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 all,
So this is my second time around with the trial of APP. I gave up pretty quickly last time because I found the interface so confusing. However, I'm giving it another go, and I'm stuck again.
Basically, how do you open a FITS or TIF image just for post-processing? One that has already been stacked, either in APP or another package such as DSS? Because there will be times I'll want to stack subs during one session, then go away, come back and load up the stacked image for post processing during another session.
I've selected a working directory and can open Lights, Darks etc, but for the life of me cannot figure out how to open a TIF or FITS just as an image that I can then stretch, process, enhance, etc. No tutorials I've seen seem to cover this. I'm obviously missing something really basic here, and it's driving me nuts. Or perhaps I'm just wrong about what APP can, and cannot, do?
I should add I'm pretty computer-literate and comfortable with many other packages eg DSS, Registax, APT, StarTools, Photoshop (which I've been using for over 20 years) and so on.
Any advice appreciated!
You can process previously stacked images in APP as well. (I go back and do that all the time).
Open the 1) Load Tab and set your working directory. Then click "Other/Processed" Browse to where your stacked FITS/Tiffs are and load them into APP.
Adding to that: some of the tools in tab 9 don’t require you to have the images loaded in tab 1. Instead they can load directly from disk.
I wanted to do the same, I just got APP, I was able to figure out how to load a previously stacked set of fits from DSS. So it's loaded, but now I can't for the life of me figure out how to get it so I can view the loaded tif file, so then I can edit it.
Thanks
@jimfox Hi Jim,
Can you please explain what kind of editing you want to do? Depending on that you may need to open the image in a particular tool in APP, which may require a slightly different way of opening the file.
Wouter
I just got the Optolong L-Pro filter to use on my ASI 2600mc Pro, and all of the images have the green cast to it (as I had read before it would do). A friend had tipped me that I could use the Neutralize BG option to remove the Green cast. So I have downloaded the Trial Version, and I wanted to try it and see how it worked for that before I get too heavily invested in APP.
Thanks!
@jimfox In that case, in tab 1 set a Working Directory. This could be the directory where the images are stored but it doesn't have to be. Then click the Lights button, browse to the directory with the images and select the ones you want to load. You may get a popup indicating that the images previously have been processed and asking you if you want to be sure to load them. Click yes. Next, double click an image in the image list at the bottom of the APP screen. The image now should become visible. On the right hand side, enable neutralize-BG. you can then click the save button on the upper right.
HTH, Wouter
That worked perfectly! Thanks so much, it totally removed the green cast.
I did notice that when it did it, all of the edges were much brighter then the center, like I hadn't put flats in or like a reverse vignette. Is there a way to correct that?
Thanks
@jimfox Overcorrected edges and corners usually indicate an issues with the flats. Would it be an option for you to stack the raw data in APP and see if that solves the issue?
