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,
this is my first try with APP (and still new at astrophotography in general). A wide field picture of the double cluster Persei with just een very vague part of the heart and fishhead nebula. Shot with an unmodified Nikon D750, and 70-300mm lens @ 70mm. ISO 800 and 35x 120sec. On a Star adventurer. Please feel free to shoot at it, so i can learn from making the pictures and working with APP.
Thanks,
Michel
Ecellent Michel, can you decribe which steps you took in the post processing of the integration?
I notice some strong coma in the corners and not perfect registration in the corners. If you enable dynamic distortion correction in 4) REGISTER, chances are the registration will be better in the corners 😉
Mabula
I did everything on the default settings for the stacking. Post processing i did the light pollution removal, calibrate background and star color calibration. Then i did the HSL selective color to saturate the red just a little bit more and to decrease the green saturation, which got too green for my liking after the star color calibration. That is it.
i'll try the dynamic distortion correction on next pictures. Since the RAW data is probably not as good as with experienced photographers, this probably doesn't help with the whole process. So hopefully this will improve with practice as well 😉
thanks,
michel
Okay, sounds like a good start with APP's tools 😉
It's quite normal to inject green after star color calibration, I usually remove it with selective color, select green and add the opposite of green, magenta. Then green stars become white like they should 😉 might be better than lowering the green saturation. You can apply the selective color several times by clicking on apply.
Mabula
After viewing your and Sara's tutorials for BPM and post processing etc. i re-did the double cluster Persei with all previous inputs from this forum. All is done just in APP. maybe i can get the nebula a bit more clear and give it some more colour in APP but that's the next step. Or maybe PS? But i don't have any experience with that.
Edit by Mabula: first image is the old initial result, second the new result
Hi Michel,
Regarding the colors, I would think you can get more color into this by enabling saturation and giving it some boost.
So select the saturation checkbox, this will enable saturation. Then set the SAT slider to 20-25 and set the SAT. TH slider to 25% to start with and then play a bit until you get a pleasing result. Let me know if this helps 😉
Kind regards,
Mabula
Unfortunately i already turned on saturation (that was my first APP lesson 😉 ) and adjusted the thresholds like you mentioned in your tutorial video. But i think i can get a little bit more color out of the nebula just 'N' of the double cluster.... I'll keep on trying....
Unfortunately i already turned on saturation (that was my first APP lesson 😉 ) and adjusted the thresholds like you mentioned in your tutorial video. But i think i can get a little bit more color out of the nebula just 'N' of the double cluster.... I'll keep on trying....
Hi Michel,
Another way to boost and adjust colors is by using the selective color tool. You shoud be able to have the red Hydrogen-alpha clouds stand out a bit more by selecting red and adding negative cyan (which is red) for instance. And you can also use it to remove cyan colored stars, by selecting cyan and adding blue (negative yellow).
Let me know if that helps 😉
Mabula
The cyan colored stars worked pefect, the red is difficult, but that is probably due to the not so great picture quality. Will there be a topic regarding these color manipulations in the manual? Or is it something considered basic knowlegde among astrophotographers? I only know blue and yellow added is green.... 😉
thanks for your help again!
Hi Michel,
Great to hear 😉 you are most welcome.
I'll try to make the selective color tool more intuitive. So instead of saying negative cyan is red, just indicate that to the left is more red, to the right is more cyan. That is probably easier.
All tools will be upgraded soon and I will try to make this easier.
Mabula
