Tips and fixes4 min read8 steps

Tips and troubleshooting

Sharper trails, darker skies, longer sessions, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Step 1/8
Keep the phone perfectly still
A tripod on solid ground is best. Any movement during a session shows up as broken or doubled trails.
Turn on airplane mode so calls and vibrations cannot shake the phone.
Step 2/8
Go somewhere dark
City lights wash out faint stars. Even 20 minutes outside town makes a big difference.
Check the Moon in Tonight's Sky. A bright Moon lights up the sky like light pollution; shoot when it is down or thin.
Step 3/8
Battery and storage
Long sessions use a lot of battery. Plug the phone into a power bank.
Make sure you have free space. Every finished photo is saved as you go.
Step 4/8
"Camera access is required"
Tap "Allow camera". If you said no before, tap "Open settings", turn on Camera for Trailium, and come back.
Step 5/8
"Camera is busy"
Another app is using the camera. Close other camera apps (or end a video call) and open Capture again.
Step 6/8
My single photos look dark
That is normal. Each frame of the night sky is dark; stacking adds the light of every frame together, so the final result is much brighter.
Step 7/8
Trails look broken or doubled
The phone moved during the session, or the photos were not all taken from the same spot. Use a tripod, and check "Stable" before you start.
Step 8/8
Still stuck?
Open Help in the app (the question mark on the home screen) and tap "Send feedback". It goes straight to the developer, who reads every message.

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