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 am using a OSC camera (ASI294MC Pro) with the STC Duo-Narrowband filter. My OAG prism intrudes on the light path, covering the top left corner. Normally, flats help mitigate this. When I use Ha-OIII Extract Ha, the calibrated image looks fine:
But if I change the debayer algorithm to Ha-OIII Extract OIII, the corner that is shadowed by the OAG prism brightens up (and you can see more of the ASI294MC's characteristic amp glow in the top right):
This happens whether or not I take flats with the Duo-Narrowband. Why are the calibrated OIII images not appearing to take flats into account correctly?
That's an interesting question indeed. Could you share some lights that show this issue, together with your master calibration frames?
Go to https://upload.astropixelprocessor.com and use upload1 as username and upload1 as password.
Create a directory named “geordan-flatsproblem” and upload in there. Thank you!
For me, it happens the opposite.
Flat seems to correct well on both ha-o3 color and extract o3, but not on extract ha: it corrects well on 3 corners of the frame, except the one in the upper left where an evidence of some flat correction problem can be seen..
Ha: upper left corner is the problem while 3 other corners are ok
O3: quite well corrected
Color: well corrected
@vincent-mod I have uploaded the files; let me know if you need more data!
Thanks Geordan, I'll have a close look today!
So I do see a big shadow it seems on the top left, that must be the prism then. Haven't seen it like this much I have to say, but I also have no personal experience using prisms.
So I looked at the Ha and OIII and I see the problem I think. It seems that the background still has a bit of a signal for Ha, but is 0 in the OIII. My guess is that if you expose your flats for longer, this may be better. Try to shift the histogram to 70% ADU or something, it shouldn't clip of course but that might help.
Thanks -- I'll give that a shot when I can!
