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.
What is the best way to combine OSC images with L and /or Ha from a mono camera.
I am experimenting using a dual camera arrangement and it is working very well but I am having trouble with trying to find a way to merge the data.
I use a 200mm F2.8 lens with an ASI1600MM-Pro (with a 7 filter EFW)Â and on the same mount a 135mm F2.0 lens and an ASI183MC-Pro colour camera. The resultant FoV of the images is almost identical.
I run two instances of Sequence Generator Pro to simultaneously capture the two sets of data which has worked very well so far.Â
The aim of this configuration is to get as many images as possible for any period of time.
My research suggests that I should get as much Luminance data as possible with the monochrome camera, and I would also capture a certain amount of Ha data after the L images.
I would like to then combine the L and Ha from the mono camera with the images from the colour camera.
Can you please suggest the best way to do this with APP - I have not had any success so far despite many attempts and looking at many instructional videos. The closest method I have come across is to chose the Hydrogen Alpha algorithm in Section Zero but that doesnt allow for the Luminence data.
(I have even considered separating out the R,G and B from the colour camera and then processing the L, Ha,R,G,B using multi-channel/filter methods.
So you need to combine L, H-alpha and RGB data right?
The H-alpha algorithm in 0) RAW/FITS is for Bayer CFA data, so if you capture H-alpha with your color camera I recommend to use this to get monochrome H-alpha data with your color camera.
To combine the broadband data in RGB with the monochrome L, Ha channels, I would advise to split the RGB data with 2) calibrate, the split channel option.
Then register and normalize the L, Ha, R, G, B to each other.
Finally, make a LHaRGB composite by loading the 5 channel integration into the RGB Combine tool.
Thanks for your reply Mabula. After many hours of experimentation and reading a few forum posts here I eventually figured it out doing the RGB split at the calibration stage but you have confirmed I am on the right track.
It looks like a promising technique and I'll be testing it further.Â
Here is my first result showing the Lagoon & Trifid Nebulae with Saturn, combining Ha, R, G, B from the Mono ASI1600MM-Pro and the split R,G & B channels from the 183MB-Pro colour camera.  I didnt take any calibration frames as these were early test images from my twin-camera set up and I was mainly trying to see how my laptop performed with two instances of SGP, and how the two-camera alignment would work.
For my next test I will just take L and Ha with the mono camera and rely 100% on the OSC for the colour data. I'll take calibration frames as well and be more careful with exposure times for each camera / filter.
(and now that I have a 0.7x reducer for my 127mm refractor I plan to eventually try a 3 camera system by including my Canon 6D with it, in conjunction with the above combination.  Dithering wont be an option then unfortunately)
Thanks for your reply Mabula. After many hours of experimentation and reading a few forum posts here I eventually figured it out doing the RGB split at the calibration stage but you have confirmed I am on the right track.
It looks like a promising technique and I'll be testing it further.Â
Here is my first result showing the Lagoon & Trifid Nebulae with Saturn, combining Ha, R, G, B from the Mono ASI1600MM-Pro and the split R,G & B channels from the 183MB-Pro colour camera.  I didnt take any calibration frames as these were early test images from my twin-camera set up and I was mainly trying to see how my laptop performed with two instances of SGP, and how the two-camera alignment would work.
For my next test I will just take L and Ha with the mono camera and rely 100% on the OSC for the colour data. I'll take calibration frames as well and be more careful with exposure times for each camera / filter.
(and now that I have a 0.7x reducer for my 127mm refractor I plan to eventually try a 3 camera system by including my Canon 6D with it, in conjunction with the above combination.  Dithering wont be an option then unfortunately)
Here is my first result showing the Lagoon & Trifid Nebulae with Saturn, combining Ha, R, G, B from the Mono ASI1600MM-Pro and the split R,G & B channels from the 183MB-Pro colour camera. I didnt take any calibration frames as these were early test images from my twin-camera set up and I was mainly trying to see how my laptop performed with two instances of SGP, and how the two-camera alignment would work.
