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.
It would be awesome to have something like this in APP, for us OSC imagers. 🙂
@jeffreyhorne Hi Jeffrey. Have you ever noticed the "align channels" checkbox at the bottom of tab 2?
@wvreeven I love APP more and more each day. Thank you so much!
It's indeed not very obvious, but using that option and saving the subs separately might fix this indeed.
APP has this for a long time. Align channels checkbox in Tab 2.
It also debayers your files, so once you save them you will have debayered, rgb aligned and calibrated fits files to stack.
Note: Once those saved files are loaded to app you don't need to check the cfa debayers option as it is already done. This works a treat for stars that are low in the horizon.
@jeffreyhorne Hi Jeffrey. Have you ever noticed the "align channels" checkbox at the bottom of tab 2?
Oops, didnt see the responses already😬
@cwm2col @wvreeven @vincent-mod so in order for this to work, do I need to check that box and re-save the lights, then start a new process and stack the new frames?
Thanks for all of your help!
Jeff
@cwm2col @wvreeven @vincent-mod also, since that check box is located in the Calibration tab, does that mean when I re-load the newly Aligned frames, I don't need to re-load calibration frames?
Yep. Once you tick Align channels and you have your calibration frames loaded, saving (calibrated) light frames box will give you a set of calibrated and rgb-aligned lights that will also be debayered.
Then you clear out the file listing and load those saved files as the new lights, without any calibration frames/masters, ignore the force bayers/CFA in tab 0 and just proceed form there
I forgot to add - this option not only helps with rgb colors on some stars etc., but it is useful in other ways.
I do this to calibrate, color align and debayer a session from one night. And I do this for another session, with its own calibration files. Then, when I have enough data, I just need to load all the aligned, calibrated and debayered lights without having to worry about loading flats/darks etc for each session (although app does that very well too).
I then get all the benefit of the rejection statistics for lots of frames by processing all the lights in a single integration.
@cwm2col this is all SO very helpful. Thank you so much!
So, I have ~100 frames. I'll load all of my lights and calibration frames, select "Align Channels" and then "Save Calibrated Light Frames".
Then start a new process of APP, load only the newly calibrated/aligned light frames, and proceed to star analysis, registration, normalization, integration, etc. Sound right?
Thanks again!
Jeff
Yes, that is what I do and works perfectly. I force the bayer pattern option in Tab 0 on the first go, then ignore it on the second go since the files will be debayered then.
@cwm2col Thanks very much for sharing your extensive knowledge here, Colm!
Happy to help, although there is a sticky on the channel alignment somewhere in the forum, that is where I learned what to do.
@cwm2col Thank you so much. So very helpful! 🙂
Jeff
For anyone that might be looking for the sticky post about this:
https://www.astropixelprocessor.com/community/main-forum/colored-centering-of-the-stars/
