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.
Ok, I am loving APP and getting to grips.
im just thinking through options for my post processing process.
now I know that sliders in the viewing controls are only for viewing UNTIL you save from the right hand save button.
so I assume that, say, HSL modules changes etc are on the linear data, and saving from that function does not include any stretch function etc.?
But what about this. Say you use the viewer sliders to sharpen and get a nice setting, but then turn off stretch, select no stretch in ddp settings, and save from the viewer side. would that save  a sharpened linear image (akin to other softwares linear deconvolution)?
Is this possible at all, to sharpen but save unstretched i.e linear?
Thanks.
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Hi Andy @andybooth,
The sharpen slider on the right side, like all sliders on the right side are part of the preview filter. So if you deselect the stretch option below the histogram and then click on save, the sharpen slider will not be applied to the saved image.
To be able to sharpen on linear data, we will provide both a deconvolution tool and a better dedicated sharpen tool going forward 😉
Mabula
