diff --git a/4-seasons.sh b/4-seasons.sh
index 03c825e..9ed36f6 100755
--- a/4-seasons.sh
+++ b/4-seasons.sh
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ source "$SCRIPT_DIR/sky-cam.conf"
 export TIMEZONE   # make it visible to season_info.py subprocess
 
 # Camera name: first argument overrides conf (systemd passes it via ExecStart).
-CAM_NAME="${1:-$CAM_NAME}"
+CAM_NAME="${1:-$SUNRISE_CAM}"
 
 # ── Configuration ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 base_dir="$BASE_DIR"
diff --git a/daily_sunrise_video.sh b/daily_sunrise_video.sh
index a259fc1..a338ebf 100644
--- a/daily_sunrise_video.sh
+++ b/daily_sunrise_video.sh
@@ -48,6 +48,19 @@ start_sec=$((sunrise_sec - SUNRISE_PRE_MIN * 60))
 end_sec=$((sunrise_sec + SUNRISE_POST_MIN * 60))
 echo "Window: $((start_sec/3600)):$(printf '%02d' $(((start_sec%3600)/60))) → $((end_sec/3600)):$(printf '%02d' $(((end_sec%3600)/60)))"
 
+# ── Wait for capture window to finish ────────────────────────────────────────
+# The timer fires early (default 03:00); we sleep internally so images from
+# the full window are available before we start encoding.
+midnight=$(date -d "today 00:00:00" +%s)
+now_day_sec=$(( $(date +%s) - midnight ))
+if [ "$now_day_sec" -lt "$end_sec" ]; then
+    wait_sec=$(( end_sec - now_day_sec + 30 ))
+    echo "Waiting ${wait_sec}s for capture window to finish (ends $(date -d "@$(( midnight + end_sec ))" '+%H:%M:%S'))..."
+    sleep "$wait_sec"
+else
+    echo "Capture window already closed at $(date -d "@$(( midnight + end_sec ))" '+%H:%M:%S') — processing available images"
+fi
+
 # ── Collect images in window ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
 if [ ! -d "$image_dir" ]; then
     "$SCRIPT_DIR/notify.sh" "FAILED: sunrise $current_date" \
@@ -126,21 +139,20 @@ fi
 sped_dur=$(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$sped_video")
 echo "Speed-adjusted: ${sped_dur}s  (saved — overlay still pending)"
 
-# ── Build overlay filter ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# Time displayed as stacked characters down the right side (e.g. 0/7/:/2/3),
-# semi-transparent with a soft drop shadow so it reads on any background.
+# ── Build overlay filter (skipped if SUNRISE_OVERLAY_ENABLED=false) ──────────
 SR_TIME=$(echo "$sunrise_time_local" | cut -d'-' -f1,2 | tr '-' ':')
-# Build "H\nH\n:\nM\nM" for vertical stacking in drawtext
-SR_VERT=$(echo "$SR_TIME" | awk 'BEGIN{FS=""}{for(i=1;i<=NF;i++){printf "%s",$i; if(i<NF)printf "\\n"}}')
-
-DT="drawtext"
-[ -n "$FONT" ] && DT="${DT}=fontfile='${FONT}'" || DT="${DT}"
-DT="${DT}:text='${SR_VERT}'"
-DT="${DT}:fontcolor=white@${SUNRISE_OVERLAY_OPACITY}"
-DT="${DT}:fontsize=h/22"
-DT="${DT}:line_spacing=4"
-DT="${DT}:x=w-tw-18:y=(h-th)/2"
-DT="${DT}:shadowcolor=black@0.55:shadowx=1:shadowy=1"
+DT=""
+if [ "${SUNRISE_OVERLAY_ENABLED:-true}" = "true" ]; then
+    SR_VERT=$(echo "$SR_TIME" | awk 'BEGIN{FS=""}{for(i=1;i<=NF;i++){printf "%s",$i; if(i<NF)printf "\\n"}}')
+    DT="drawtext"
+    [ -n "$FONT" ] && DT="${DT}=fontfile='${FONT}'" || DT="${DT}"
+    DT="${DT}:text='${SR_VERT}'"
+    DT="${DT}:fontcolor=white@${SUNRISE_OVERLAY_OPACITY}"
+    DT="${DT}:fontsize=h/22"
+    DT="${DT}:line_spacing=4"
+    DT="${DT}:x=w-tw-18:y=(h-th)/2"
+    DT="${DT}:shadowcolor=black@0.55:shadowx=1:shadowy=1"
+fi
 
 # ── Step 3: Audio mix + overlay — each independently optional/fallible ────────
 # Step 3a: mixes audio into a temp copy of the sped video (video stream is
@@ -161,10 +173,9 @@ audio_offset="0"
 cam_audio="$image_dir/sunrise-audio.m4a"
 if [ "${AUDIO_ENABLED:-false}" = "true" ]; then
     if [ -f "$cam_audio" ]; then
-        buffer_sec=$(( ${AUDIO_PRE_BUFFER_MIN:-2} * 60 ))
-        audio_offset=$(echo "scale=1; $SUNRISE_PRE_MIN * 60 + $buffer_sec - $SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS / 2" | bc)
+        # Already exactly SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS, centred on sunrise — no offset needed
         audio_src="$cam_audio"
-        echo "Audio: camera recording  offset=${audio_offset}s"
+        echo "Audio: camera recording (centred on sunrise)"
     else
         library_dir="$SCRIPT_DIR/sunrise-sounds"
         if [ -d "$library_dir" ]; then
@@ -203,29 +214,43 @@ if [ -n "$audio_src" ]; then
     fi
 fi
 
-# ── Step 3b: burn overlay ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-echo "Step 3b/3: overlay → $final_video"
+# ── Step 3b: burn overlay (or promote work_video directly if disabled) ────────
 if $has_audio; then audio_out_flags=(-c:a copy); else audio_out_flags=(-an); fi
 
-if ffmpeg -loglevel warning \
-    -i "$work_video" \
-    -vf "${DT}" \
-    -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf "$CRF_SUNRISE" \
-    "${audio_out_flags[@]}" \
-    -y "$final_video"; then
-    actual_dur=$(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$final_video")
-    echo "Done: $final_video  (${actual_dur}s, sunrise at ${SR_TIME})"
-    rm -f "$sped_video" "$temp_audio"; temp_audio=""
-    [ -f "$cam_audio" ] && rm -f "$cam_audio"
-    "$SCRIPT_DIR/notify.sh" "Sunrise ready: $current_date" \
-        "$(basename "$final_video") — ${actual_dur}s, sunrise at ${SR_TIME}" || true
+step3b_ok=false
+if [ -n "$DT" ]; then
+    echo "Step 3b/3: overlay → $final_video"
+    if ffmpeg -loglevel warning \
+        -i "$work_video" \
+        -vf "${DT}" \
+        -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -crf "$CRF_SUNRISE" \
+        "${audio_out_flags[@]}" \
+        -y "$final_video"; then
+        step3b_ok=true
+    else
+        if $has_audio; then promote_label="audio-mixed"; else promote_label="speed-only"; fi
+        mv "$work_video" "$final_video"
+        [ "$work_video" != "$sped_video" ] && rm -f "$sped_video"
+        temp_audio=""
+        [ -f "$cam_audio" ] && rm -f "$cam_audio"
+        echo "Overlay failed — promoting ${promote_label} video as upload target"
+        "$SCRIPT_DIR/notify.sh" "WARNING: sunrise overlay failed $current_date" \
+            "Overlay failed — uploading ${promote_label} video (no timestamp)" || true
+        step3b_ok=true  # degraded but recoverable — upload still fires
+    fi
 else
-    if $has_audio; then promote_label="audio-mixed"; else promote_label="speed-only"; fi
+    echo "Step 3b/3: overlay disabled — promoting as final"
     mv "$work_video" "$final_video"
     [ "$work_video" != "$sped_video" ] && rm -f "$sped_video"
     temp_audio=""
+    step3b_ok=true
+fi
+
+if $step3b_ok; then
+    actual_dur=$(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$final_video")
+    echo "Done: $final_video  (${actual_dur}s, sunrise at ${SR_TIME})"
+    rm -f "$sped_video" "$temp_audio" 2>/dev/null || true; temp_audio=""
     [ -f "$cam_audio" ] && rm -f "$cam_audio"
-    echo "Overlay failed — promoting ${promote_label} video as upload target"
-    "$SCRIPT_DIR/notify.sh" "WARNING: sunrise overlay failed $current_date" \
-        "Overlay failed — uploading ${promote_label} video (no timestamp)" || true
+    "$SCRIPT_DIR/notify.sh" "Sunrise ready: $current_date" \
+        "$(basename "$final_video") — ${actual_dur}s, sunrise at ${SR_TIME}" || true
 fi
diff --git a/fullday-video.sh b/fullday-video.sh
index c2df80a..29e536d 100755
--- a/fullday-video.sh
+++ b/fullday-video.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ SCRIPT_DIR="$(dirname "$(realpath "$0")")"
 source "$SCRIPT_DIR/sky-cam.conf"
 
 # Camera name: first argument overrides conf (systemd passes it via ExecStart).
-CAM_NAME="${1:-$CAM_NAME}"
+CAM_NAME="${1:-$SUNRISE_CAM}"
 
 # ── Configuration ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 base_dir="$BASE_DIR"
diff --git a/sky-cam.conf b/sky-cam.conf
index fe6a7b6..ab7c8e6 100644
--- a/sky-cam.conf
+++ b/sky-cam.conf
@@ -147,12 +147,17 @@
 # =============================================================================
 
 # ── Install location ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# Full path to the directory containing this file and all the scripts.
-SCRIPT_DIR=/home/motion/drives/local-2tb/sunrise-scripts
+# Auto-detected from where this file lives — override only if you move the
+# scripts to a different location after install.
+SCRIPT_DIR="${SCRIPT_DIR:-$(dirname "$(realpath "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")")}"
 
 # ── Storage ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-BASE_DIR=/home/motion/drives/local-2tb
-MOVIES_DIR=$BASE_DIR/movies        # override if videos live on a different drive
+# BASE_DIR: root folder where camera images are stored.
+#   Structure created automatically: BASE_DIR/<cam>/YYYY-MM-DD/HH-MM-SS.jpg
+# Defaults to a 'data' subfolder next to the scripts; override to point at
+# an external drive or network mount (recommended for production).
+BASE_DIR="${BASE_DIR:-$SCRIPT_DIR/data}"
+MOVIES_DIR="${MOVIES_DIR:-$BASE_DIR/movies}"  # override if videos live on a different drive
 MUSIC_DIR=/home/motion/drives/local-2tb/music/4 Seasons
 
 # ── Location & timezone ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -179,14 +184,28 @@ CAMERAS=(sunrise)                  # e.g. CAMERAS=(sunrise north west)
 SUNRISE_CAM=sunrise                # which camera faces east (gets the sunrise video job)
 
 # ── Schedules ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# SCHEDULE_SUNRISE       when to run daily_sunrise_video.sh (SUNRISE_CAM only)
-# SCHEDULE_SEASONS_<cam> when to run 4-seasons.sh for each camera
-# SCHEDULE_FULLDAY_<cam> when to run fullday-video.sh for each camera
-#
-# Times are HH:MM:SS (24-hour).  Space cameras at least 30 min apart.
+# All times are HH:MM:SS (24-hour local time).
 # install.sh reads these and generates one systemd timer per camera per job.
 #
-SCHEDULE_SUNRISE=09:00:00
+# SCHEDULE_SUNRISE
+#   When to START the sunrise video job.  The script wakes up, calculates
+#   today's sunrise time, then WAITS internally until the capture window is
+#   fully finished before touching any images.  Set this early enough to
+#   cover your earliest possible sunrise minus SUNRISE_PRE_MIN — 03:00 works
+#   year-round for most locations.  The video is ready a few minutes after the
+#   capture window closes, not at this start time.
+#
+# SCHEDULE_SEASONS_<cam>  (one per camera in CAMERAS)
+#   When to run the Four Seasons daily clip job.  Processes YESTERDAY'S images
+#   (not today's) — always runs after midnight.  On the last day of a season
+#   movement this automatically triggers the movement montage build.
+#   Space multiple cameras at least 30 min apart to avoid disk contention.
+#
+# SCHEDULE_FULLDAY_<cam>  (one per camera in CAMERAS)
+#   When to run the full-day timelapse job.  Also processes YESTERDAY'S images.
+#   Space after SCHEDULE_SEASONS to avoid overlap.
+#
+SCHEDULE_SUNRISE=03:00:00
 
 SCHEDULE_SEASONS_sunrise=01:00:00
 SCHEDULE_FULLDAY_sunrise=02:00:00
@@ -199,12 +218,18 @@ SCHEDULE_FULLDAY_sunrise=02:00:00
 #SCHEDULE_FULLDAY_west=03:00:00
 
 # ── Sunrise video tuning ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# How many minutes before/after sunrise to include in the daily clip.
-SUNRISE_PRE_MIN=70
-SUNRISE_POST_MIN=10
-# Target duration (seconds) for the speed-adjusted sunrise video.
+# Capture window around sunrise:
+#   Images from (sunrise - SUNRISE_PRE_MIN) to (sunrise + SUNRISE_POST_MIN)
+#   are included in the clip.  Larger windows give more context; they are all
+#   speed-adjusted to fit SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS regardless of window size.
+SUNRISE_PRE_MIN=70         # minutes before sunrise to start capturing
+SUNRISE_POST_MIN=10        # minutes after sunrise to stop capturing
+# Target length of the final sunrise video (seconds).
 SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS=10
-# Opacity of the sunrise-time overlay (0.0 = invisible, 1.0 = fully opaque).
+# Burn the local sunrise time vertically on the right side of the video.
+# Set false to skip the overlay entirely (cleaner look, faster encoding).
+SUNRISE_OVERLAY_ENABLED=true
+# Opacity of the sunrise-time text (0.0 = invisible, 1.0 = fully opaque).
 SUNRISE_OVERLAY_OPACITY=0.45
 
 # ── Full-day timelapse tuning ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -258,8 +283,9 @@ CAPTURE_INTERVAL=10
 # The audio file is deleted automatically after it is mixed into the video.
 #
 AUDIO_ENABLED=false           # set true if your camera has a working mic
-AUDIO_PRE_BUFFER_MIN=2        # extra minutes to start before the capture window
 CAPTURE_AUDIO_BITRATE=96k     # bitrate for the sunrise audio recording
+# Audio is recorded for exactly SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS, centred on actual sunrise:
+# floor(TARGET/2) seconds before, ceil(TARGET/2) after (odd second → post-sunrise).
 
 # ── Mattermost — daily sunrise upload ─────────────────────────────────────────
 # mattermost_url, access_token, channel_id go in .env (see bottom of this file).
diff --git a/sunrise-audio-capture.sh b/sunrise-audio-capture.sh
index a88e0dc..7cc3068 100755
--- a/sunrise-audio-capture.sh
+++ b/sunrise-audio-capture.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-# sunrise-audio-capture.sh — record the camera's RTSP audio stream during the
-# sunrise window so daily_sunrise_video.sh can mix in natural ambient sound
-# (birds, rain, wind) at real speed while the video plays as a timelapse.
+# sunrise-audio-capture.sh — record exactly SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS of audio
+# centred on the actual sunrise moment, so daily_sunrise_video.sh can mix in
+# real ambient sound (birds, rain, wind) at natural speed.
 #
-# Triggered daily at 03:00 by sky-cam-audio-capture.timer.
-# Waits internally until (sunrise − SUNRISE_PRE_MIN − AUDIO_PRE_BUFFER_MIN),
-# then records for the full window.  Exits immediately if AUDIO_ENABLED≠true.
+# Triggered at 03:00 by sky-cam-audio-capture.timer; waits internally until
+# the right moment before recording.  Exits immediately if AUDIO_ENABLED≠true.
 #
-# Output: BASE_DIR/SUNRISE_CAM/YYYY-MM-DD/sunrise-audio.m4a
+# Recording window: floor(TARGET/2) seconds before sunrise,
+#                   ceil(TARGET/2)  seconds after  (odd second goes to post).
+#
+# Output: BASE_DIR/<cam>/YYYY-MM-DD/sunrise-audio.m4a
 # Deleted automatically by daily_sunrise_video.sh after mixing.
 
 set -euo pipefail
@@ -40,13 +42,16 @@ fi
 sunrise_time_local=$(TZ="$TIMEZONE" date -d "$sunrise_time" +"%H:%M:%S")
 echo "Sunrise (local): $sunrise_time_local"
 
-# ── Calculate wait and record duration ───────────────────────────────────────
+# ── Calculate recording window centred on sunrise ─────────────────────────────
 time_to_seconds() { IFS=':' read -r h m s <<< "$1"; echo $((10#$h*3600 + 10#$m*60 + 10#$s)); }
 
 sunrise_sec=$(time_to_seconds "$sunrise_time_local")
-buffer_sec=$(( ${AUDIO_PRE_BUFFER_MIN:-2} * 60 ))
-record_start_sec=$(( sunrise_sec - SUNRISE_PRE_MIN * 60 - buffer_sec ))
-record_dur_sec=$(( (SUNRISE_PRE_MIN + SUNRISE_POST_MIN) * 60 + buffer_sec ))
+half_pre=$(( SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS / 2 ))          # floor — pre-sunrise portion
+half_post=$(( SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS - half_pre ))  # ceil  — post-sunrise gets odd second
+record_start_sec=$(( sunrise_sec - half_pre ))
+record_dur_sec=$SUNRISE_TARGET_SECS
+
+echo "Audio window: ${half_pre}s before → ${half_post}s after sunrise (${record_dur_sec}s total)"
 
 midnight=$(date -d "today 00:00:00" +%s)
 now_day_sec=$(( $(date +%s) - midnight ))