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.
macOS beta 26. (also did this in beta22). Register tab defaults to Mosaic mode when the program opens. I reset all tab defaults and save and it goes back to normal. I close and reopen APP and it's in mosaic mode again. If I start the integration and walk away (sometimes for hours), when it gets to that tab it stops to confirm mosaic mode (which I didn't want in the first place) and execution stops.
EDIT by Mabula: fixed in 2.0.0-beta29
Hi Lonnie @roscoed,
Thank you very much for sharing this issue.
I just tested myself with 2.0.0-beta26.
- I set registration to mosaic mode. Close APP. APP starts correctly with mosiac mode. I now set it to normal mode and close APP. APP starts with normal registration mode as expected.
- I set registration to mosaice mode. Close APP, APP starts correctly with mosiac mode. I enter the CFG menu and click on the button to "Reset all menu tabs to defaults" and save, close APP. APP starts correctly with normal registration mode which is the default.
So to me there does not seem to be an issue here. Maybe you can describe exactly how it happens in your case?
Mabula
I hit CFG, reset (both buttons) and save. Go to the Register tab and it says "Normal" as would be expected. Close APP. Reopen it. Start loading files to stack and check the register tab...and it says Mosaic. It sticks at Normal so long as I don't close the program. As soon as I close it and reopen, it jumps back to mosaic. I haven't done a mosaic in a month, so it's not like it's remembering my last effort.
Hi Lonnie @roscoed,
I understand this is happening on your mac computer? I tested it on windows, where it works as expected, so maybe the issue is a macOS specific problem.
What macOS version do you have installed? Are you running more than 1 instance of APP sometimes? What mac computer do you have?
I will test the issue on my macs right now...
Edit by Mabula: I have tested now on a iMac Pro 2020 with macOS Sonoma and it works fine, also tested on a mac mini M1 with macOS Sonoma, also works as expected. I tested both options as in my previous reply, in both cases register mode stays at normal after restarting APP. Maybe you can double check or show a video of closing APP with normal registration mode and then restarting it so I can see it restarts with mosaic mode? Your particular mac computer and the macOS version are of interested here, so please share it.
Mabula
Can't seem to make a video of it (despite very clear instructions all I get are still screen captures of my desktop), but I just tried again and same result as my previous posts. iMac 2019 max loaded with memory and CPU. macOS 13.2.1
No, not running multiple instances of APP...didn't even know one could do that.
Found a program that would do screen captures. VLC will play this format for sure. Note it has audio as it picked up the microphone as I narrated what I was doing. Fortunately the bug is repeatable (not my normal result).
Hi Lonnie @roscoed,
Thank you very much for the video, I think I can understand the issue now. You are closing APP with the macOS close option which is probably the problem, that probably does not run our own close operations that will save the settings as well. I will test this. Please close APP by closing the APP main window with the close button on the APP window and is should work as expected 😉
I never or rarely close any program on macOS like you do (not used to it I must admit)... so I was not aware that the problem might be related to that, sorry.
I have opened an issue on our list to test and investigate like your video shows.
Mabula
Please close APP by closing the APP main window with the close button on the APP window and is should work as expected
Quitting a program with the red "close" button is non-standard on a Mac. On every other program (at least the ones I use on a regular basis), that "red" button closes the window but leaves the program running in the background (which I rarely want). The standard way to completely quit a program on macOS is CMD Q which is offered on your menu bar. Perhaps you should consider adding your close operations to that...
That said, closing via your method does in fact work, but is not intuitive obvious to full-time Mac users (as I stated above).
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Upon reflection, I have to ask...when I reset the defaults and then hit save, is it not really saving? What is happening when that button is pressed? If not saving then I recommend you either (1) actually save the settings then or (2) remove the save settings button from that page.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Lonnie @roscoed,
Thank you very much for your feedback. I will check everything in this regard for macOS users and yes, you are right clicking on that button should not only set the settings to default but also save it!
Will try to have this fixed in the next release.
Thanks for reporting this.
Mabula
Hi all,
This issue is fixed in 2.0.0-beta29. When you close Astro Pixel Processor with CMD-Q (the macOS application close) on macOS, the close operations for APP will now be applied properly including saving of all settings.
Mabula
