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’ve been using an L-enhance filter for the last year. This is a good filter for nebulas, but I’ve been thinking about getting an L-pro for galaxies.
I’ve been wondering if people use both of these filters and combine the data in APP? I’m still having difficulty getting blues and yellows in my images, so wondering if using the broadband filter as luminance in APP?
Luminance won't bring out the colors though, it will help in getting more detail. For color you'd want broadband data added to the mix indeed and not too much filtering.
For color you'd want broadband data added to the mix indeed and not too much filtering.
What are you meaning? Could you please explain the workflow step by step?
I'm trying to find a workflow in APP for mixing LPro data with Extreme data, but I'm not satisfied too much...
For now I'm doing:
- process and stacking separately RGB (L-Pro) data, save R,G,B single channels cal
- process and stacking narrowband (L-Extreme) data by Ha-Extract and OIII-extract.
- normalize R,G,B, Ha, OIII
- using RGBHOO combine tool to mix the 5 channels
Is this method the best to preserve the star colors?
Is this method the best to achieve the highest SNR ratio?
Which workflow do you advise to follow to achieve the most reliable colors and highest detail and SNR??
Thanks
That is indeed a good workflow! However, getting the colors out is trickier as these signals are kind of weak. So RGB usually needs more data, longer exposures (mono camera's can help here as well as they collect more data per sub). Mixing in narrowband data will distort the normal distribution of the broadband signal. This is why color correction is a big hit or miss afterwards, keeping the colors very nice requires either mixing in less narrowband data or doing something like taking out the RGB stars and putting those back in later. Things like that. Adding saturation later of course also helps.
@vincent-mod
Thanks a lot...
