How far can APP take my images and when do I need Photoshop or other 3rd party image touch up software?

For some feedback, I have APP, PS and LR that I use. After APP, there is very little to do. I first take the integration into lightroom for Clarity, Dehaze and any residual vignetting (the vignetting tool in APP only works if you dont use flats). Then into photoshop to calm levels a bit. You could probably get by with APP and free GIMP (though I'm not Gimp savy).

Thank you for your response. If I may ask, where do you do your RGB and narowband channel combining? I think this is where I am stuck as I do not understand how to get the narrowband colours to appear in the colours I would like them to appear. e.g. the colours  (browns/sand and blues) that Sara and others are getting. Are they getting this right in APP and then do final touches (sharpening, calming, contrasts etc) in LR and PS or are they mixing channels outside of APP after integration and registering channels? I fully acknowledge that this could be because I really have no clue how to do colour mixing other what than was taught at primary school. So to sum up my question. With what APP, excuse the pun, should I learn how to do colour mixing? APP or PS?

Before you combine them load up the rgb and the narrow band in the regular lights list under 1) load. Then calibrate them with each, other register them with each other, and save the registered frames. These are what you use when you combine RGB. 

If you mean to comine  hydrogen Alpha, O3, etc..and RGB, that is under 9) tools RGB combine. First load up your RGB image assigning it to R,G,B as you are prompted. Then load your NB frame, it will recognize it as custom and you'll have the option to select hydrogen Alpha.Beta, etc.. The NB integration will show up at the bottom of the list and you need to sign it 100% to red (which actually gives it 50) that's where to get started. Maybe tweak the upper slider to 2x, then 3x. and calculating.

Thank you

Just if someone else have the same question. This video made by Diego Colonnello answered my question 100%. 

I have been using APP for just about a month and came to the realization that it covers mostly the calibration and integration side of processing, with a bit of post-integration.  It could be my limited experience, but I am unable to take the processing further in APP, and steps like noise reduction, local enhancements and some levels of color enhancements may be handled outside APP.  I tried making enhancements using saturation/contrast/sharpness or HSL selective color tool only to wish I had a better understanding of pixel values in various parts of the image.  Using tools like Nebulosity, FitsLiberator (and lately, PI) for inspection of pixel values or stats across the image did not make me feel I'm using the right tool for these steps.  Nothing wrong with using multiple tools, but this made me rethink the process and tools to use.

I'd like to understand more about how others use APP, and if they make good use of stretching or color enhancement part of APP.

Posted by: lanties

Just if someone else have the same question. This video made by Diego Colonnello answered my question 100%. 

Hi @lanties, @viorelc, @gregwrca

Yes, what Diego basically is doing:

He is loading registered and normalized channels into the RGB combine tool. The normalization will help greatly in getting a good start with colors in the RGB combine tool. For narrowband data especially, the normalization helps greatly.

Diego and I talked about this video: he loads and assigns

SII to Red

H-alpha to Green

OIII to Blue

which makes a regular SHO

but then the Diego special part is:

adding 2 more layers:

SII to green

OIII to green

I have to test this myself on some of my data, but Diego is processing most of his images largely in APP. He only does some final tweaking in PS as I understand.

APP will soon have more tools, especially for post-processing. Like noise-reduction, deconvolution and color preserving stretching. My goal is to make APP as complete as I possibly can 😉

The initial focus in development was in the basics as you can understand. First get everything top notch with regards to calibration to integration.... then expand on post-processing, which now will get more focus.

I will also add more tools in the statistics department for image analysis.

Let me know if this answers your questions.

Personally, I process everything 100% in APP (but I am a bit biased you might say 😉 I used to use PS exensively, but last time I used it is over 2 years ago I think).

Mabula

Thank you for your response Mabula. Let me first say , as a software developer myself, it is amazing how much APP has "grown" in less than a year and secondly, as being very new, also less than a year, in Astro photography, how easy it is to use APP to produce amazing results without all the technical "know how". So there is only appreciation for what you are doing from my side.

Your answer makes perfect sense.

I am currently only using Rawtherapee for final touches and also really only very basic exposure functions ( https://rawpedia.rawtherapee.com/Exposure) Including  black, lightness, contrast etc. It may also be good to see/ask what other people are using 3rd party apps for to tweak APP results as this should be a good indication what needs to be included "to make APP as complete as possible"

On the image analysis side, it would be wonderful to have tools  to evaluate "flatness/curvature" of images, possible collimation problems etc similar to what is available in CCDinspector. My gut feeling is that a lot of the maths are already in APP. It just needs to be turned into tools. 

I understand all these requests and needs and wants of your users can be overwhelming but again APP with your personal approach to your users is fantastic. 

Good luck and thank you

Johan

Posted by: lanties

Thank you for your response Mabula. Let me first say , as a software developer myself, it is amazing how much APP has "grown" in less than a year and secondly, as being very new, also less than a year, in Astro photography, how easy it is to use APP to produce amazing results without all the technical "know how". So there is only appreciation for what you are doing from my side.

Your answer makes perfect sense.

I am currently only using Rawtherapee for final touches and also really only very basic exposure functions ( https://rawpedia.rawtherapee.com/Exposure) Including  black, lightness, contrast etc. It may also be good to see/ask what other people are using 3rd party apps for to tweak APP results as this should be a good indication what needs to be included "to make APP as complete as possible"

On the image analysis side, it would be wonderful to have tools  to evaluate "flatness/curvature" of images, possible collimation problems etc similar to what is available in CCDinspector. My gut feeling is that a lot of the maths are already in APP. It just needs to be turned into tools. 

I understand all these requests and needs and wants of your users can be overwhelming but again APP with your personal approach to your users is fantastic. 

Good luck and thank you

Johan

Thank you very much Johan @lanties,

I have several things on my list with regards to post-processing, like noise reduction, deconvolution, color preserving stretching. Step by step more will be added to APP and current tools/feautures will be further improved/optimized as we go along 😉

Your assessment is pretty good, a lot of the maths is already there ; -) which would be needed for new tools/functions.

Thank you for kind words 😉

Mabula