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.
I am a newbie with APP, and have downloaded version 2.0.0-beta 13. I'm trying to get through calibration, have generated Flat and Dark-flat files, but cannot get a bad-pixel map generated. The problem is that all of the process documentation is in videos and the interface has changed since those videos were made so that following the process cannot be done. For example there is no "create bad pixel map" button and it is not clear what items in the interface need to be selected or un-selected to do this.
1) how do I get the BPM made?
2) Is there ever going to be some documentation of how to use the system? It seems that just generating a couple page document describing how to get the basic processes done would be a big help, and need not wait for a complete documentation—a formidable job.
Jerel
Hi Jerel,
the BPM requires both Flatframes and Darkframes
(don't confuse these with Darkflatframes). The Darks will need to have the same exposure time & temperature as Your lightframes, while Darkflats will have the same exposure time & temperature as Your flatframes. APP will integrate Darks, Flats and darkflats and create Masters. When BPM creation is selected in tab 2 it'll also create the BPM
A BPM can actually be created on its own, by providing darks. Flats are not required, you can do it of course, but cold pixels are not really a thing anymore in many modern sensors. If you create a few darks that are long exposures and preferably at higher temperature, that would be best. APP will then see all the possible defects of the sensor and correct them (if it sees them, otherwise no harm is done to your image).
Jochen and Vincent: Thank you for getting back on this. I'm slow to reply as we've been out of internet—because weather.
I get the part about selecting files (your replies were helpful). and about enable BadPixelMap. What I could not find was a "do-it" button to tell APP to calculate (there was a button like that in the previous version). I'm sure there's a "duh-obvious" step to tell it to proceed, but I'm stuck at "Duh" This is where I think even a simple document to describe the operational structure of APP would help.
I did find a work-around. I had a few crummy light images, and using the Flat-Darks also as Dark, I just ran the whole procedure (tabs 1–6) and got an image which was not as bad as I expected, and as by-products got a BPM along with MF, MD, and MDF files.
I can see that the interface layout is set up to be clear and efficient, but maybe not obvious to the beginner. I'm looking forward to learning this elegant tool, and appreciate your support.
Jerel
The "do-it" button would be the "create masters and apply to lights". This is what normally is happening, but you can also load in your calibration data without lights and press the button.
@vincent-mod Ahh, got it. Thank you.
