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 successfully created mosaics using APP in the past, but the largest subject measured only 4 by 3 panels in an area near the celestial equator. It worked great.
Now, I am trying something different. I want to create a mosaic of a 24-hour "stripe" at 85 degrees declination. It is nothing more than an idea right now, but I am trying to imagine what the mosaic will look like. Will it be donut-shaped? Or will it be rectangular with the north-facing part stretched to fit?
Thank you.
When you do that you'd need the "calibrated projective" option in tab 4, for the registration model. This will add extra projection options in that tab as well, where you can see what APP makes of it. I'd advice to then first click on "register" in that tab, then looking at the "l-c-registered" preview on top of the APP preview panel. This will allow you to double-click on each light and see where it ends up in the preview, this way you don't have to waste time waiting for the entire integration.
