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,
First thanks for a fantastic piece of software.
I have been attempting to make some high quality master darks and master bias to use in calibration and with the intention for using dark frame scaling. My camera is a EOS1100d
To that end I took 120 300s subs at ISO800 and 200 Bias at 1/4000s at ISO800. I then calibrated in APP (Auto integration, separate darks acc was deselected).
My concern is that the master bias, and to a lesser extent the master dark show quite clear vertical banding when i open them in APP with a moderate stretch. Is this normal or have I done something wrong?
Attached the MB
Thanks for any help.
Hi David,
Thanks for the congrats, hope you'll be enjoying it for a long time to come!
The bias looks normal to me, vertical banding is a thing with certain sensors. APP should be able to correct for that using the bias.
Hi David,
Thanks for the congrats, hope you'll be enjoying it for a long time to come!
The bias looks normal to me, vertical banding is a thing with certain sensors. APP should be able to correct for that using the bias.
Hi Vincent
Thanks so much for that. Forecast is good for tomorrow so hopefully I'll be using these masters soon.
Good luck with the move. I'm Scottish, from Perth, but have lived away in Belgium, Switzerland and now Ireland for 20 years so I know what an international move is like. And the way it is right now is certainly not going to help.
My very best wishes
David
Thanks David, that means a lot. We actually have lived in New-Zealand, then Madeira (all for half a year approx.) and now the idea was to stay in Scotland as I loooove it. Unfortunately my wife is not able to get her job going in time so there we go again. Can't say my last 2 years have been dull, will remember it when I'm 80. 🙂
So, when the calibration files pose an issue, just ask here again. I'm not expecting it to.
