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.
After hitting the save button at the end of the processing process, I do not know where the image is stored or how to tell APP where to store it. Â I also do not know how to indicate the bit rate (16 or 8), file format (TIFF JPEG etc). This is usually done on a drop down. Â I do not know what button does this. Â
I have no idea to retrieve the image after hitting the Store button.
Thank youÂ
Ric
Hi Richard,Â
After loading all your data, when you go to the Integrate tab, right above the "Integrate" button there is a "set Save Directory" button. This will let you tell APP where to save your photo. After stacking I believe it will be saved as a FITS file in the chosen folder. Now, if you would like a different file type, display that photo in APP. Then on the right side of the screen there is a "Save" button. Here you can save the stretched or unstretched photo, and tell APP where to save this photo (if you would like it somewhere different from the original photo), what file type, what bit depth, and DPI. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks,  Tom
Hi Richard @ric and Tom @tfergu01,
Thank you Tom for your assistance. Indeed, the set Save Directory button in 6) Integrate gives you control where the result of the integration is saved. If you do not set it, the integrated file is automatically saved in your Working Directory.
All results that are not stretched with the preview filter, are always saved as FITS files, most of the time as 32 bits Float FITS.
The save button below the histogram is a simple convenient way to directly save any image that you see in the image viewer. If you click on the save button, you can save the current image in the image viewer in any format that APP supports and per image type you get options for bit depth etc..Â
So that save button is not for saving the state of progress or something else, it is just for saving the image shown in the image viewer.
Please let us know if this clarifies this or if you have any other questions.
Mabula
