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.
Same camera, same telescope.
1. A bunch of 2 min exposures
2. A bunch of 45 second exposures
3. A bunch of 10 second exposures.
I tried entering 3 different sessions. Each session with its own Lights/Flats/Bias but darks
common to all sessions.
Asked APP to integrate and it failed saying something about my stars BUT when I integrated each session
separately I had no problem.
So now I have three 'final' fits files from the 2min, 45sec, and 10 second sessions.
How best to combine these?
I know I could process them to TIFF files and use layers in Photoshop but I think APP can do this for me?
Clues appreciated as always.
Tried again, removed all the 10 sec subs and it worked with the 2 min and 45 sec. subs.
Robert
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Robert
A couple of comments.
You can load these as separate sessions and combine them in APP.
If you use the same scope and camera (and haven't changed anything) you don't need separate flats and bias for each session, but it does no harm if you do.
However, you must have darks that match the exposure time and temperature of your lights. These should be loaded with each session. If you use a cooled camera these can be created the next day (or in advance). If you have an uncooled camera you can also do them later if you can get the camera to about the same temperature. If you have a mismatch between the exposure time of your darks and the exposure time of the lights (in each session) APP will complain.
If you want to integrate the sessions together then in the Integrate tab under Multi session options select "Integrate per session and all". This will produce a combined integration but also give you the individual session results to play with. You can leave the integrate options at their default settings, or you might like to try changing the weights to "exposure". I would try it both ways and see what produces the better result.
Bear in mind that if you have really big differences in dynamic range (eg M42) you might be better off combining them the old fashioned way, using layers and masks.
JC
@connor231 Thank you sir. I will give you step by step a go. Happily I keep all my files for reasons just like this. I was shooting M45...not as dynamic range intensive as M42 but still demanding. Honestly it was not a great night of 'seeing' but you know sometimes we just have to try 🙂
It worked!
 As mentioned conditions were not great. Clear Outside said don't shoot but obviously I shot anyway. Turned out to be a great study in what APP can do stacking different exposures.
Glad to help, and your shot is a fair bit better than my first go at the Pleiades. It was about 5 years ago and I had no idea what I was doing.
JC
@connor231 JC you're very kind. In astrophotography knowledge I'm in kindergarten 🙂
But I know enough that my image of M45 is crap! But there is always the next time.
