(written with iPad screenshots, but similar for the iPhone.)
Design your photo compositions…before heading out.
Choose Your Camera or Specify Your Sensor Size
ScapeTog needs to know your camera (more specifically, your camera’s sensor size) in order to provide any useful information. You can select your camera make and model from the database under the settings menu. If your camera isn’t listed, you can specify its sensor size directly.
Other settings include the typical map types, distance units, and camera height above ground. ScapeTog uses the camera height above ground setting to estimate where the foreground of your image might begin. More about this later under The Foreground Line.
The Markers and the Viewing Angle Lines
The camera and scene markers, located just above the left end of the information panel (at the bottom of the screen), are what you drag out to indicate the camera and scene locations on the map. When both markers are on the map, a pair of red lines form starting at the camera marker and in the direction of the scene marker. The angle between the red lines is the horizontal angle of view. What is between these lines is what the camera sees (horizontally.) The angle between these lines is adjusted by scrubbing your finger in any area of the information panel. Scrub left to widen the angle, right to narrow.
The angle of view lines can be fine tuned with additional gestures. A rotation gesture will spin the AOV lines about the camera marker. A two-finger scrub will adjust the line on the left of the camera marker, and a three-finger scrub will adjust the line on the right. After these fine adjustments, a one-finger double tap will re-align the AOV lines to the subject marker, and a two-finger double tap will center the subject marker to the AOV lines.
Note that no more than one of each marker will be on the map. When you drag out a new marker, it replaces the one on the map if it’s already there. Markers can be dragged out at any time.
The Information Panel
The information panel at the bottom of the app screen provides the useful composition information. First is the lens focal length needed to realize the chosen viewing angle formed by the pair of red lines. Note that this focal length is to be interpreted as the lens’ actual physical focal length, not an equivalence (such as full-frame equivalence). In the left half of the panel, it gives the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal angles of view and the fields of view at the scene marker. At the right side of the panel are camera distances. The camera to subject distance is simply the distance between the camera and scene markers. The camera to foreground distance indicates where the foreground starts, given the height of the camera above ground.
The Foreground Line
The foreground line (pointed to by a black arrow below) shows where the foreground begins in the frame. It is a function of the camera height set in the Settings Menu. This line’s position assumes a leveled camera. You can experiment with camera height and location to best position your foreground object in your composition.
Find Your Markers
To quickly find the markers on the map, tap the icon indicated by the black arrow below. ScapeTog will zoom to both markers on the map. Note that if the markers are too far apart in the world to have both markers visible simultaneously, ScapeTog will zoom to the camera marker only.
Camera Orientation
You can see what the viewing angles might be like with the camera in landscape orientation or portrait orientation by tapping on the icon indicated by the black arrow below. The camera marker on the map will show the orientation accordingly.
Photographer’s Bucket List
ScapeTog is able to save a list of your favorite marker locations. In addition to the camera and scene marker locations, the viewing angle (the angle between the red lines), and everything in the settings menu are saved. All of the information is restored when you select a saved entry. This means current markers on the map and settings in the settings menu will be replaced with the saved selection.
To save, simply tap on the ‘+’ button, enter a description, then tap save. ScapeTog when possible will provide a suggested description, usually based on the location of the camera marker.
You can edit the list of saved markers by tapping on the ‘edit’ button (of course.) You can delete an entry with the round red button or reposition it in the list by dragging and dropping using the button with three horizontal lines. You can update an entry with the round blue button. Updating an entry is similar to saving one. You can change the entry’s description, and when you save again, the entry is replaced by the current marker locations and settings.
Note that an entry can also be deleted without going into edit mode by swiping on an entry to reveal a delete button.
Where Are You?
If you want to know where you are in the world, tap on the downward pointing arrow in the top bar. The first time you do this, ScapeTog will ask your permission to use location services. Wi-fi is needed for this feature. To check that location services is enabled, go to your device Settings -> Privacy -> Location Services and switch on ScapeTop. You indicated location accuracy is approximate and depends on quality of wi-fi signals.
Want to Find A Place?
You can find locations on the map by entering an address or description of a place in the search field of the top bar. You can also enter GPS coordinates. This search field will also show a description of your camera location, if possible, after dragging out the camera marker. Tapping on the round button at the right side of the search field will bring up a list of recent searches.
Five Bats Software 