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.
Hi Mabula:
I have just watched your excellent video on vignetting removal. Can you answer a couple of questions please?
1. I have a group of 68 NEF files. Do I have to do vignetting removal on each file individually or is there some batch processing or routine that can be done?
2. Is it efficacious to do vignetting removal on a stack of 68 images, and if so, would one do this before any other processing of the stack (light pollution removal, etc)?
Thanks very much
Rudy Â
Thank you Rudy,
Certainly 😉
First of all, the vignetting removal tool is intended for the case where no flat frames are applied at all. If flats were applied, any remaining correction that needs to be done on the background should be corrected with the "remove light pollution" tool.
Then to answer your questions:
- you can try to make an artifical master flats using one of the light frames. Calculate the model, and if you have a pleasing correction, enable create artificial flat and click on Ok. Then load your 68 light frames and the artifical master flat (using any of the load buttons) and verify if it's working correctly with the l-calibrated image viewer mode. That should show the vignetting corrected frame. So that's like a batch correction, by applying one vignetting model on all of your lights.
- Another approach would be to integrate your 68 frames, and just apply correction in the integration. In this case, you will need to use one of the two elliptical (not circulair) models for the best correction. This method will only work nicely, if all of your light frames had more or less the same field of view (not more than 100 pixels difference I would say on a 20MegaPixel sensor) If the frames don't have very similar field of views, the artifical master flat method should give the best results. For both methods applies, that any remaining correction should be corrected with the "remove light pollution" tool. So yes, after integration, the first thing to correct would be the vignetting, then Light pollution and then other corrections.
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Let me know if this is clear 😉
Kind regards,
Mabula
Hi Mabula:
I am pleased to report that the vignette removal function worked beautifully both on individual subs and on the 68-NEF integrated stack! Thanks for the instructions.
I love the "create artificial flat" feature. I personally do all unguided tracking in my astrophotography and am not setup up to create good flat calibration files in the field, so I have always relied on the vignette removal feature in Abode Camera Raw to deal with the vignetting in my subs, which has always worked well for me. But APP "create artificial flat" feature works as well or better and has an additional work-flow advantage for me. Great job!Â
Best regards,
Rudy
Excellent to hear Rudy, thank you for your feedback 😉 !
Kind regards,
Mabula
