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,
I've run into the following problem: When combining L, R, G, and B images, where the L images was taken with Bin1 and the Color images with Bin2, APP is generating an error message that the images do not have the same size. However, they were registered to each other. I also enforced that an L image is the reference images for registration.
I then exported the registered L, R, G and B images as new fits files. All had the same size (~4000x4000 pix). But they could still not be combined.
I then re-installed v1.082. In this version I could combine the registered fits file to an LRGB image. Seems v1.083.3 has a bug in this function.
An other (maybe linked) issue:
During registration of invidividual colors I also had issues, because my images had different orientation due to a meridian flip. After selecting "Flip x/y" and deselecting "Same camera/optics" I manged to get the images registered. According to my understanding this should work also without the above mentioned flags. And in the past this worked seemless as far as I remember.
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Thanks
Jean-Marie
Hi Jean-Marie,
I've run into the following problem: When combining L, R, G, and B images, where the L images was taken with Bin1 and the Color images with Bin2, APP is generating an error message that the images do not have the same size. However, they were registered to each other. I also enforced that an L image is the reference images for registration.
I then exported the registered L, R, G and B images as new fits files. All had the same size (~4000x4000 pix). But they could still not be combined.
Thank you very much for sharing this issue. I am not aware that this is not working correctly. What is the exact message that APP gives when you try to combine them? For L,R,G,B data APP would always choose an L frame as reference.
If you can share the L,R,G,B integrations that you are trying to combine I will be happy to look at it in detail to understand what is happening. Can you upload them with the instructions on the top right of the forum and let me know once uploaded?
An other (maybe linked) issue:
During registration of invidividual colors I also had issues, because my images had different orientation due to a meridian flip. After selecting "Flip x/y" and deselecting "Same camera/optics" I manged to get the images registered. According to my understanding this should work also without the above mentioned flags. And in the past this worked seemless as far as I remember.
Different orientation due to a meridian flip should never be an issue for the registration module and should not require Flip x/y nor disabling same camera and optics. How do the stars look in your images? And how many stars are found? Nothing changed in the registration engine regarding this in the last versions.
Mabula
Hello Mabula,
many thanks for taking care.
Concerning the 1st issue: The error message was similar to "Can not combine images because they have a different size or different bit depth..."
But: I cannot reproduce it currently anymore. I assume that something was wrong with one of the integrated lights due to the 2nd issue (registration issue). Unfortunately I have deleted the intermediate integration files, which didn't work.
The issue off the registration though, I can reproduce. I have run through the process again and took screenshots at each step.
I'm trying to register 42 frames. 6 of those have a different orientation (pre-meridian) than the rest (post-meridian).
Either I'm able to register only those 6 or the other 36 frames, depending on the reference frame.
Star shapes are good and I tested with various amount of stars (500, 700, 900). No change of the behaviour.
I have uploaded my screenshots with a speaking name and in timely order to the folder "jmwill_registration_issue_meridian_flip".
The original calibrated frames are stored in the sub-folder "Lights".
The data are from iTelescope.net, T19 from two different nights.
Many thanks,
Jean-Marie
