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.
A video on YT mentions a way of stacking a comet with stars and getting no trailing from the comet or the stars? Is this possible without clicking on every image (on the nucleus)?
Dear Trevor,
I am not sure to what video you refer to. Currently, APP does not yet provide a come stack withour sharp stars and a sharp comet out-of-the-box. We do have this on our ToDo list though.
If APP asks you to select the comet nucleus in each image, it means it is a very weak comet (or your exposure time is rather short). On brighter comets, APP will only ask you this in the 1st and last image.
Mabula
Other reasons for APP to ask the comet nucleus in each image can be:
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- The data for each sub is rather noisy
- Or the time intervals between exposures is a bit too long, normally the exposures are directly shot after each other, maybe you have delays between each exposure?
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It could be that your data is simply close to the threshold for detection in the current comet detection algorithm. I will try to work in this in the coming days actually.
Mabula
Now uploaded Mabula.
@mabula-admin is there a procedure I can reference for comet stacking? Â Not sure if there is a load parameter that is specific for comets or later in the processing chain. I don't see an option for clicking the comet's nucleus.
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Thanks
