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.
I'd like for the ability to save and load settings - I usually run through loading and changing a number of same masters, change the relevant settings in the drop-downs to pretty much the same things again and again. I think saving/loading settings will also allow for a user to be able to better tune their pictures - by being able to load a good known setup and then tweak some settings and run through processing again.
As a short-term, there are quick wins in some drop downs to be better defaults. For example, the default Integration method is "Equal", and is openly described as "Dangerous method", whereas there is a "Quality" option that is recommended. Why isn't "Quality" the default then?
Along the same lines, I'd love to set "Force CFA" & select my camera's bayer pattern *once* and forget about it.
Same here. I have some special settings that works best with my data and permits me the best post-processing and sometimes I forget them to apply. So it would be nice to save my settings.
I don't know the roadmap as of yet, but sounds like a reasonable thing to have indeed.
I'd like for the ability to save and load settings - I usually run through loading and changing a number of same masters, change the relevant settings in the drop-downs to pretty much the same things again and again. I think saving/loading settings will also allow for a user to be able to better tune their pictures - by being able to load a good known setup and then tweak some settings and run through processing again.
Hi @itarchitectkev @cheetah and @csmisi ,
The ability to save/load the settings is on my ToDo list, so it will definitely come. I will try to have this implemented before the end of the year, but I can't make guarantees, I have some other more pressing features to implement first (support for Raw formats of Sony, Adobe, Fuji, Pentax and comet registration for instance).
As a short-term, there are quick wins in some drop downs to be better defaults. For example, the default Integration method is "Equal", and is openly described as "Dangerous method", whereas there is a "Quality" option that is recommended. Why isn't "Quality" the default then?
Equal is not dangerous in my opinion. It's also not the best either. I do agree with you. I will set the quality weights as defaults for now since this works best or nearly best on almost all datasets.
Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Mabula
Excellent. Looking forward to it.
I do think there is a consensus that having an ability to load/save settings and/or load save projects would be absolutely awesome. I save Master files to my processed image area - kind of using the directory structure as the "project", but I'd love to be able to load up my project of a target from 3 nights ago, and carry on adding to it (note that this extends this request but merges to some degree with other asks).
Keep up the good work. These are just suggestions to an otherwise great and growing piece of software.
Thank you very much. Looking forward to it. And I can understand that comet stacking is more important. it is more important for me as well 🙂
Just pulling up again this request... but any chance we might be able to save/load projects?
As I start collecting data of the same target in different sessions I would love to:
1. Start processing with session #1 and get the result
2. Open again session #1 with all lights, MB, MF, MD... and add data for session #2
A) This would be a huge time saver as well as some great improvement to better handle calibration data...?
B) Alternatively it may already help to write the settings to an INI file in the processing folder to load the settings when it is selected (again) as processing folder.
Any Chance this still may become a future improvement?
Best, Frank
Frank,
It's easier to save an unstretched final version of each session, and then combine those into a new image. The 'mosaic' function provides a really good result this way.
It's quite easy and saves a LOT of hard drive space, not to mention processing time. All those original lights and cal files can go. For me, this is really helpful since I'm on a laptop that I can't upgrade.
It's easier to save an unstretched final version of each session, and then combine those into a new image. The 'mosaic' function provides a really good result this way.
Thank's, I need to test this out!
I once read a post of the benefits of using "save normalized" from Mabula which I had in mind for a similar reason: to use those files later without having the need to reprocess them... But back then I understood those files need to be analyzed anyway to get the "quality" being able to sort good vs. bad lights. So I considered this not being a valid option.
Coming back to what you do with the mosaic function... you only stack "new" sessions and keep the stacked result without ANY adjustments such as background/star calibration and stretching? Once you have multiple such files you just load each stacking result as light WITHOUT any calibration data (as each stack is already calibrated and normalized) and use the mosaic function?
I agree this will save hours and lots of Bytes during processing - my last integration of Bodes (7 sessions) took ~600 GByte disk space :-/
The upcoming version will have the ability to skip steps if you already did them. 1.085 will focus on saving settings etc.
Personally, I do light pollution and CSC, then save the unstretched version.
Not sure how others do it, but I have assumed that those tools would work best on each session, since the conditions vary from night to night. But I have not experimented to see if there is any difference. Has anybody done this both ways and then compared?
Hi. Sorry to be so direct but is there any danger of this app not forcing me to change every single setting every single time I use it?
On what planet does anyone think this is ok?
How can it not have a save settings??? So basic! The thing that really gripes is you’ve been saying it’s in work for about 3 years or more now.
And will the interface ever not look like an app from the 90’s?
@ginger There is nothing wrong with being direct but please tone down and don't be blunt. As Vincent stated above, version 1.085 will focus on saving settings.
@cheetah I am not sure if I understand your question but it doesn't seem to be related to the ability to save and load settings. If this indeed is true then please open a new thread and ask your question there.
I am slightly annoyed that this professional and expensive software still does not offer the option to save and load settings!
Are there any tricks, for example, manually managing an ini file?
Hi @andreask-l,
The save/load project & settings is the highest on our ToDo list now together with the 2.0 release and a full manuel. This is all forth coming now.
Mabula
Hi Mabula @mabula-admin
Is this still planned for the 2.0.0 release?
I sincerely hope 👍
Best regards.
Michael