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,
Has anything been changed wrt to Magenta - Green Adjustment in the recent Beta 2 adjustment?
Looking at the below screen shot I fancy a small M-G adjustment is needed. However the smallest available adjustment is 0.01. The movement required would however seem to be c0.001.
If I make an adjustment of -0.01 then the corection made is way over the top! has there been a change to the sensitivity/scaling of the slider or graphical display?
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Regards
Mike
Not that I know of, but I'll pass this one to Mabula.
Dear Mike @mestutters,
In 1.083-beta2 nothing has changed with regard to the star color calibration algorithms or the interface of the tool. Star detection and analysis has been improved leading to more stars being detected.
But if i look at the screenshots that you posted, I would think that you are not loading broadband data? What filters did you use to create the image?
The scales of the B-G and other axes are way too small... that is very unusual. The values should be between -1 to 1, not -0.01 to 0.01...
Please tell us as much as you can about the data, which filters did you use and how did you create the color image? I think I see that you have a LHaRGB ? If so, the Ha contribution might be killing it severly then. Best to keep narrowband out of the mix when performing star color calibration. Best would be to first create a RGB or LRGB, star color calibrate that. And then add Ha to that calibrated result 😉
Mabula
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Hi Mabula,
Thanks for the very prompt response.
I must try your suggestion of producing a fully processed RGB image using broadband data alone and only then introducing NB data. Â
For this target I have LRGB and Ha data all acquired using my own rig.  I have used your LHaRGB combination options (in RGB Combine) successfully in the past with this mix of filter data so not previously had cause to change my approach. For this target however I've not so far managed to produce a result that I found aesthetically pleasing. I felt sufficiently inspired by the new beta release to have another go!
I recall that once before I've seen this issue of the graduation of the Green - Magenta adjustment being seemingly too coarse for the adjustments indicated by the graphical display but did not think to flag it up.
For this target I also have some wide-field data in OIII acquired using iTelescope that I am hoping to incorporate. This is much wider FoV and better quality than anything I can obtain from my own backyard so altogether this may be an interesting challenge.
Regards
Mike
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