The camera view for Mountain Identification is the default screen on the PeakVisor app. You can identify all the summits around you by holding your phone’s camera up to the horizon line. From this screen, you can access the app’s other features.
1.1 Compass Calibration
You will occasionally need to adjust compass readings and directions to ensure correct mountain identification. Calibration is important and helps ensure that the peak labels on your device are correctly positioned.
If you see that the mountain silhouettes on your device don’t match the landscape in the camera’s view, you may need to adjust the peak labels. Slide the panorama with the peak labels to the side or up and down until you have a perfect match. This process ensures more accurate peak identification. You can follow the same label adjustment process when you import a photo into the app.
PeakVisor uses this kind of compass calibration because the magnetic sensors in mobile phones aren’t exact. These sensors frequently succumb to electromagnetic noise, especially in cold and windy conditions. PeakVisor is getting smarter every day and will soon do this calibration automatically. But for now, the app occasionally needs a bit of your help.
NOTE: The sun’s position can be a good reference point for compass adjustment. Align the sun’s position in your camera with the large yellow circle in the peak label panorama to quickly coordinate the mountains in your camera’s view with the peak labels on your device.
The small Compass Icon at the bottom left corner allows you to cancel any manual compass adjustment. Pressing this button returns your device to the original readings from your built-in compass.
The Zoom Button lets you change the zoom level of the panorama. Zooming in provides more labels and more detail. So if you don’t see a label for a particular peak, try zooming in for added precision.
The Photo Button lets you capture and save the current view into your photo roll. For the highest quality photo, take your photos with the camera app of your choice. Then, import your photos into the PeakVisor app to add peak labels to your image.
The Style Button allows you to capture the current view and save it into your photo roll. For the highest quality photo, take your photos with the camera app of your choice. Then, import your photos into the PeakVisor app to add peak labels to your image.
The 3D Button opens a 3D Map of your current location. You can also access this function by double-tapping on the 3D Compass.
1.2 Mountain Details
Identifying peaks is only the first step of using the PeakVisor app. The app also provides endless information on other geographic features, such as volcanoes, hills, lakes, saddles, and mountain huts.
1.2.1 Brief Information Panel
All the panorama labels in the PeakVisor are interactive. You can tap any of them to get more information about a geographic feature in the Brief Information Panel. This includes features like mountains, lakes, huts, saddles, or even the sun and the moon. Tapping on a label opens the Brief Information Panel at the bottom of the screen where you can:
- See the elevation of that object
- Access sunrise and sunset times (NOTE: You may have to tap on the Sun Icon to access sunrise and sunset times.)
- Get distance and direction, such as north or south, information to the object
- Open a detailed description of the object. (NOTE: Tap the Up Arrow button or tap on the object’s name)
- Save the object into one of your Favorite Lists using the Star Button. You can remove an object from your favorites by pressing the Star Button again.
- Find out Directions to the object if it is within a 10 mile (16 km) radius.
- Teleport virtually to the object. This lets you see the surrounding panorama from the object’s point of view.
- Make a Flyover Video by tapping the Airplane Button.
1.2.2 Detailed Information Panel
The Detailed Information Panel is a way to learn more about a particular geographical feature. Open it by tapping the Up Arrow button or by dragging the Brief Information Panel to the top of the screen.
The Detailed Information Panel provides essential information about an object, including:
- Full name
- Categories (for example, Ultra, 14er, Alps Top 10)
- Elevation and topographic prominence
- Distance from the current map location
- Location coordinates
- Description
- Photos (if available)
On this panel, you can Favorite an object, Teleport to it, and Suggest an Edit (for example, upload a photo or suggest an correction). The three dots beside the Teleport button open the editing panel.
1.2.3 Improve Maps with Edit Suggestions
In order to keep PeakVisor maps detailed and up to date, we rely on our in-house team and user feedback. If you notice that an object lacks a photo, that there is an inconsistency on the map, or that there is a missing summit in the app, you can upload your edits using the Edit Suggestions tool. This provides our mapping team with the information they need to improve PeakVisor for your future adventures.
Photos of peaks, mountain passes, and lakes are especially useful. These photos help others better understand a destination when planning an outing. If everyone uploads photos from their hikes, chances are high that there will be a photo when you need it on your next adventure.
1.3 Sun and Moon Trajectories
PeakVisor provides you with Sun and Moon Trajectories, so you can see them in relation to the landscape. This gives you essential information that you can use to plan your photography sessions, terrain sun exposure, and other important aspects of your trip.
Tap on the trajectory of the sun or the moon to open the Sun and Moon Trajectories information panel. This panel includes the following:
- Sunrise / Sunset or Moonrise / Moonset times
- Phase of the Moon
- Inclination of the celestial body toward the horizon (at the present time at your current location)
- Sun/Moon trajectory time control button (clock button)
- Distance to the celestial body
Should you wish to know the distance to the sun or the moon from a particular location, PeakVisor has you covered. The distance to the sun or moon is located in the Sun and Moon Trajectories information panel when you tap on the object’s trajectory.
Activate the Time Control tool using the Clock Button to enable a slider. This slider lets you adjust the trajectory of the sun or the moon so that you can view the celestial body’s position at a specific date and time.
You can also input a specific date and time into the Sun and Moon Trajectories information panel to quickly see the sun or moon’s position at a given date and time. To add a specific date and time:
- Tap the clock button in the lower left hand corner of the sun trajectory info panel. This switches the panel view to show the current date and time in an HH:MM DDMMYYYY format.
- Tap on the hours digits.
- Adjust the hours digits using the slider at the bottom of the info panel. You can also tap on the left and right arrows for more precise adjustments.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the minutes, days, months, and years digits. This will adjust the sun or moon’s trajectory to your chosen day and time.
Learn more about moon photography planning and how the sun and moon projections in the PeakVisor app can help you capture the perfect shot.
1.4 Distance Meter
PeakVisor lets you evaluate the distance from your position to an object you see using the Distance Meter tool. Tap on any label in the panorama and you will see distance information in the info panel.
NOTE: The panel may show you sunrise and sunset time for that location rather than the object’s distance. Tap on the Sun Icon to change the sunset and sunrise time to your distance to the object.
You can measure distances to any visible location in the panorama. Tap and hold the screen at any location to put a custom marker there. This will open a Brief Information Panel for that location. You can also zoom in for a finer selection of potential destinations.
1.7 Mountain Photos with Labels
PeakVisor lets you create stylish photos of the mountains on your adventures using the Mountain Photos feature. This feature customizes your photos with peak labels, your current elevation, and other similar. See below for an example photo from Switzerland.
You can take a photo in the PeakVisor app. However, we recommend that you use the Import a Photo tool to import an image taken in your camera app. This often provides improved image quality and additional artistic features. Doing so allows PeakVisor to focus on providing you with quality mountain data.
Tap on the Camera Icon in the bottom right corner of the main PeakVisor screen to take a photo.
After you capture your photo, you can customize it by doing the following:
- Adjust the 3D panorama horizontally and vertically to perfectly match labels to the skyline.
- Tap on peak labels to keep or hide them in the photo. Tap and hold a label to hide all the other labels in the photo. This is useful when you only want to show a few labels in an image.
- Tap the Selfie Icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to add your selfie to your image.
- Press the Title Icon under the elevation label in the bottom left corner of the photo to edit the image title.
- Tap the green Download Button on the right hand side of your screen to save the photo to your phone’s camera roll.
That’s it! You are now ready to share awesome photos of the epic landscapes you saw on your trek. Please send us some of them or share on social networks with the #peakvisor tag so we can celebrate your adventure!