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.
2026-10-03- UPDATE FROM MABULA
I am glad to announce that I am finally fully healed, my energy and strength are really back now !
In the past 3 weeks while recovering, I have prioritzed the release of 2.0.0-beta47. So much work has accumulated into this release that it needed to be tested extensively, but also it needed to be available for all of you. Unless a big problem is reported for this release, I expect it will be the final release, finally !, before the official 2.0.0 release.
Hi, I take darks, bias, flats, dark flats and use a BPM that go along with my lights.
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For the calibration frames - I prepare all in advance, apart from flats:
- I created a master bias for my camera for the appropriate gain and temperature
- I took some flats
- I created a bad pixel map from flats, bias and darks.
- I create darks at the appropriate temperature and store.
- I've created master darks using the BPM for my imaging temperatures and appropriate length exposures.
I then do my imaging, first taking flats for that session.
When it comes to processing, I load the appropriate masters (darks, bias) for my gain and temperature. I load the lights and flats. I selectÂ
- Create 32-Bit Masters
- adaptive pedestal/reduce amp glow
I then create the masters (which will do the master flat) and it assigns the appropriate masters to the lights.
I then carry on doing the Integration, etc.
For other targets/processing for that same session, I take the MasterFlat already created (instead of having to calibrate again just because I've loaded different Lights from the same session/camera/position) and assign this to future Lights in the same way I do for my Darks and Bias.
However, I'm not seeing my data read-out noise/brightness removed. It produces a purple smudge of spikes on the right hand side of the screen. I can sometimes get rid of these with filtering in post-processing, but usually at the expense of some useful data, so I'd rather not.
What am I doing wrong? Is it my data (bias/darks?) or is it something wrong I'm doing during processing?
Camera is a ZWO ASI294MC Pro (Cooled).
Thanks, Kev
Hi Kev @itarchitectkev,
Perhaps you can share a screenshot of the problem ? That will be easier for use to determine what exactly is happening here.
I can also have a look at your data if you want?
In that case, please send me
- 5x lights
- 5x bias
- 5x darks
- 5x flat darks
- 5x flats
In most cases, I can quickly determine the cause of your issue 😉
You can send it to me using wetransfer.com or dropbox , please send it to support@astropixelprocessor.com
Kind regards,
Mabula
Thanks for the reply @mabula-admin.
I didn't have the original Bias files to upload for you, so I created new ones. And as I had some spare time, I decided to create new Darks too.
Here is the thing - and half-answers my question: I could very easily recreate the issue with existing Master Dark, Master Bias, BPM (I use these over and over again), which I assigned to my Lights and I added in my Flats captured for that evening too.
I have just reprocessed using my NEW Darks and Bias, and instead of using Master Flat, I used the original Flats, and it has gone. So the question I asked - is it something I'm doing wrong or bad data - the answer is probably both!
I'll do further testing to see which made the difference: the Darks or the Bias.
Think I've found the issue: Scale MasterDark was selected causing error. When I reprocessed again, with new files, I didn't select that option. I assumed it was the new files.
Recap: I create my MasterDarks in advance. I create 60,90,120,180,240 and 300 seconds (i.e. all the exposures I currently shoot with). I created these MasterDark files from the original Darks created at the appropriate gain and temperature. So far so good.
Except I selected "Scale MasterDark" option when creating these master darks. And since creating these Darks, I've just used them and worked around the little glow appearing where the data read-out in my darks has a big old spike of light.
When I did the test above - creating new Bias, new Darks - and going through Integration again all was well. I noticed I didn't have the Scale MasterDark option selected. I have just selected this again, and went through to Integration - and my image popped out a little more brighter, but the purple smudge of spikes appeared again.
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Thanks for this extensive testing! Personally I'm starting to think the scaling and maybe the glow-signal is causing the issue, Mabula knows all about that.. I guess the scaling takes into account all of the hotpixels it sees and starts.. scaling them.. and if other signals are present that might go a bit wrong. But as you can read, that's a bit beyond my knowledge.
OK, this is weird. Whilst I re-processed some data and Scale MasterDark had an effect, I have just run through some data using some new darks I've just taken, and when I select Scale MasterDark it has a profound effect (not in a good way).
Original Master Darks (where I had Scale MasterDark selected):
New Darks Taken (Scale MasterDark NOT checked)
New Darks Taken with Scale MasterDark Selected
 What's going on?
