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 think I need to move to filters or drive 100km to darker sky.
Imaging from a dark-ish hill in the city, stock Nikon D780
60 frames x 30sec iso400 + 20 each D,F,DF,B
Single (raw) frame and a stack of 44 selected below.
Any processing just erases the nebula.
Any brief tips? (i.e. keep working on the processing, or give up and get the Ha/OIII LPR filter)
Thanks,
Mijo, Vancouver
Hi Mijo,
I am no expert at all and I am blessed with not to much light pollution.
But, if i look at your frames, they dont look like a lost case. If these are not processed in any way, they are really showing that there is enough signal. And thats not the brightest object you could shoot, the veil is very faint in my images too, even with less light pollution. You should collect longer. 22mins isnt much at all. Go for at least 2hr integration time. I would say out of my experience.
I think it may even be possible to expose a little longer! The single frame doesnt look too bright for me.
I have attached an aoproach of mine. Single frame was iso3200, 60s @ f3.5
Integration time about 2hrs. (stacked and processed)
Well, i know i got way better conditions than you. But even that is not much to get a good integration from this target.
If you go and get a lp filter, you will need hrs more time to collect and some minutes to expose your single frames. So i would try to see what you can do without. Get some hrs of collecting some frames at 60s. And maybe get some brighter target, there are plenty...
Â
Hi Sebastian,
Thanks very much for sharing the sub and stack, and the advice to persist.
It's well worth it to invest 2-3h of 60s exposures if your experience suggests this will improve quality.
I was concerned noise and signal were increasing equally.
For now, I'd like to see what's possible with the DLSR and no filters until I'm proficient with capture and processing techniques.
Then move to filters down the road.
Many thanks and best wishes for your own imaging projects!
Mijo
Fixed noise will increase, but for that you need to dither while capturing data. Random noise remains random and can therefore improve with more data. However, exposing very short can be an issue if your signal is in the read noise of the sensor, so as long as possible is always a good aim.
