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 appreciate APP as pre-treatment tool, and use "INTEGRATE". Then I want to treat the image with PixInsight. I need it in "linear" format (not stretched). How to do? and other question: how to access APP documentation ?
Best
to precise my question: how to save an image in linear format (unstretched).. Thanks
The integrated image resulting from stacking is unstretched! I also use those for further processing in PI (BXT/NXT).
@ddaniel84 any file created and saved automatically by APP, by light pollution, star calibration, star reduction, hsl , rgb combine etc are always in linear format.
ONLY if you save from the right hand save button in the viewer panel is a non linear file created, as it has been stretched by the viewer.
@andybooth thanks a lot. It's exactly what happen. Now I use the original file prodeced by Iintegrate... and undestand why "-st" is added if I do a SAVE (st for stretched)!
I appreciate APP as pre-treatment tool, and use "INTEGRATE". Then I want to treat the image with PixInsight. I need it in "linear" format (not stretched). How to do? and other question: how to access APP documentation ?
Best
Hi Dominique @ddaniel84,
Glad others have answered already to help you with saving a linear image 😉
Documentation is available in the application in the form of tooltips, we will publish a printable PDF manual once 2.0 stable is releases as well.
Mabula
Thanks a lot Mabula. I suppose we will know wgen the pdf will be available in this forum. It would be à good idea to inform us with the software itself.
Best
