimited locations
• Weather layers — cloud cover & precipitation forecasts
• 30‑night Milky Way forecast & alerts
• Shadow View — real‑time building shadows
• Custom camera presets
• Home screen widgets — golden hour, moon & Milky Way
• Folder organization
• Priority support
• Early access to new features

What Photographers Are Saying

"Finally, an app that shows me exactly where the sun will be without a PhD in astronomy."

"The 3D visualization is a game‑changer. I can see my shot before I even leave the house."

"Beautifully designed and actually fun to use."

Privacy‑focused design · No ads, ever · Works worldwide

Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://lightplan.app/privacy.html

## Key features

- Photorealistic 3D sun and moon visualization
- Interactive timeline for golden hour and blue hour
- 3D building shadow visualization
- Smart location library with custom camera angles
- Syncs locations across devices
- Elevation charts and compass

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Membership | $59.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (6 of 6)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightplan-photo-planner/id1668588896/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Excellent

*2026-04-28*

Having given a 1-star review a couple of days ago I’m changing it to a 5-star. The issue was a small bug which the developer contacted me about and is fixing. Great communication and great app which has been invaluable to my photography work over the years.

### 1/5 — UI is broken

*2026-04-26*

Was hoping for a seamless transition from the old app, but unfortunately not. The calendar is obscured on my phone, so checking light paths a month or two in the future is impossible. Infuriatingly, I can drag the calendar down and see the button to move forward a month, but cannot click on it as it disappears as soon as I let go.

### 1/5 — Crashed

*2026-03-19*

Update. It was a one time thing. My complaints are:
1. No fixed default  map. Helpful to reset the map.
2. Map changes with clicking ship information, won't return to user map.
3. Needs setting to hide ships in port from ships in transit like old version.
4. Needs standard map like old version. 
5. Make ship information popup like old version.
6. Needs user setting options like the old version.
I restored two devices to the old version with one on the new version to check progress of updates. If nothing chsnges, I'll find a new app.

The app opens to a white screen and nothing happens. I had setting and map but no idea if they're working. The old version always worked. Skip the new version until they make it usable.

**Developer response:** Lightplan is a photography tool designed for planning photo shoots, and it doesn’t have any ship tracking or transit features. Would appreciate if you could please update your review. It seems like you’ve accidentally posted the review to the wrong app.

### 1/5 — Crashed

*2026-03-17*

The app opens to a white screen and nothing happens. I had setting and map but no idea if they're working. The old version always worked. Skip the new version until they make it usable.

**Developer response:** Please reach out to us at feedback@rivolu.com as we like to learn more about the issue and how we can help resolve it. Thank you.

### 4/5 — Good, but...

*2026-02-07*

It took a while to get it set up. Things LightTrac does better. The red line for the sun is missing on iPad version. The lines for sunrise and sunset should extend like LightTrac. Lose the arc and make the lines thinner. Allow user to display the information like LightTrac.

### 5/5 — The best of the best.

*2025-12-01*

Most of what I photograph is in urban environments. I am able to find a 3-minute (December) window for a 40-story building that is surrounded by midtown Manhattan.  
There is just nothing this good out there.

**Developer response:** Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that our app helps you capture such spectacular urban scenes. If you have any suggestions or need additional features, please don't hesitate to reach out. Happy photographing!

## Frequently asked questions about LightPlan

### What is LightPlan?

LightPlan is a photography planning app that provides a 3D visualization of the sun and moon's paths over real-world terrain. It helps users plan outdoor shots by showing celestial positions, golden hour, blue hour, and shadows with high accuracy.

### Does LightPlan have ads?

No, LightPlan does not contain advertisements. The app is free to download and use with optional premium features available through subscription.

### What are the subscription options for LightPlan Pro?

LightPlan Pro offers monthly and yearly subscription plans. The monthly plan costs $2.99 and includes a 7-day free trial, while the yearly plan is $19.99 and also includes a 7-day free trial.

### How accurate is LightPlan's sun and moon tracking?

LightPlan offers photorealistic 3D visualization with pinpoint accuracy for celestial paths and rise/set timings. It also provides full elevation charts to help users understand the sun's position relative to the terrain.

### Can I save my planned locations in LightPlan?

Yes, LightPlan features a Smart Location Library where you can save shooting spots with custom camera angles. These locations can be organized into folders and sync across all your devices.

### What is the age rating for LightPlan?

LightPlan has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. It is available on iPhone and iPad devices.

### How often is LightPlan updated?

The latest version of LightPlan is 1.6, which was last updated on February 19, 2026. This indicates a relatively active development cycle for the application.

### What are the benefits of using LightPlan for real estate photography?

For real estate photographers, LightPlan helps plan exterior shoots to perfectly illuminate front facades, avoid harsh shadows in listing photos, and schedule twilight shoots during blue hour for warm interior lighting.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.2.1 — 2026-08-12

Minor bugfix

### 2.2 — 2026-08-11

Added Siri shortcuts.
New altitude selector for camera controls.
Bugfixes & Stability improvements.

### 2.1 — 2026-07-14

Bugfixes and general improvements

### 2.0 — 2026-06-29

Cloud coverage forecast and precipitation heatmap overlay over map view.
Enhancements and bugfixes to terrain maps
New widget for tracking milky way photo ops

### 1.9 — 2026-05-29

Milky Way Planner — Plan your Milky Way shoot with the dark-sky window, galactic core direction, and the best nights this month.
Moon Calendar — Scroll a month-by-month moon phase calendar. Tap any day for moonrise, sun & twilight times, and eclipses.
Milky Way in AR Sky View — Point your camera at the sky and see the galactic core's position in real time.
Plus bug fixes and improvements throughout the app.

## Apps similar to LightPlan

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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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## More apps by Rivolu LLC

- [LightTrac](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lighttrac/id392892355)
- [Moon Calendar + Phases](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/moon-calendar-plus-phases/id1350655546)
- [Tide Alert (NOAA) - Tide Chart](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tide-alert-noaa-tide-chart/id1352211125)
- [Fish & Tides](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fish-and-tides/id1589893765)
- [Tide Alert - Australia](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tide-alert-australia/id1635416363)

All apps by Rivolu LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1086229238

## Related topics

[milky way photo](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/milky-way-photo)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*