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!
Is there a way in APP to know the magnitude of the sky background? I need that info in photons/pixel/second in a formula to estimate the optimal exposure lenght.
Thanks!
2 years ago I wondered the same question and i have solved my doubt doing this.
I bought a SQM - L meter (with the narrow 20 degree lense), measure the entire portion of the sky where i'm planning to image and along which the object is going to move, than put the average or any other SQM value into this file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12PHRpiOoUfQuhpJMR_7-ZNJjo1vTRYNi/view?usp=sharing
CheersÂ
@jawknee No there is no such way. Knowing that would require knowledge of the telescope, filters and camera to a level that goes beyond what many people can provide about their own system. Even weather conditions like humidity, transparency and high clouds are influencing this. There are several online resources where you can lookup approximate light pollution levels for your location like
https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/
Hi Jean,
You can use sharpcap pro to do this. The sensor analysis stores the response of your camera and the smart histogram will allow you to define optimum exposure and gain depending on you sky background. It's really quite good and useful too.
