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.
Sometimes when using the tool for reducing light pollution, I find that the latest set of area select boxes I chose worsen the results. In an attempt to recover the earlier better results, I save a FITS file version of the image that had ben improved by the previous set of select boxes. However, when I reload that previously saved FITS file, I find that the image I see is soild white, not the previously improved image that had been produced by the tool.
How do I save a FITS file version of an improved image version produced by the light pollution reduction tool in a way that I can reload it and again see the improved image version?
Jean
as a guess, make sure you are not saving a version using the save button to the right of screen, the ‘viewer’ save, as this saves a stretched version, which will ‘double’ stretch when loaded if you don't then change the viewer settings. Use the save button on the left, within the light pollution controls itself.
if you did this then ignore my comment lol.
Thanks. That was it. It is a biy strange that there would be an obvious "save" button that would not simply save what is being displayed in the viewer.
Jean
