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.
[Solved] Warning message when loading Flats and DarkFlats along with Lights
I always get the attached warning message when loading Lights along with Flats and DarkFlats. I am using ASIAIR and the DarkFlats have the same exposure and gain as the Flats. The DarkFlats in ASIAIR were labelled as Darks (there is no separate DarkFlats categorisation there). As I am dithering and due to the good quality of my ASI 2600 MC Pro, I did not make any separate Darks or Bias frames.
When continuing ignoring the APP warning, the integrated image finally shows some severe overvignetting.
As an alternative, I loaded the DarkFlats in the Bias section. Then no warning message shows up any longer, but I am not really sure, if the Flats are then corrected by the DarkFlats accordingly.
Could you please let me know how I would have to load the DarkFlats?
Since version 1083 I always get an error with the FLATs. At 1082 everything ran smoothly (same files).
CRITICAL WARNING: flat-field calibration can not be performed correctly!
To be able to perform accurate flat-field calibration, the provided flats need to be calibrated by either
- a MasterBias, of the same ISO/gain value as the flat frame, or - a MasterDarkFlat of the same ISO/gain value and the same exposure time as the flat frame, or - both
I always get the attached warning message when loading Lights along with Flats and DarkFlats. I am using ASIAIR and the DarkFlats have the same exposure and gain as the Flats. The DarkFlats in ASIAIR were labelled as Darks (there is no separate DarkFlats categorisation there). As I am dithering and due to the good quality of my ASI 2600 MC Pro, I did not make any separate Darks or Bias frames.
When continuing ignoring the APP warning, the integrated image finally shows some severe overvignetting.
As an alternative, I loaded the DarkFlats in the Bias section. Then no warning message shows up any longer, but I am not really sure, if the Flats are then corrected by the DarkFlats accordingly.
Could you please let me know how I would have to load the DarkFlats?
Thanks a lot,
Roman
Dear Roman,
To be able to apply flats correctly, you also need to calibrate your lights with either bias or darks. If you don't flat-field correction can never work because the sensor pedestal is not removed from the lights.
So the issue is not your flats or your flatdarks. The issue is that you have an incomplete workflow with your lights. You really need to calibrate them.
If you load your flatdarks as bias as well, then yes, it works because then the lights are subtracted with those flatdarks and then the sensor pedestal is removed from the lights as required. But of course it is much better to use bias or darks depending on the sensor characteristics that you are dealing with.
Since version 1083 I always get an error with the FLATs. At 1082 everything ran smoothly (same files).
CRITICAL WARNING: flat-field calibration can not be performed correctly!
To be able to perform accurate flat-field calibration, the provided flats need to be calibrated by either
- a MasterBias, of the same ISO/gain value as the flat frame, or - a MasterDarkFlat of the same ISO/gain value and the same exposure time as the flat frame, or - both
Dear Enrico,
You are not receiving an error, but an important warning.
What are you loading? Lights, flats, darks, bias, flatdarks ? Are you making sure that both the lights and the flats are correctly calibrated?
@mabula-admin I must apologize. I forgot to load the MasterBIAS. Now it's working. This is what happens when you haven't worked with APP for a few months 😉
@mabula-admin I must apologize. I forgot to load the MasterBIAS. Now it's working. This is what happens when you haven't worked with APP for a few months 😉
Okay Enrico, no problem, glad it is solved and all okay now 😉
