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.
Mabula,Â
Could I please get a clarification on the new feature (below)?:
My use case is:Â Nikon D5300, modded, and I only shoot 14-bit RAW, so should be no white balance.Â
The internal IR filter has been removed by a camera tech. Â
And yes, I use a filter: L-Extreme (and sometimes SII). Â
Thanks!
Â
- IMPROVED 0) RAW/FITS, disable camera color matrix and camera white balance by default
We have set the default settings for the camera color matrix and camera white balance to disabled, since we have received the feedback that only users that understand these settings will enable it and might use it with their camera. Please note that these 2 settings only affect the regular consumer camera's like Canon, Nikon, Sony, etcetera... and in most cases, the results with these settings disabled are better because the camera color matrix and camera white balance assume normal daylight photography and not modified camera sensors nor Light Pollution Surpression filters for instance...
Hi @devonshire,
Of course, I am not sure if you know about the camera color matrix? But this matrix corrects the colors of your images together with the camera white balance to get good colors for normal daylight photography. Each camera model has it's own matrix. Most astrophotography software does not even have the ability to use this matrix. In APP you can use it or disable it.
We had the matrix enabled by default since we included the possibility in APP, I think it was included in one of the first beta's for 2.0.0.
Now, for your camera, with the IR filter removed and the use of filters like the L-Extreme, disabling both the camera color matrix and camera white balance is certainly advised 😉 thus the new defaults that have it disabled in menu 0) RAW/FITS really makes sense. It could be that you see that they are still enabled in 0) RAW/FITS when you start beta35, simply go to the LICENSE & SETTINGS menu and reset the menus 0) to 6) to defaults and you will see that the camera color matrix and white balance will be disabled.
Also, simply process your data with and without the camera color matrix and check if you see differences in the result 😉
Let me know if this clarifies it or if you have any other questions.
Mabula
