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.
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Just down loaded a trial  of APP, only ever used DSS and Photoshop before, so not very experienced.
I loaded 8 CR2 Lights of the Lagoon Nebula and 6 Darks as a test ran through the system but the stacked image at the end is Black 6 white, I don't take seperate Colour channels (no money for the filters etc).
I use an Astro modified Canon 600D.
How do I get the final image in colour.
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Regards
Peter Louer
Hi Peter,
There should be color in the stack created by APP. Try to load the stack with saturation enabled (on the right side below the histogram) and set the saturation slider (SAT) to 0.20-0.25.
Maybe you can show a screenshot of the integration/stack made by APP?
Kind regards,
Mabula
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Hi Mabula
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Thanks for the quick reply, I tried saturation as suggested, didn't make any difference, I have attached to files, one of the original frames and one of the final output.
In my test I didn't change any of the settings, just left them as the default settings
Peter
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Hi Peter,
You're most welcome.
So the left one is one of the original frames? And the right frame is the final output?
Both images are not black and white, in the first image I see purple and green, but it doesn't look correct, I agree.
But If the left one is one of the original frames, maybe a wrong CFA pattern is used, did you alter the CFA pattern in 0)RAW/FITS to RGGB instead of default possibly? Try setting it to GBRG (which is the correct pattern for a Canon 600D, DSS uses dcraw and dcraw needs a RGGB pattern for the 600D).
Maybe you can send me one of your CR2 files, so I can have a look myself?
Kind regards,
Mabula
Hi Mabula
No the lefthand frame is the final stacked output (9 frames) from APP the right hand one is the original CS2 File converted to JPG and reduced to make it easier to upload as I have a very slow internet conection here in Tenerife.
I'll have a look at the settings to ensure that it is on GBRG and give it another go
Thanks for the help
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Peter
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Hi Peter,
Any improvement? If not, please try to send me just one of your light frames, so I can have a good look.
Kind regards,
Mabula
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Hi Mabula
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I've sent you an email as the files are to big for this site
 Peter
Peter
Hi Peter,
Your camera is designated as a: "EOS Kiss X5", this indeed is the same camera as the EOS 600D, and the EOS REBEL T3I.
This camera model is a tag in the metadata of the camera, and this is the first time I encounter your camera designation (with the Kiss). APP wasn't setup yet to automatically apply the correct debayer pattern for your camera. It now is ;-), so in 1.054 you can leave the debayer pattern on "supported" and it will be correct.
I have all EOS camera's and their Rebel partners implemented, but the Kiss camera's not yet, so I'll try to get them all fixed as soon as possible.
This is now what I see in APP when I load your CR2 file with saturation and the linear image viewer mode (and CFA pattern on supported):
This is similar what you sent me using the GBRG pattern.
We can also check how the data looks like similar to how a Canon camera or software would show it when it interprets the data as a normal photography image. That means that the data is converted to the non-linear sRGB space using a log conversion (s-curve) and we also enable camera white balance. Then this converted data is again shown stretched using the preview filter. I guess this image has more or less the same colors as you were expecting? Or not?
This is normal behaviour. The color calibration after integration should help you in getting correct colors in the end.
Let me know if this clarifies it for you 😉
Mabula
Hi Mabula
Thanks for that I will have a play around with it and see what happens, when will 1.054 be available for download.
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Regards
Peter
Hi Mabula
Another question, would you process RAW files before stacking or after.
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Peter
Hi Peter,
1.054 is out !
You need the raw files for stacking to have the best results 😉 Processing only after integration is the best way to go I think.
Cheers,
Mabula
