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.
Hi everyone,
When working with Astro Pixel Processor on a daily basis across different setups (LRGB, SHO, OSC / DSLR, etc.), I often found myself manually tweaking my settings every time I switched configurations. Since APP doesn't natively offer a profile management system to save and switch between presets easily, I built a small home-made solution to make life a bit easier.
Today, I’m happy to share this lightweight, humble, yet very practical open-source tool that allows you to export, save, and load configuration profiles in a few clicks before launching APP.
🌟 Key Features:
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Save & Restore Profiles: Create as many presets as you need (e.g., LRGB_Default, SHO_Mono, DSLR_Fast) and switch between them on the fly.
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Express Load & Launch: Pick a profile and launch APP immediately right from the script.
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Cross-Platform: Works natively on macOS (
.shscript) and Windows (.batscript). -
Bilingual (EN / FR): Asks for your preferred language on the first run and remembers your choice.
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Safety Check: Detects if APP is currently running to prevent any preferences corruption.
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Ready to Use: No third-party software required; it relies entirely on native OS tools.
The full source code, scripts, and documentation are available for free on GitHub:
👉 https://github.com/fmoreau78470/app-profile-manager
I'm glad to share this first version with the community. If it helps streamline your processing workflow, or if you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement, please feel free to reach out!
Clear skies to all,
Francis
Very cool Francis! I haven't tried it as I use Linux, but I like contributions like this. If it's shell based, Linux should be possible right?
No, the macOS script (.sh) cannot be used as it is on Linux.
Although macOS and Linux share a UNIX foundation and use the same scripting language (Bash/Zsh), the way application preferences are managed is completely different between the two systems.
I don’t have a Linux machine to try out the script on.
Could you try out the script attached and let me know how it goes?
Thanks
Sure, give me till tomorrow and I'll report back