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Free live tool

Golden Hour calculator.

Find the best light for any place and date, with golden hour, blue hour, sunrise and sunset.

Runs in your browser. Your location stays on your device.

Find the lightHow it works

Calculator

When is the light best?

Choose a place and a day. See the golden and blue hour windows and where the sun is through the day.

Golden hourBlue hourSun height

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How it works

The best light is low and short.

Golden hour

Soft, warm and directional.

When the sun is between about 4 degrees below and 6 degrees above the horizon, light is warm and shadows are long and gentle. It is the classic time for portraits and landscapes.

Blue hour

Cool and even, just after.

When the sun is 4 to 8 degrees below the horizon, the sky glows deep blue and city lights balance it. It is the time for cityscapes and moody scenes.

Seasons

It lasts longer in winter.

At UK latitudes, the sun moves across the horizon at a shallow angle in winter, so the golden hour can last well over an hour. In summer it is shorter and later.

Arriving at sunset.The best light often starts well before sunset and the blue hour comes after it. Plan to be set up early.
Ignoring the weather and the land.Hills, buildings and cloud shorten the real window. These times assume a flat, clear horizon.
Using the wrong time zone.Times show in the zone you choose. If you plan a trip, pick the zone of the place, not your own.
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