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.
Hello,
I used the star reducer with several pictures without any issue. But now I have a picture where I get following error when I increase the threshold parameter from 003 to 020 or above.
:
Encountered error in module:
CreateStarReducedImageObject
Error message:
java.lang.NullPointerException
Cause:
null
vp.a(Unknown Source)
vp.doInBackground(Unknown Source)
javax.swing.SwingWorker$1.call(SwingWorker.java:295)
java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:266)
Â
best regards
Werner
@wstumpferlgmx-de Werner, what version of APP was this with? If not the 1.083 final release, can you try with that version and see if you still get this error?
Yes, it is the 1083 final release.Â
BR
WernerÂ
@wstumpferlgmx-de Could you upload the image to
https://upload.astropixelprocessor.com
using upload for both username and password (note that your APP credentials will not work) to a new directory called wstumpferlgmx-de_starreducer? Then I'll ask Mabula to have a look.Â
Hi Werner, @wstumpferlgmx-de
Thank you for the upload, I will be testing your image in the next couple of days and will make sure it is fixed 😉
Mabula
Hi Werner @wstumpferlgmx-de,
I have fixed your error, thank you very much for reporting it:
- FIXED, STAR REDUCER TOOL, if a too high kappa was set for the noise threshold, the tool could produce a Null Pointer Exception, because no stars were found... This can happen quickly when non-linear data is loaded into the tool.
Your error happens quickly with a moderate kappa value for noise, because you are loading non-linear/already stretched data into the tool. The tool will work much better of you load linear/unstretched data into it ;-). (The noise threshold slider assumes linear data.)
Mabula
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