How to plan rainbow photos
Where would a rainbow appear above your subject? Celeris lets you check its possible position before the next shower and frame your photograph around it.
01Choose a viewpoint and time
Find your shooting location on the map and put the crosshair where your camera will stand. Set the date and time. A low sun is a good starting point if you want a high arch.
A viewpoint and time for an example plan in the Palatinate Forest. “3D” at the top left opens the preview. 02Show the possible rainbow
Tap “3D” with the cube icon at the top, then the three-arch symbol on the right. Turn the view towards the side opposite the sun. The overlay shows a possible primary rainbow for your chosen place and time, even in dry weather.
The possible rainbow above the terrain. The three-arch icon on the right turns it on and off. 03Bring the arch and subject together
Move the time and watch the arch change above the landscape. Adjust your viewpoint, focal length and frame orientation to suit the foreground. Save the location and time with the bookmark. Enable the rainbow again when you reopen the view.
04Switch to AR on location
Set the map location to your actual position and tap “Now”. In the 3D view, enable the phone-with-crosshair symbol on the right, then “AR”, and allow camera access. If the compass reading is inaccurate, open “Calibrate” and follow the instructions; metal and magnets can interfere with alignment.
05Check the plan outside
Point your phone at the subject and enable the calculated arch. You can see where a rainbow would appear if conditions allow. If a real rainbow is already there, toggle the overlay off and on to compare.
Calculated, then checked outside
This was a spontaneous look outside, independent of the example plan above. Once without the overlay, once with it: the calculated arch lines up with the real rainbow.
Celeris calculates a possible position, not rain probability or brightness. A real rainbow needs the sun behind you and sunlit raindrops ahead. Compass errors can shift the AR overlay. How rainbows form (Met Office) ↗