# Shutter Scout: Photo Forecast — Is tonight worth the drive?

> Night sky photography field intelligence system for optimal celestial event planning. (iPhone/iPad app by Steven smith.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shutter-scout-photo-forecast/id6779348739 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Steven smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779348741)
- Category: Photo & Video, Lifestyle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 42 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-07-16
- Data updated: 2026-10-07
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shutter-scout-photo-forecast/id6779348739/reviews.md

## What is Shutter Scout?

Shutter Scout answers one question: is tonight worth the drive?

A conditions score for the places you actually shoot, built from cloud cover, moonlight, darkness and live sky activity - so you know before you pack the car.

Shutter Scout brings the conditions for your photography locations into one clear briefing. Check the shooting window, then inspect the weather, moonlight and sky data behind it.

PLAN THE NIGHT
Find Milky Way windows, check the Moon and explore tonight's real sky before dark: Sky Tonight draws NASA's survey of the Milky Way and every bright star for your spot and minute, in every season. Use the planning tools to work toward a composition instead of arriving without a plan.

LINE UP THE SHOT
Drop a pin on a peak, lighthouse or skyline and the Viewfinder draws the sun, Moon or Milky Way core over your subject, with real terrain. Find the Spot suggests where to stand for the alignment you want, and the Alignment Window lists upcoming dates when it clears the skyline.

SHOULD YOU GO TONIGHT?
The hour-by-hour planner shows which hour looks best for your shot and what is limiting it. Emberlight maps sunset and sunrise color potential across your region.

IN THE FIELD
Live View with tap-to-meter, exposure lock and one-tap infinity focus. Lens Tools for depth of field, hyperfocal distance, ND filters and sharp-star exposure times. Download an offline trip package before you lose signal.

FOLLOW THE CONDITIONS
Explore aurora activity, solar wind and NOAA forecasts. Check sky cover, sunrise and sunset potential, and coastal tides in the same app.

TAKE A PLAN INTO THE FIELD
Move from the overview to the timing, direction and starting settings for your shot. The adjustable Red Light screen provides a red light for use in the field.

MADE BY PHOTOGRAPHERS, BACKED BY SCIENCE
Built by a Pacific Northwest nightscape photographer, with NOAA space-weather data and astronomical calculations behind the planning tools. The photography in this listing is the developer's own work. Forecasts and planning scores are estimates; conditions can change.

FREE DOWNLOAD, PRO UNLOCKS EVERY FEATURE
Shutter Scout is a free download with tonight's go / no-go verdict, Conditions Score and weather warnings for your spots. Shutter Scout Pro unlocks every feature above, from the full daily briefing, Emberlight, aurora and the planners to Live View and alerts, through a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase.

## Key features

- Aurora and solar wind forecasting
- Live lightning tracking and notifications
- Night sky planning with AR
- Animated weather maps for astrophotography
- Tidal information and spot finder
- Red light mode for low-light conditions

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

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


## Is Shutter Scout safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Shutter Scout.

## Is Shutter Scout legit?

Shutter Scout: Photo Forecast appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Shutter Scout is 65 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shutter-scout-photo-forecast/id6779348739/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2026-07-28*

Whenever I plan a trip, I first want to know the potential sunset/sunrise conditions. Shutter Scout nailed the prediction every night I went out last week, and the sunsets were beautiful. I wouldn’t have captured my photos without this app. It’s easy to use, and I love all the different features!

**Developer response:** Thank you — this is exactly what Shutter Scout was built for. The prediction engine you're describing just got smarter in the latest update (it now understands wildfire smoke and mountain conditions too), with more on the way. Clear skies, and keep shooting.

## Frequently asked questions about Shutter Scout

### What is Shutter Scout?

Shutter Scout is a field intelligence system designed for night-sky photographers. It provides forecasts and real-time data to help users plan their shoots for celestial events, aurora, and storms.

### Does Shutter Scout have ads?

No, Shutter Scout is ad-free. The developers state that the app is transparent by design and does not contain advertisements or third-party ad tracking.

### What features are free in Shutter Scout?

The free version of Shutter Scout includes tonight's headline verdict, active weather and space-weather warnings, the Signals inbox, Red Light mode, and the Field Manual.

### What is included in Shutter Scout Pro?

Shutter Scout Pro unlocks the full Today briefing, Sky Tonight, Night Sky Planner with Live View AR, Darklight, Emberlight, Aurora Command with Chase & Substorm modes, Sky Cover with the Lightning Tracker, Scout Nearby, and all premium alerts.

### How much does Shutter Scout Pro cost?

Shutter Scout Pro is available as an auto-renewing monthly subscription for $4.99 or a yearly subscription for $29.99. A lifetime purchase option is also available.

### Does Shutter Scout Pro offer a free trial?

Yes, the yearly plan for Shutter Scout Pro includes a 7-day free trial. Subscriptions can be managed and canceled through your App Store account settings.

### What kind of weather data does Shutter Scout provide for photographers?

Shutter Scout offers an animated weather map specifically built for astrophotographers. This includes data on clouds, transparency (CLARITY score), fog, radar, lightning strikes, wind, and smoke.

### Is Shutter Scout available on multiple devices?

Based on the provided data, Shutter Scout is currently supported on iPhone devices.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.28 — 2026-10-05

See tonight's real sky: the Milky Way is now NASA's survey of the galaxy's light, placed for your exact spot and minute.

• Sky Tonight, the Viewfinder and Live View draw the photographic Milky Way, dimmed by moonlight and twilight the way the night will dim it.
• The stars are the real sky to magnitude 6.5, each in its own colour.
• Ready for winter: the whole sky in every season. When the Milky Way core stays down, Sky Tonight marks the winter Milky Way, Orion and Andromeda, and Live View shows all 21 constellations, winter ones included.
• Dusk and dawn now glow from the sun's side of the sky, and Live View no longer paints the Milky Way over daylight.
• Updated License Agreement: you'll be asked to accept it once.
• Reliability improvements and fixes.

### 1.27 — 2026-10-01

ISS Tracker now loads reliably, everywhere.

• Orbit data comes from three independent sources, so the live position, passes and Sun and Moon transits load in seconds.
• If the orbit servers can't be reached, the tracker says so and keeps retrying on its own — with a Try again button — instead of waiting.
• Reliability improvements and fixes.

### 1.26 — 2026-09-29

One pull now brings in fresh weather, space weather and warnings together, and the Field Manual got a big upgrade.

• Pull down on Today to update weather, space weather and weather warnings all at once. Do it a few hours before you head out, and again before you leave. With Pro, the ↻ button also reruns tonight's written reports.
• Field Manual: 90+ topics you can browse by category, with every feature explained in plain language (tap the settings gear → Field Manual).
• Scout Nearby only suggests scenic places (waterfalls, viewpoints, lakes, parks and trails), not businesses that happen to share a name.
• Field Guide tips only mention tides and cold water at your coastal spots.
• Weather warnings no longer get stuck on "Checking…", and they say clearly when a check couldn't finish.
• Clearer meteor shower wording after the peak, and more accurate lightning-alert settings.

### 1.25 — 2026-09-27

Line up the shot. The new Viewfinder shows the sun, Moon or Milky Way over your subject, with real terrain, and Find the Spot suggests where to stand.

• Alignment Window: upcoming dates when the Moon or sun lines up with your subject and clears the skyline
• Should I go tonight? An hour-by-hour planner shows the best hour for your shot and what is limiting it
• Live View: tap to meter, exposure lock, exposure compensation and one-tap infinity focus, plus a clearer sightline check
• Lens Tools: depth of field, hyperfocal distance, ND filters and sharp-star exposure times
• Offline trip packages: download terrain and a forecast before you lose signal
• Saved plans keep the frame, lens, time and subject so you can return to the same shot
• Emberlight: fuller sunset and sunrise heat maps, with a NOAA backup forecast when the main weather source is down
• Deep Sky Tonight: a top-3 card with a full pop-out list
• More accurate Moon and sun positions, and steadier weather-alert monitoring

### 1.24.1 — 2026-09-17

Today's Insight no longer invents a date. The on-device writer now knows what day it is, is told never to say so, and any lead that names a year or runs long is replaced by the plain field brief.

## Apps similar to Shutter Scout

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [GoldenLight: Photo Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/goldenlight-photo-planner/id6773399362) | — | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Amber Hour](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/amber-hour/id6795649415) | — | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Chase the Light](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chase-the-light/id6761064047) | — | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Scout - Photo Locations](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scout-photo-locations/id6781030287) | — | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Location Scouter Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/location-scouter-pro/id6761719912) | — | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Dedup Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dedup-lite/id6738871467) | — | Free | Photo & Video |

## More apps by Steven smith

- [TonePoet: Guitar Tuner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tonepoet-guitar-tuner/id6781715008)
- [ReSoul: Audio Mastering](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/resoul-audio-mastering/id6790546648)
- [EXIF Magic: Metadata Remover](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exif-magic-metadata-remover/id6794719771)
- [SkyForge: Milky Way Finishing](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/skyforge-milky-way-finishing/id6795380728)
- [Milky Way Scout: Photo Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/milky-way-scout-photo-planner/id6798053795)

All apps by Steven smith: https://appshunter.io/developer/6779348741

## 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 2026-10-07.*