Back to
the shot.
Quick answers, practical checks and a guide that’s always in your pocket.
Your guide is inside Optic.
Open the Optic lozenge → About → Open Field Guide.
Framing, sunlight, capture and permissions, explained right where you need them.
Let’s narrow it down.
Where is the app’s Field Guide?
Tap the Optic identity lozenge in the viewfinder to open About, then tap Open Field Guide beneath the version number. The guide explains framing, sunlight, weather and capture. Tap Done to return to About.
The camera won’t open. What should I check?
Allow Camera access for Optic in iPhone Settings. Return to Optic and use Retry if recovery is shown. If the camera is unavailable, the sample-image mode remains useful for exploring controls. If the issue persists, note your iPhone model, iOS version and the exact message shown.
Why are parts of the view black?
Your selected camera-and-lens view may be wider than the iPhone’s rear cameras can cover. Optic labels this limitation and leaves missing imagery black rather than inventing it. Try a longer focal length. Dark mattes outside the white recording border and outside selected orange guides are intentional.
How do I turn all orange framelines off?
Open Framing → Framelines and deselect every circle, including the last selected one. There is no separate None row. The white recording border remains and the full gate becomes clear. Selecting a ratio again enables that guide, and your selection is remembered.
Why isn’t the sun path appearing?
Turn on Sun path and allow location and motion access. Alignment needs fresh location and reliable true-north compass readings. Move outdoors and away from metal or magnetic accessories; a figure-eight motion may help. Low-confidence alignment pauses the overlay. Photos still save without the overlay when alignment is unavailable.
Can the sun path tell me whether light is blocked?
No. It models solar geometry for your location, date and time, not terrain, buildings, trees, clouds or visibility. Use it as an approximate planning guide and check conditions on location.
The volume buttons don’t take a photo.
Hardware capture needs a physical iPhone, an active live camera and iOS 17.2 or later. Finish editing or adjusting a lens, then make a fresh press and release. Presses while editing, saving or settling are safely ignored. The on-screen shutter also works, including in the sample-image view.
How do I record a clip with sound?
Hold either shutter for two seconds, allow microphone access and release after recording starts. Releasing does not stop the clip. Tap the red shutter or press a volume button once to finish. In clean view, tap the image to reveal the shutter. Browser/simulator sample clips are silent; microphone recording needs an iPhone.
A photo or video won’t save to Photos.
Allow Add Photos Only for Optic in iPhone Settings and check available storage. Optic does not need access to read your library. If a completed video fails to save, use Retry saving or Discard clip. Real Photos failures are reported in the app.
Why are GPS coordinates on my photo?
When available and permitted, Optic adds location and heading to the visible scouting-photo strip and JPEG metadata. Coordinates drawn into the photo remain visible even if a sharing app removes metadata. Review your image before sharing; denying location lets you save with unavailable details.
Why doesn’t Weather match my planned shooting day?
Apple Weather shows conditions for here and now, independently of the sun-planning date. It needs internet and location access. Minute forecasts are not available everywhere. The sample-image view displays explicitly labeled example conditions.
Are my presets synced or backed up by Optic?
Your formats, lens choices and framelines are saved locally on this iPhone. Optic has no account or cloud-sync feature. Device backups and iCloud Photos, if enabled, are managed separately by Apple.
The Field Guide is always close.
Use the FAQs above and the Field Guide inside Optic for practical help with framing, sunlight and capture. This website does not offer an email contact or collect support reports.
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