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 again,
when testing a new filter I got very strange integration results, as if the flats / the MF is overcorrecting. For comparison I re-integrated different (older) images with a different filter, where I had good results with before. Same result: "tunnel vision".
21 x 300s Antlia DNB with 25 F, MD, MB:
only Lights:
(yes, some egg-stars - I was also testing / correcting for tilt)
by the way:
analysing the FITS headers revealed a ZWO ASI camera driver issue (in my case ASI 2600 MC): one cannot set the offset anymore. It´s "-1" when it should be 50....
but this can´t be the reason for my actual problem (and never had before with earlier versions of APP).
Any ideas?
thanks in advance
Peter
It´s "-1" when it should be 50....
Are you using KStars by any chance? I noticed th9s as well. Setting the value manually in Ekos (not the config but where you set up the image sequence) solves that.
Regarding the flats: What telescope are you using? What exposure time for the flats? What temperature of the sensor? What does the image look like if you only leave out the flats (so use the MD and MB)? What does the image look like if you only use the flats and MB?
Hi Wouter,
- no I don´t youse KStars. I use APT, APP & PI. I blinked every L / F / DF frame as well as the Masters.
- as far as I know: actually one cannot change the offset due to a ZWO camera driver issue when using the actual driver. I didnt test with the older driver. I could redo the calibration frames but not the Lights 🙂
- it´s a 250/1000 Newton, Antlia DNB Filter, T [sensor]: - 5 C
L exp: 300s, F exp: 0,53 s with a flatfieldbox,
The integration without Flats / MasterFlat, with or without MB MD look pretty similar to the second image (above). The second image (only L) can easily be LP corrected.
What does the image look like if you only use the flats and MB?
- I´ll have to do that.....
This is not a new setup, until now the APP integrations were fine...
Peter
@peter-s Hi Peter,
Thanks for the detailed answer.
This is not a new setup, until now the APP integrations were fine...
So, what changed? Did you install a newer version of APP? If yes, do you get a good result with the version of APP previously used by you? What version were you using before and what version do you use now?
Thanks, Wouter
Hi Wouter,
thanks for your time...!
APP changed, as mentioned above I now use APP 2.0.0.beta 8
I have to check which version was the latest before updating. I think it was 1.083-beta2.
On the other hand I am checking the new filter (Antlia DNB) vs the L-eXtreme but have same results with already taken images (with the L-eXtreme) when integrating them now.
and it seems the ZWO drivers behave strange -
update 1:
checking different ZWO camera drivers resulted in:
- the ZWO native driver supports offset
- the ASCOM driver doesnt support offset (in my setup), it returns "offset -1"
For the Lights I had to take the ASCOM driver.
I´ll double check the rest ...
Peter
update:
1. ZWO answered that they will fix that ASCOM driver issue
2. some tests:
What does the image look like if you only use the flats and MB?
L+F+MB
What does the image look like if you only leave out the flats (so use the MD and MB)?
L+MD+MB
L + new made F + new made DF + MB + MD:
So I think there was something wrong with the flats: offset? dew? (which I checked...)
Even though it doesnt look like other integrations it can be processed:
after quick de-vign.+ de-lp
I´ll redo a new set of images as soon as possible.
cs Peter
Hello again,
just wanted to post this update - maybe it helps others:
I was getting this ring issue again and again with my Newton, sometimes more, sometimes less, until I found the answer in this thread:
Until now I made the Flats with the flatfield panel laying directly on the tube. Now I
- placed the flatfield panel on the dew shield, ca. 40 cm away
- did the Flats in the dark
- closed the back / mirror side
Now already the integration stack is as it should be.
cs Peter
