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.
Hello,
I am new to APP, after not getting great results from WBPP in PI, the star shapes from that are not great and apparently it’s normal, they seem to sacrifice star shapes for a tiny bit more detail in the final stack. After getting the trial of APP I am very happy with the result nice round stars albeit a tad bigger, but that can be dealt with, and the LP removal in APP is the best I have ever used, it works better than all the options in PI, and better than GraXpert. Not sure how you do it.
But am not sure whether to get the renters license or the full one, can I ask how often are there big updates where we will be required to pay extra to get with the full license, as this concerns me, I don’t want to pay out the full amount, and then out comes a big update and more money is required.
Has this ever happened and /or is it likely to happen anytime soon..?
Thanks
Wow, this forum is very quiet, is it not used much anymore..?
Hello there, actually no an easy question, but under SHOP and there you will find details, about owner's & renter's licence, good luck to you, Martin
Hello there, actually no an easy question, but under SHOP and there you will find details, about owner's & renter's licence, good luck to you, Martin
yes I have seen all that, but does nor answer the question at all, I had really hoped that this forum and the support had improved since I was last here, but also no, the response is slow to say the least, I really don't understand how anyone can buy this software with the total lack of support here, I bet there is still no manual yet either for the software 😂😂😂
@astroshed You are absolutely right, this forum is really poorly supported. I think Mabula is the only one working on the project, and he doesn't check in often.
That said.. APP is still my favorite stacking software, but I really hope for better times!
@astroshed You are absolutely right, this forum is really poorly supported. I think Mabula is the only one working on the project, and he doesn't check in often.
That said.. APP is still my favorite stacking software, but I really hope for better times!
yea I find the stacking is the best, but have no idea how any of the tools on the right side of the screen work, and I think it’s a real shame that there is such a lack of support, I switched to Pixinsight years ago because of the lack of support and had really hoped it had gotten better, but it’s actually seems far worse IMHO, I wanted to do a video on stacking software on my YT Chanel, but not sure I want to include APP as the support is just not there, for people who may need it, which is a shame as all the videos on YT are more than. 2-3 years old.
There must be a lot of APP users, not sure why they don’t frequent the forum, as all other softwares seem to thrive with forums and discord groups and so on. 🤷🏼♂️
@astroshed I'd check Seti Astro Suite (free) if I were you. The support from Frank is amazing, the app is booming and he improves it on a daily basis. APP has had better days. It stacks fine but improvements are rare. Basic functions (like saving presets and projects) were requested 6 years ago and still haven't happen.
thanks
Yes I was here about 5 years ago requesting a written manual, and was promised it within a year, and it’s still never happened, I was really hoping things had improved but looks like it’s not, I have had questions on here now for weeks and yours is about the 3rd answer and still no sign of mods or Admin
Its just wrong when people are paying good money and not knowing how poor the support is, it’s a joke TBH 😡
I bought APP 7 years ago and have not had to pay for an upgrade yet.
True there is no manual but the tool-tips are arguably the most comprehensive of any software I have seen.
There are quite a few video tutorials as well, although I wish they were updated.
I went with APP partly because of cost but mostly because PI was too complex - like using photoshop which is no fun for someone who doesn't use it frequently - I'm lucky if I get enough data for one processing session a month.
APP used to have a couple of paid support personnel but for various reasons they are not here now. I think a lot of users relied on those support people instead of the user community - I saw many users ignore user help and wait for APP support help. I hope that now the community interaction will improve.
