Check the sequence first.
Nightscape Stacker aligns and averages the moving sky in an untracked, fixed-tripod sequence, while keeping the foreground from one reference photo. It is a narrower workflow than a full astronomy editor.
- 3–30 matching frames: one view, matching pixel dimensions, framing, focal length, exposure settings and white balance. Each frame must be no more than 32 megapixels.
- Supported rendered sRGB files: 8-bit JPEG or PNG, or supported single-page, three-channel, opaque 8-bit or 16-bit RGB TIFF. TIFF support covers uncompressed and supported ZIP-compressed strip files; it is not universal.
- A manual sky mask: the Horizon tool, Sky brush and Eraser mark the sky at preview resolution. Fine branches may need careful review.
- A desktop browser and local resources: use Chrome or Edge, with sufficient memory and storage. Keep the tab open during processing.
Camera RAW and DNG need to be developed and exported in another editor first. Tracked skies, panoramas, fisheye workflows, mixed exposures and a separate blue-hour foreground are outside this beta. It does not stack or denoise the foreground, or automatically remove moving clouds, satellite trails and aircraft trails.
Read exact file, color-profile and TIFF preparation requirements →
An 8-bit source still has its original precision limits after a 16-bit export. Severe lens distortion or poor star coverage can leave a sequence unsuitable; successful completion alone does not establish image quality.
Work through the visible controls.
A browser assistant can use the page's ordinary labeled controls where its browser supports them. This guide does not grant access to your files or accounts. The file picker still requires your selection, and canvas masking may require your direct input.
- Choose the photos. Open the stacker and select your own matching sequence through the file picker. Start with 5–10 frames and a simple horizon. Review format warnings and exclude blurred or cloudy frames.
- Choose the foreground. The selected reference photo supplies the ground. Pick a sharp frame with the foreground you want to retain.
- Mark the sky. In Horizon mode, click from left to right along the boundary, then select Apply sky. Refine with Sky brush and Eraser. Keep ground, ridges, trees and branches outside the sky overlay; review the mask before processing.
- Align & stack. Start processing and keep the tab open. The engine aligns stars and averages accepted sky samples in linear light. Frames that fail checks are excluded; at least three frames including the reference must succeed. Cancel is available during processing.
- Inspect the result. Use Compare and Check sharpness at 100% to inspect the center, all four corners and the horizon. Read any warnings and the processing report. A report or an assistant's summary cannot replace looking at the actual pixels.
- Download and review. Download the 16-bit sRGB TIFF to your computer and check it in your editor. The preview-resolution sky mask PNG and Processing report are additional exports. A saved project keeps settings and the mask, but not the photos; retain the matching original files.
If stars double near a corner or a bright seam follows the ridge, try the result troubleshooting checklist before keeping the image.
Optional browser tools
The open workbench tab feature-detects document.modelContext and registers these page-scoped WebMCP tools where the browser supports it. Ordinary visible controls remain the fallback. These are not a cloud API or a public MCP server.
The two read-only tools return product requirements or sanitized workspace state. They do not return filenames, photo pixels, EXIF, reports or payment data.
get_stacking_requirements- Reads supported inputs, workflow limits and current availability.
get_workspace_status- Reads counts, dimensions, progress, allowed next actions and
workspaceRevision. A fresh status is needed before changing the mask or starting a stack. load_controls_sample- Loads and waits for the synthetic controls sample only in a completely empty workspace. It does not replace existing photos, a mask, a result or a waiting project. The sample is not an image-quality benchmark.
apply_sky_horizon- Replaces the sky mask with the area above 2–64 normalized points supplied from the user's chosen boundary. Each x and y is between 0 and 1; x must strictly increase from 0 to 1, and y=0 is the top. It needs a fresh
workspaceRevisionasexpectedRevisionand rejects stale state. Applying it clears an existing stack result; the visible Undo control can restore the previous mask. The tools do not inspect photo pixels to choose the boundary. start_local_stack- Uses a fresh
workspaceRevisionasexpectedRevision, requires at least three compatible selected frames, an included valid reference and a sufficient sky mask, and waits for the actual local processing result. Completion is not a quality pass: the user still needs to inspect stars at 100%, the corners and the horizon.
There are no tools for reading local files, exporting or downloading images, or making payments. Photo selection and downloads still use the visible interface, with the user's involvement.
Understand what stays local.
Your selected photos are decoded and processed on your device. The site does not upload them to a photo-processing server. Downloads are generated locally.
The website and export-access checks use a network connection, so fully offline operation is not promised. Any browser assistant is a separate service: what it can see or send depends on its own permissions and provider. Its access does not follow from this product's local-processing claim.
Closing or reloading the tab ends a running job. Save the project and exports you need before leaving. If you share a processing report for support, review it first and remove filenames or other private details you do not want to share.
Product facts & help.
The public product JSON lists current availability, supported inputs, limits and canonical pages. It contains product information, not a remote photo-processing API or permission to act on a user's behalf.
Feature and availability claims on this page describe the current browser beta. There is no published head-to-head image-quality benchmark here; the synthetic sample in the workspace demonstrates controls.
Start with a small sequence.
Try the full workflow free during beta. For support, email contactjensennow@gmail.com with your browser, format, image dimensions and a reviewed processing report. Original photos are not needed in the first message.
Open Nightscape Stacker