2026-10-09 APP 2.0.0-beta48 has been released !
This is mainly a bug fix release for the reported bugs in beta47. In addition it has a significant User Interface performance improvement noticable when you need to process 1000s of images in APP.
2026-10-03 APP 2.0.0-beta47 has been released !
This is a very big release... many code optimizations/rewrites, many parts of APP are much faster and more precise, especially star analysis and registration are much faster ! Big mosaics will go much faster 🙂
And we introduce a new preview filter, which includes the new Adaptive Deep Sky Stretch and a General Levels Stretch, this has been long over due. The old preview filter (the panel on the right side to stretch and preview your data) has not been updated for a couple of years and it is a critical part of any APP session.
Adaptive Deep Sky Stretch or ADSS is a much more intuitive stretch algorithm. It is also color preserving (which is a great new addition in itself ! ) which means that the highlights are no longer bleached, color is maintained from the linear data while stretching. You can simply stretch your data using the sky background level and signal width sliders which work much easier and more intuitive. You no longer need to fiddle with the old complicated sliders with zoom buttons. All the zoom buttons for the sliders are made redundant. And you can enter slider values in the slider value fields yourself. I will make a youtube video in the coming days to explain and fully introduce ADSS. Once the video is ready, it will be highlighted on the forum.
RGB Combine upgrade !. The RGB Combine Tool has been rewritten mostly. The tool is faster and easier to use and most importantly, the Luminance slider to inject a luminance channel or channels into the RGB composite is now working correctly. It no longer bleaches the RGB colors. Combined with the new ADSS preview, you will get much better and easier great composites with great color! I will also explain this in a new youtube video.
Dear Vincent, I wrote this topic to MABULA also, but he is at the Astrofest and I need an answer fast, because next week there will be a second chance to shoot C2022E3 and I will know how to prepare for that.
I shot the comet in 55s frames and some 180s frames. First let's talk about the 180s session: I was using a ASI 183 GT mono camera. I shot 5x180s in LRGB and I was able to guide directly on the core and so it was great to know that there is a Comet stacking tool in APP since some time. BUT I have to complain: it's not working like it should. The crosshair was not taking the center of the core and its not able to move the crosshair exactly where I want it to be. o.k. if taking auto mode the core gets not stacked really well.
2nd Part of my Post: the two pictures above are stacked manually in AFFINITY [not in APP]- like Peter Zelenka did in his manual in PS. So if trying to use APPs Comet tool I got this weird results: APP was simply not taking the core in its middle and the crosshair was moving where it wants 🤷♂️ pls see the attached Screenshots:
BUT using Affinity is also not possible so easily, because if reimporting the manually stacked pictures to APP I was not able to calibrate Tuning my flats/darkflats/darks.
So would you recommend? whats the best workaround? for keeping it simple I would prefer using APP till the LRGB is combined and then move to Affinity or PS.
Peter
P.S: I also shot 55s Frames. that was also not that experience I was looking for. I too long trail made by the Comet itself and than the mono problem... is there somebody out here can give me recommendations how to shoot the comet in mono next week? I use an 580mm APO F5,8 and an ASI 183 GT ... One Idea is to shoot constantly LRGB and that so fast, that the comet ist nearly not moving but I assume that there will maximumly be frames with a length of about 5 to 7s ... and I also will not be able to focus between changing of the filters ... 🤔🤔🤔
See the banner at the top of any forum page. Mabula and Vincent are at AstroFest in London this weekend and kindly ask for your patience until they have time to get back to you.
Dear Wouter, I know that from Mabula but not that Vincent is also there.
o.k.
Peter
P.S: do you have as an advanced user an Idea?
Hi Peter,
Yes, I was indeed in London as well, apologies if that wasn't clear. From what I get, the main problem you have is that APP didn't detect the core properly, is that correct? Which APP version are you using?
Hi Peter @astropaulchen,
We are both back now from London and back to work on APP's development 😉
I see the issues that you have, did you not align the comet in APP using the TIME SHOT metadata? APP asks this when the comet alignment process starts, in that case, the comet stack should still be very good since the comet speed will be calculated over all images and then any misdetection of the comet nucleus is smeared out and corrected. If you did use the TIME SHOT metadata, then you definitely encounter some bug here which I need to see myself.
I want to work on the comet detection/alignment in the coming days, so please upload your data here, so I can use it for testing and fixing it.
https://upload.astropixelprocessor.com/
username: upload
password: upload
Please make a folder with your name like : PeterHufnagel-comet-detection-issue
and upload your data there and let me know once done 😉
Mabula
Dear Mabula,
like told you also by eMail is my upload done
lGe
Peter
@mabula-admin my issue is that when i use the Time-shot meta-data when asked but then i get an error that says it can't register and gives a series of error codes. I found that if i don't use that and don't use calibrated projection i can get to the point where i click on the comet nucleus and can proceed to final integration and get star trails with a focus on comet and tail.
Is there some trick to getting it to work with the time shot metadata selection, cause i have never been able to successfully register using that
Hi @gsxrraycer,
Does APP detect the stars in your images correctly? Did you check with the starmap image viewer dropdown box method?
For regular alignment of images with a comet, the calibrated projection is definitely not needed I think. Any reason why you think it is? The time-shot option also does not affect registration of the stars. It only helps to calculate the comet speed relative to the stars 😉 and thus get more accurate comet alignment relative to the stars.
Maybe I need to see your data as well for testing 😉
Can you upload it here:
https://upload.astropixelprocessor.com/
username: upload
password: upload
Please make a folder with your name like ReginaldGaudino-comet-issues
and upload your data there and then let me know once finished.
Cheers,
Mabula
@mabula-admin I have created the folder (with the name you suggested - ReginaldGaudino-comet-issues) and the files are in the process of uploading. I've only uploaded 65 light frames out of about 200 light frames. i was getting the issue with both the smaller set and the larger set, if i need to upload the rest of the images, let me know.
The upload is complete
