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 Mabula
Do you have anything that can reduce star sizes?Â
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I've tried many PI scripts and PS techniques. Its not easy and would love for an easy/clean way to do it.Â
Either reduce dramatically (like removing all stars below a certain size) or completely remove and only leave nebulosity.
Hi Joelin02,
APP has a a preview stretch setting that will reduce the size of your stars by reducing the stretch strength in the highlights. It's the HL slider on the right.
But besides that, currently, APP has no tool yet to reduce star sizes or even remove complete stars, it's a tool which I can put on my working list though 😉
Maybe you can show me an image on which you would like this to be performed?
Kind regards,
Mabula
I can reduce the size of the stars using the HL slider but the star map is not changed.
Also, it is possible to save the star map? The save button does not do anything when the star map is open.
Hi @yatsze,
Welcome to the APP forum 😉
The star map is calculated on the original linear data, not on the preview data that you see on your screen. Your screen shows the original linear data with the preview filter settings applied.
At the moment, you can't save the starmap, it's an image with only 0 and 255 values, so it isn't suited to use as a mask either. I will work however on the possibility of making a starmap mask which you will be able to use in the preview filter to perform a masked stretch. I think you are looking for that function, right? Or is it another function that you need/want?
Kind regards,
Mabula
Yes, would be great to have a masked stretch, when will be it available, will be happy to try it out.
I have some other feature requests to be implemented first, so this one could take a bit longer. It will come for sure, but it's very hard to give a clear timeline at the moment for this feature.
Kind regards,
Mabula
