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.
Here's what I did this winter season. This is a wide field view of Orion's belt and sword region captured in a single framing. The view includes the Flame nebula (NGC2024), Horsehead nebula (IC434), Running Man nebula (NGC1975), and Great Nebula of Orion (M42). All processing was done with APP 2.0.0-beta13. Data was captured in December 2022, January and February 2023 from a Bortle 6 zone pointed towards a Bortle 7 zone.
Telescope: RedCat71, Camera (monochrome): ZWO ASI6200MM.
Total Integration Time: 25.4 hrs; Blue Filter: 6.5 hrs; Green Filter: 4.0 hrs; Red Filter: 3.0 hrs; Ha Filter (7nm): 2.0 hrs; OIII filter (7nm): 6.3 hrs; SII Filter (7nm): 3.6 hrs. Ha mapped as luminance, OIII mapped 2/3 blue and 1/3 green, SII mapped red. RGB and OIII filters were used when the moon was below the horizon, Ha and SII used with half moon or less above the horizon.
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Very nice, thanks for sharing! Maybe you can get a bit more dust from the background with a less dark sky?
I really like how the area around horsehead nebula comes out. Nice!
Vincent - I had those exact thoughts, but I was less satisfied with the overall results for the main subjects. Probably my developing skills need improving. In any case, what I want is a sky much with less light pollution to improve the contrast between the background and clouds of dust. I am about 2 years from retirement, and a few months ago I scouted several desert sites in the Western US which are Bortle 1 and 2. My plan is to rent a storage space for my scope and mount, then occasionally fly out, rent a car, and accomplish in a week with even better results what takes 3 months at my east coast location. I intend to come back to this subject under better skies.
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ah - thank you!
