Mar 28 2026 APP 2.0.0-beta40 will be released in 7 days.
It did take a long time to have the work finished on this and it will have a major performance boost of 30-50% over 2.0.0-beta39 from calibration to integration. We extensively optimized many critical parts of APP. All has been tested to guarantee correct optimizations. Drizzle and image resampling is much faster for instance, those modules have been completely rewritten. Much less memory usage. LNC 2.0 will be released which works much better and faster than LNC in it's current state. And more, all will be added to the release notes in the coming weeks...
Update on the 2.0.0 release & the full manual
We are getting close to the 2.0.0 stable release and the full manual. The manual will soon become available on the website and also in PDF format. Both versions will be identical and once released, will start to follow the APP release cycle and thus will stay up-to-date to the latest APP version.
Once 2.0.0 is released, the price for APP will increase. Owner's license holders will not need to pay an upgrade fee to use 2.0.0, neither do Renter's license holders.
I recently have tried imaging with my Edge 8 using Hyperstar in Narrowband. While I understand Collimation is a critical component with SCT, Hyperstar will exasperate that. My Collimation is pretty solid, and I shot Sh2-220 using Antlia 3.0 nm Filters that are compatible down to F3 but declare on their website that even RASA or Hyperstar can be used and I imaged with my asi2600mm Pro camera.
I process it in HOO (even using the #2 align channels) and still am looking at somewhat bloated Stars.
My question is, as I read how other Edge Owners handle their Stars, they PULL out the Stars (somehow) and add them back in post process.
While using the Star Reducing Tool in APP, If I click on Remove Stars, APP does a MARVOLOUS job, but obviously removes ALL Stars.
So is APP capable of removing the Stars (as I don't know if the the Program saves the Stars removed in a File) and then I could use another Workflow and add them back in?
OR
Am I just not understanding the Strength of the Star Reduction Tool Sliders that can take the Bloat out of my Hyperstar Stars?
Can someone improve my Workflow Process as I am open to suggestions...
As I own the full set of 2" Antila perhaps I should just shoot the Stars quickly in RGB and then Combine them into my Starless Narrowband????
Hi Martin,
Maybe an ignorant response soon is worth more than an expert one later. Star reduction ideally bifurcates your processing into a starless image that contains the nebulosity and other tonal detail, and a star image that has nothing but. APP currently can do one element of that, in that it can produce the starless image, as you know. You have to use another application to make the best use of it. I happen to use Photoshop.
I take the original (before SR/SE) image and add the starless image as a layer on top of that. I set the Blending Mode for the top layer temporarily to Difference. The stars appear. I save that using Stamp Visible and go on my way -- returning the starless image to APP for more-intense stretching, or using another app to reduce noise, or enhancing particular areas via layers and brushing in Photoshop.
Obviously the alternative you suggest -- shooting the stars separately in RGB -- is a great alternative. You'd have to register that image with the original, but you could do that before you remove stars from the "main" image, then batch crop so that any output to other programs is registered.
Meanwhile, I might shrink the size of the stars in the star image, using one of the common old Photoshop tricks or APP again; if it's an RGB image, I'll probably try to enhance the star color while I'm at it. If it's narrowband, eh, white is about the best you'll ever do anyway, may as well desaturate it!
When I'm done with both, I pull them back into Photoshop, stars on top, and set its Blending Mode to Lighten. The combined image appears, I Stamp Visible to save it, and away I go.
I've seen other folks refer to more complicated workflows than just Difference and Lighten, but the simple method does work.
If you don't have Photoshop, another pixel-editing program probably will have similar features. You could probably stack stars atop starless, copy the stars, and paste that into an image mask for the starless image, then invert the mask. That would black out the starless image at those points and let the star image below it through. That technique would probably be usable in a wider variety of editing software.
HTH!
@rickwayne Thanks for the input! I will try and utilize some of the techniques that you are suggesting.... thanks again....
Hi Martin @tropicalnights,
Another thing that you can try, is not to completely remove the stars, but simply reduce the stars with a certain percentage 😉 with the Star Reducer Tool. Did you try that?
@mabula-admin Thanks you.... I will try some of these suggestions. Love your Product BTW.
Hi Martin, @tropicalnights
Excellent, let me know how it works 😉 Thank you very much, it is my pleasure !
