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.
Suggestions for improvement:
In the left menu bar : after integration the created file x
Tab 7)
automatic creation by choice of x in RGB files
automatic creation by choice of x in Ha / Hß / Oiii / files
So practically an automatic workflow for the Hubble images...
Remove the buttons 1/3 2/4 in the middle and program the possibility to enter the value directly
Regards Ed
Hi Ed @tomsen,
Thank you very much for your suggestion.
Do I understand correctly that you propose an additional tab on the left for this?
In my experience, especially for narrowband data, there is no magic formula to create a nice satisfying composite, so automatic creation of such an image sounds wonderful but can't be done really., because the formula of the composite will always depend strongly on:
- quality of data per filter ( how much exposure? shot under good or bad sky conditions?)
- the object itself (on which wavelengths does it emit ? or not )
- the characteristics of the filters that you use
- the characteristics of your camera
- characteristics of your optics even play a role here... especially when the data was shot with several optical tubes.
We will try to add more formula though in the RGB Combine Tool, they always should be considered as starting points. Not as "The Formula". So customizing the formula is always adivsed because of numbers 1-5 above 😉
Mabula
Hi Mabula,
RGB Integration
1. Stack and integrate the color files as you normally would but do no post processing on it yet.
2. Clear the input files out of APP (or close and restart it) and load in the stacked integrated color file as a light file.
3. Click on the Calibrate tab (tab 2) and scroll to near the bottom and check the "Split Channels" and click on Save Calibrated Frames. This will then split your composite color image into 3 RGB images that have all been preprocessed. These are the three files you will combining with the NB files
Ha and OIII Integration
4. Now for the narrowband images. Clear everything out of APP and on Tab 0 (Raw/Fits), click on your correct debayer pattern (mine is RGGB).
5. For the algorithm, select Ha-OIII extract Ha.
6. Click on Load (tab 2) and enter your lights, etc. for your L-eNhance frames and appropriate calibration frames.
7. Click on Register (tab 4) and select Use Dynamic Distortion Correction.
8. Click on Integrate (tab 6) use the automatic parameters. Click on Integrate.
9. Once the integration is complete for the Ha file, clear the data once more, go to tab 0 and select the Ha-OIII extract OIII algorithm. Reload the same data, but now for the OIII signal. Click integrate in tab 6 and this will integrate your OIII data.
10. When the OIII is complete you now have 5 files: R, G, B, Ha, and OIII. Now the files must be registered and normalized together so that you can combine them.
R, G, B, Ha, OIII Registration/Normalization
11. Restart APP and in the Load tab (tab 1) load in the R, G, B, Ha, and OIII files.
