One tripod position. Matching frames.
- Desktop Chrome or Edge on a Mac or Windows computer.
- 3–30 JPEG, PNG, or supported RGB TIFF frames, up to 32 megapixels each. For a first attempt, start with 5–10 frames and a simple horizon.
- Use consecutive frames with matching dimensions, orientation, exposure, white balance, and focal length. Exclude missed focus, camera shake, heavy cloud, and frames with trails you do not want averaged into the result.
- Camera RAW and DNG need developing first. Export matching sRGB files. The file guide lists supported TIFF settings.
This beta handles an untracked, single-composition nightscape. It does not handle tracked skies, stitched panoramas, mixed exposures, separate foreground exposures, or automatic fine-branch sky masks. Available browser memory and local storage can limit large sequences.
Six steps, including the checks.
Prepare one consistent sequence
If starting from RAW, synchronize your development settings and export matching sRGB files. Keep your originals. Note preparation time separately from time in the stacker.
Import and choose a reference
Open the stacker and select your files. Choose the reference whose foreground you want to keep. Your photos are read locally, without being uploaded.
Mark the sky by hand
Use Horizon mode and Apply sky, then refine with Sky brush or Eraser. Keep trees, branches, ridges, and buildings out of the sky mask. Note how long the mask takes.
Stack and read the report
Keep the tab open while it works. Note rejected frames and unvalidated regions. At least three frames, including the reference, must succeed. Averages do not automatically remove moving clouds, satellites, or aircraft.
Inspect at actual pixels
Compare the reference and stack at the same zoom and brightness. Check the center, all four corners within the covered area, and the horizon. The normal fit-to-screen preview is downsampled.
Export and reopen the TIFF
Download the 16-bit TIFF and open it in your usual editor. Check dimensions, color, and brightness. You can save the project, mask, and processing report if you want to retry; projects do not contain the photographs.
A cleaner center is only part of it.
Want an example of the checks? The reproducible real-photo case includes licensed teaching inputs, settings, an output and paired crops. It uses reduced-resolution teaching files; it is a different test from your camera's full-resolution sequence.
- Sky noise and detail
- Is noise lower in the same sky patch at the same brightness? Are faint stars and Milky Way detail still visible?
- Center and all four corners
- Look for doubled, stretched, or missing stars. Note the affected corner and usable coverage. Reference blending near unsupported edges can limit noise improvement.
- Sky–ground boundary
- Check mountains, trees, and buildings for halos, repeated edges, or sky leaking into the ground. The expected foreground is the chosen reference frame.
- Color and export
- Does the TIFF open at the expected dimensions? Note unexpected brightness or color changes and which editor you used. A 16-bit export does not recover detail already lost in an 8-bit source.
- Effort and reliability
- Record preparation, masking, and processing time. Did anything fail? Which step needed help? If comparing another stacker, use the same input files and equivalent display settings.
For double stars, soft corners, or a bright ridge, use the troubleshooting checks.
A short report helps.
Tell us whether you reached a usable TIFF and the one thing that helped or failed. Original photos are not needed in the first message. If you choose to attach a processing report, read it first: filenames can reveal private information. Remove anything you do not want to share.
Your email app opens when you choose Email feedback; you review and send the message yourself. This page has no photo-upload or feedback-submission form. Support: contactjensennow@gmail.com.
Teachers and independent reviewers.
Use a sequence you own or have permission to use. You can keep the test private or publish your own account, including failures. There is no requirement to recommend the tool or write a positive review. This invitation offers no payment, commission, or promise of publication.
If you choose to publish, identify this as a test of the free public beta and disclose any relationship or benefit relevant to your review. Use Nightscape Stacker — nightscapestacker.app — browser Milky Way stacking tool so readers find this product. Keep preparation settings and limitations visible alongside your results.
Sending feedback does not give us permission to publish your photos, name, quotes, or screenshots. We will ask separately before reusing them. Do not share student photos or identifying information without their permission.
The built-in sample is synthetic and demonstrates controls. It is not a real-photo benchmark. This page is a test invitation; it does not claim that an independent review exists or that our output is better than another stacker's.