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.
Hello
Totally new to astrophotography but slowly learning. I have practiced with publicly available data and the program runs great on my system. I have now generated some data of my own but I have run into an issue with creating a bpm from DSLR data.
As per the video tutorials, I have loaded lights (64), darks (same exposure as lights), flats, and bias (50 of each) and attempt to create a BPM as the first step in the workflow. Everything is left at default - all I do is uncheck the "create masters" and check the "create bpm" button and hit the "calibrate and assign to lights" button. I get a critical warning stating the program needs the files to be at the same iso/gain. But they are! All shot at ISO 100, on the same night, same camera (Nikon Z7), RAW (NEF) files.
Any advice on what I might be doing wrong?
Many thanks.
I should further clarify: the error is regarding generation of a master flat.
"flat field calibration cannot be performed correctly"
This occurs both in the creation of a BPM, and also if I ignore the error and simply try and integrate the data.
The flat frames are at ISO 100 (same as all the other data) and shutter speed of 1/1oth sec.
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So are your bias frames also of the same ISO?
Yes, all the frames are same ISO, same camera.
As an update: I just re-ran the calibrate step but simply checked the "create BPM" box and left everything else as is, i.e. created the other masters at the same time. Everything went perfectly and applied the masters and bpm to all the lights. Don't know if it's a nikon z7 specific thing or a temporary quirk but happy everything is working!
Thanks Vincent for your consideration.
Well, difference would be that you unchecked the create masters? That could be a "bug", as in that it should then warn it can't make a bpm without proper calibrated flats.
Great it works now though! 🙂
I notice in the upcoming new version notes some changes that should help the program run better with sensors like on the z7. I'll keep playing with it and try a different set of data to see if I can find something repeatable that might be useful to you. But as you say, great it works!
Thanks again.
Hi James, @jtphoto,
Thanks for sharing this, do let us know if something odd happens regarding ISO with your Z7 frame. Perhaps upload the data then to our upload server and let us know, so we can test it 😉
Mabula
