Stupid Satellites

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Using Stupid Satellites

Install

Download for macOS or Windows. On macOS, drag the app to Applications. On Windows, run the installer (per-user, no admin).

The basics

Open a photo — drag it onto the window, use Open…, or double-click a TIFF/DNG with “Open With”. The app detects trails automatically and shows a before/after slider. Each removed trail is listed on the right; untick one to put it back, or add a faint candidate the detector left for you to judge. Zoom to 1:1 to check the result, then Save.

Lightroom “Edit In”

  1. Lightroom Classic → Preferences → External Editing → Additional External Editor.
  2. Choose… the Stupid Satellites app. Set format TIFF, 16-bit, ProPhoto or your working space.
  3. Select a photo → Photo → Edit In → Stupid Satellites. Lightroom renders a TIFF and hands it over.
  4. Remove the trails, then Save. With Overwrite original ticked (it's auto-detected from Lightroom's -Edit naming) the result goes straight back into your catalog, stacked with the original.

Command line

A stupidsat command is available for batch work:

stupidsat clean photo.tif            # auto-clean → photo_clean.tif
stupidsat clean photo.tif -o out.tif # choose the output
stupidsat gui photo.tif              # open the review UI on a file
stupidsat detect photo.tif --json out.json

What it guarantees

  • 16-bit output; EXIF and colour profile preserved.
  • Pixels outside a repaired trail are byte-for-byte identical.
  • Stars are never invented — losing one under a trail is the only loss.
  • No network access; nothing leaves your machine.

Stuck on a frame? The support page has the FAQ and a contact link.