TPE Web 4.4.0 Beta
The first beta of TPE Web 4.4 is now available on beta.photoephemeris.com.
This is one of the biggest workflow updates we’ve made in a long time. The focus of 4.4 is saved planning: you can now save complete shot plans and visual searches, organize them alongside your saved locations, and return to exactly where you left off.
Quick Walkthrough
New: Shot Plans
You can now save an entire planning session as a Shot Plan.
A saved plan remembers:
- Camera position
- Date and time
- Map location and zoom
- Sun, Moon and other selected bodies
- Camera and field-of-view setup
- The planning page you were using
Open a saved plan later and continue planning exactly where you left off.
Plans automatically sync across your devices.
Save Visual Searches
Visual Searches can now be saved and reused.
Save searches for things like:
- Milky Way alignments
- Moonrise compositions
- Sunrise or sunset lighting
- Specific celestial targets
Saved searches can either reopen at the original camera location or be applied to your current location.
Plans and Searches work together
The two features are tightly integrated.
- Turn any Shot Plan into a Visual Search to find when the same alignment happens again.
- Save any Visual Search result directly as a new Shot Plan.
- Plans remember which search created them, making it easy to revisit or refine your search later.
Welcome to the Library
The old Locations page has become the new Library.
Your Library now stores:
- Saved Locations
- Shot Plans
- Saved Visual Searches
- Lists
New capabilities include:
- Favorites
- Search across your library
- Upcoming plans
- Mixed lists containing any combination of locations, plans and searches
- Bulk selection and bulk delete/move operations
Reference Links
Every saved Location, Shot Plan and Visual Search can now include reference links.
Attach things like:
- Trail information
- Park websites
- Inspiration photos
- Permit information
- Any other useful planning resources
Import & Export
Your planning library is now much more portable.
New features include:
- Export your complete library or selected items as a
.tpearchive - KMZ export for use with Google Earth, PhotoPills and other compatible applications
- Import from:
- PhotoPills KMZ plans
- PlanIt
.pftfiles - GPX
- GeoJSON
- KML
- TPE archives
Duplicate imports are detected automatically.
Save Map Pins
You can now save either the red planning pin or the gray geodetics pin directly as a saved Location with a single click.
Improvements
- Cleaner, more consistent import/export controls throughout the Library.
- Exported files now use readable filenames instead of technical identifiers.
Sharing Improvements
Shared links are now much smarter.
When you share from a page like:
- 3D View
- Eclipse Simulator
- Moon Simulator
…the recipient now opens that same page, instead of always being taken to the 2D map.
This also means direct deep-link sharing is no longer restricted to paid subscribers.
Fixes
This beta also includes a number of fixes, including:
- Fixed an issue that could cause the Geodetics sight-line chart to disappear.
- Tooltips no longer interfere with clicking nearby controls.
- Various performance and usability improvements throughout the new Library.
As always, feedback from beta testers is hugely appreciated. This release touches a substantial amount of new functionality, particularly around the new Library, Shot Plans, synchronization, import/export, and sharing, so if you spot anything unexpected, please let me know.
Now I’m exhausted and I’m going to bed!