Welcome to
SpectraVision
Scientific night photography colour analysis. Runs entirely in your browser — no install, no server, no upload. Your photos never leave your device.
This tutorial covers every feature across all 23 tabs. Use the sidebar to jump to any topic.
Loading Your Photo
Tap or click the Open button in the top toolbar. SpectraVision supports more formats than any browser-based tool:
RAW Files
For RAW files, SpectraVision extracts the largest embedded JPEG preview. All scientific analysis runs on those pixels. After loading, a banner appears offering Auto Balance. Images are displayed at up to 1800px on the long edge. Your original file is never modified or uploaded.
Navigating the App
The screen splits into two panels. The left panel always shows your photo. The right panel is the analysis area, navigated by the tab strip running down the right edge of the photo.
All 23 Tabs
| Tab | Name | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| SPATIAL | Spatial Analysis | 5×4 grid of zone, Kelvin, and colour preservation per region |
| ZONES | Zone System | Adams Z0–Z9 tonal distribution histogram |
| SKY | Sky Presets | Scientific sky condition targets with R:G:B ratios |
| SOURCES | Light Sources | Detected pollution types: sodium, mercury, LED, airglow |
| WAVE | Waveform | Broadcast-grade luma + R/G/B channel parade |
| SCOPE | 3D Vectorscope | Drag-to-rotate colour volume in 3D hue space |
| STARS | Star Analysis | Star count, Bortle estimate, light pollution compass |
| NOISE | Noise / SNR | Signal-to-noise per zone, hot pixel map, stacking advice |
| FOCUS | FWHM / Focus | Star sharpness, FWHM distribution, focus quality map |
| GRAD | Gradient Map | 16×10 luminance heatmap revealing vignetting and gradients |
| CA | Chromatic Aberration | RGB channel misalignment map and severity score |
| WB | White Balance | Eyedropper: tap any pixel to sample its white balance |
| SELECT | Selective Colour | Tap any pixel to isolate all similar-hued pixels |
| REGION | Region Analyzer | Drag a box on the photo to analyse just that area |
| CALC | Exposure Calculator | NPF rule and 500 rule for your exact camera settings |
| SQM | Sky Quality Meter | Estimated SQM reading and A–F composite site grade |
| EXIF | EXIF Data | Camera, lens, exposure, and GPS from the image file |
| PLATE ★ | Plate Solve | Sky coordinates, field of view, constellation, star overlay — new in 2025 |
| REPORT | Analysis Report | Full scientific summary, exportable as HTML |
| CVD | Colour Vision | Guided correction + channel enhancement for colorblind photographers |
| ASTRO | AstroMod Camera | Simulate or correct astro-modified sensor response |
| Print Calibration | Gamma, luminance, and blue-light filter compensation | |
| CORRECT | Corrections | 10 live sliders: sky temp, pollution, contrast, blacks, clarity, and more |
Spatial Analysis
The SPATIAL tab divides your image into a 5×4 grid of 20 cells. Each cell shows three values simultaneously: colour temperature in Kelvin, Adams Zone, and colour preservation %.
What does Kelvin per cell tell you?
What is colour preservation?
Zone System
Based on Ansel Adams’ Zone System. Click any zone bar in the histogram to highlight those exact pixels overlaid on your photo.
| Zone | What it means in a night photo |
|---|---|
| Z0 | Pure black. A spike here means crushed blacks with no recoverable detail. |
| Z1–Z2 | Faint star texture in near-black sky. Ideal zone for most dark sky pixels. |
| Z3–Z4 | Milky Way structure, nebulosity, dust lanes. |
| Z5–Z6 | Bright galactic core, light pollution glow. Large proportion here often means overexposure or heavy LP. |
| Z7–Z8 | Horizon glow, bright planets, galactic centre peak. |
| Z9 | Pure white — clipped highlights. Acceptable only for very bright star cores. |
Waveform Monitor
The WAVE tab shows a broadcast-standard luminance waveform with a full R/G/B channel parade, plotted at native retina resolution — the same quality as professional video scopes.
Reading the Luma Trace
The horizontal axis corresponds to horizontal position in your photo. The vertical axis is brightness from 0 IRE (pure black) at the bottom to 100 IRE (pure white) at the top. A flat floor at 0 IRE = crushed blacks. A flat ceiling at 100 IRE = clipped highlights.
Reading the Channel Parade
The three traces show R, G, and B channels independently. For a correctly balanced dark sky, B should be the tallest trace. If R is taller than B, your sky is warm — use Sky Colour Temp and Light Pollution Remove in the CORRECT tab until B sits above R.
3D Vectorscope
The SCOPE tab plots every pixel in your image as a dot in 3D hue space. Drag to orbit, pinch or scroll to zoom. Toggle Auto-rotate for a continuous 360° view.
What does a tight cluster near centre mean?
What does an orange/red tail extending from the cluster mean?
What do isolated dots away from the main mass mean?
Stars & Focus Quality
Star Detection (STARS tab)
SpectraVision automatically detects point sources and measures them. The STARS tab shows star count, spectral type distribution, Bortle scale estimate, and a light pollution direction compass.
| Bortle 1–2 | Pristine dark sky. SQM >21.5. M33 visible naked eye. |
| Bortle 3–4 | Rural. SQM 20–21.5. Milky Way has distinct structure. |
| Bortle 5–6 | Suburban. SQM 18–20. Milky Way visible but washed out. |
| Bortle 7+ | Urban/city. SQM <18. Only bright stars visible. |
FWHM & Focus (FOCUS tab)
FWHM (Full Width Half Maximum) is the width of a star profile at half its peak brightness — the standard scientific measure of focus quality.
Light Pollution & Sky Quality
Detected Source Types (SOURCES tab)
| Source | Colour temp | Signature |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium vapor | ~2200K | Very high R, almost no B |
| Mercury vapor | ~4200K | High R, moderate B, green cast |
| LED white | 4000–6500K | Broad spectrum — varies by LED type |
| Airglow OI 557nm | Natural | Green-dominant mid-brightness pixels |
Sky Quality Meter (SQM tab)
Estimates a Sky Quality Meter reading in mag/arcsec² from your dark zone pixels, plus an A–F composite site grade combining SQM, sky temperature, and pollution percentage.
EXIF Data & Plate Solving
EXIF Tab
Reads EXIF metadata directly from the raw file bytes — nothing is sent to any server. Shows camera make/model, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, date/time, and GPS coordinates if recorded.
PLATE Tab — New in 2025
Identifies exactly what’s in your image: sky coordinates, field of view, constellation, and nearby bright stars and DSOs drawn as an overlay on your photo.
Making Corrections
The CORRECT tab has 10 live sliders. Every adjustment immediately updates the image and all 22 other analysis tabs in real time.
Night Correction Sliders — Interactive Demo
Primary control. Increase (higher K) to cool a warm/orange sodium sky. Target: 9000–11000K for true dark night.
Subtracts the dominant warm pollution colour from dark zones. Try 30–70% for strongly city-lit skies.
Shadow Lift
Shadow Colour
Star Highlight Protect
Tone & Detail Sliders
S-curve contrast. Deepens dark sky, lifts Milky Way midtones. Auto Balance sets +35 for RAW files.
Sets the black point. Negative crushes the shadow floor — essential for RAW files which have a lifted shadow curve. Auto Balance sets −20.
Highlights
Vibrance
Clarity
Colour Blindness Balancing
The CVD tab replaces colour judgment entirely with scientific numbers — designed for colorblind astrophotographers, but useful for everyone.
Step 1 — Select Your CVD Type
| Normal Vision | Disable simulation, use as a sighted reference |
| Protanopia | Red blind (~1% of males). Red and green appear very similar. |
| Deuteranopia | Green blind (~1% of males). Most common form. |
| Tritanopia | Blue blind (~0.01%). Blue and yellow appear similar. |
| Achromatopsia | No colour vision — only luminance differences visible. |
| Protanomaly / Deuteranomaly | Reduced red or green sensitivity — partial cone function. |
Step 2 — Live Sky Balance Verdict
Pick a sky target, then adjust CORRECT tab sliders. The verdict box and three gauges update every frame. All three must show green before the image is balanced.
Click the gauges to cycle through states.
Sky Presets
tolerance: ±1500K
tolerance: ±1200K
tolerance: ±800K
Channel Enhancement
The Kelvin slider alone cannot reveal all the colour features of the Milky Way. Several important astronomical signatures exist outside the Kelvin scale.
Emission Lines Tab
| H-alpha (656nm) | Ionised hydrogen — invisible to Protanopia |
| Airglow OI (557nm) | Atmospheric green — invisible to Deuteranomaly |
| OIII (501nm) | Doubly-ionised oxygen — planetary nebulae |
| Dust Contrast | Milky Way dust lanes — outside the Kelvin scale |
How emission line detection works
Auto Enhance Presets
| CVD type | Recommended preset | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Protanopia | R+80 · Hα+70 | Shifts red nebulae toward yellow-orange where sensitivity exists |
| Deuteranomaly | G+70 · Airglow+80 · OIII+40 | Makes green airglow and nebulae distinguishable from background |
| Tritanopia | B+80 · OIII+60 | Reveals night sky blue and blue-green emission features |
False Colour Assist
Step 6 of the CVD tab. Remaps colours you cannot perceive to colours you can, using full HSV hue rotation per CVD type. For editing only — disable before exporting.
Protanopia: what gets remapped?
Deuteranomaly / Deuteranopia: what gets remapped?
Tritanopia: what gets remapped?
Achromatopsia: what happens?
Print Calibration
The PRINT tab diagnoses why prints come out dark or with colour shifts. It builds a compensation profile through six interactive steps.
iPhone/iPad: Settings → Display & Brightness → Night Shift → off. Mac: System Settings → Displays → Night Shift → off. Windows: Settings → System → Display → Night Light → off.
| Step | What it tests | What to do if it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Viewing environment — ambient light colour | Move to a D50-standard area or daylight LEDs |
| Step 2 | Gamma — checkerboard vs solid 186/255 grey | If checkerboard looks darker, prints will come out too dark |
| Step 3 | Shadow detail — count visible patches 0–28 | Can’t see all 8? Reduce monitor brightness |
| Step 4 | Colour neutrality — five R=G=B grey patches | Any looking warm/cool = monitor colour cast that transfers to prints |
| Step 5 | Apply compensation profile | EV compensation + shadow lift + colour shift applied; export as TIFF |
White Balance Eyedropper & Selective Colour
WB Eyedropper (WB tab)
Go to the WB tab. Tap any area that should be grey — a rock face, a road, still water. SpectraVision measures the R:G:B at that pixel and calculates its Kelvin equivalent. Tap Apply Sampled WB to Corrections to push that reading into the Sky Colour Temp slider.
Selective Colour (SELECT tab)
Tap any pixel on your photo. All pixels with a similar hue are highlighted; everything else dims to black. Use the Tolerance slider to widen or narrow the hue range. Useful for isolating sodium glow vs airglow, or finding which stars share a spectral colour. Tap Clear Selection to restore normal view.
Region Analyzer & Exposure Calculator
Region Analyzer (REGION tab)
Drag a rectangle on your photo. The panel shows zone distribution, average Kelvin, SNR, and colour preservation for just that region. Useful for checking sky quality separately from foreground, or measuring a specific portion of the Milky Way core without contamination.
Exposure Calculator (CALC tab)
Calculates maximum shutter speed before stars trail using the NPF rule (more accurate) and the older 500 rule.
NPF vs 500 rule — what’s the difference?
Exporting Your Image
Tap Export ▼ in the top toolbar and choose your format. A progress bar confirms the export has started.
| Format | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Further editing in Lightroom or Photoshop | Lossless, no metadata embedded |
| TIFF | Print labs, professional workflows | Uncompressed, full quality. Hand-coded encoder. |
The exported image reflects all active corrections from the CORRECT tab, plus any CVD channel enhancement and emission line boosts.
Sky Colour Temperature Targets
The scientifically calibrated targets built into SpectraVision’s CVD gauges and presets.
tol: ±1500K
tol: ±1200K
tol: ±800K
| Condition | Kelvin | R : G : B ratios |
|---|---|---|
| True Dark Night | 10500K | 0.265 : 0.327 : 0.408 |
| Blue Hour | 9000K | 0.244 : 0.311 : 0.444 |
| Moonlit Night | 4100K | 0.348 : 0.338 : 0.314 |
| Sodium pollution | ~2200K | High R, very low B |
| LED streetlight | 4000–6500K | Varies by LED type |
Why B should dominate in true dark sky
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bortle | Scale 1–9 rating of night sky darkness. 1 = pristine, 9 = inner city. |
| CVD | Colour Vision Deficiency. Any form of reduced or absent colour perception. |
| FWHM | Full Width Half Maximum. Width of a star profile at half peak brightness, in pixels. |
| H-alpha | 656.3nm emission of ionised hydrogen. Appears red. Faint in stock cameras, bright in astro-modified sensors. |
| IRE | Institute of Radio Engineers unit. 0 = pure black, 100 = pure white. Used on the waveform monitor. |
| Kelvin (K) | Colour temperature. Higher K = cooler/bluer. Lower K = warmer/redder. |
| LZW | Lempel–Ziv–Welch lossless compression. Lightroom’s default TIFF format. SpectraVision decodes it natively. |
| NPF Rule | Exposure rule using aperture, pixel pitch, and focal length. More accurate than the 500 rule for modern sensors. |
| OIII | Doubly-ionised oxygen at 496–501nm. Appears blue-green. Found in planetary and emission nebulae. |
| Plate solve | Identifying which part of the sky is in an image by matching star patterns to a catalog. |
| Predictor | TIFF tag 317, value 2 = horizontal differencing before compression. SpectraVision un-applies it automatically. |
| SQM | Sky Quality Meter — mag/arcsec². Higher = darker. >21.5 = Bortle 1–2. |
| Zone System | Ansel Adams’ tonal scale Z0 (pure black) through Z9 (pure white). |
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