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 am either doing something wrong or trying something that does not work in APP.
I am imaging the Rosette Nebula with two sets of captures, all with the same scope, camera (ASI294MCP), exposure, gain, bin, offset, temp.
For one set of lights captured with an Optolong L-Pro, I spit the channels into R, G, and B in the Calibrate tab and integrate each separately.
I integrate a separate set of lights captured with a 7mm Ha filter.
When those 4 integrated channels are loaded in the Combine RGB tool, it gives the error message that the frames are not the same size.
The size of all raw light frames is 4144x2822.
The size of the split channel RGB frames is 4136x2814 and their separate integrations size is 4131x2819.
The size of the integrated Ha frames is 4143x2843. I have tried different algorithms in Tab 0 for the Ha frames but get the same result.
(If I integrate the OSC frames without splitting out the channels the size of the integrated result is 4138x2827.)
Is there anything I can try to be able to get my Ha channel to line up with the RGB channels in the Combine RGB Tool for it to work?
Thanks,
Jeff
@jhart You can load the R, G, B and Ha integration results as lights in tab 1 (do not load any calibration files) and then go to tab 4 and click the Register button. When done, click the Save Registered Frames button at the bottom of tab 4. Those you can load into the Combine RGB tool.
Hi Wouter,
Thanks for the reply. I will follow that and save the Registered files at Tab 4 and try again.
Is the following procedure basically correct for preparing the 4 channels for the Combine RGB Tool?:
Tab 0
RGGB
Airy Disc
Tab 1
Untick Auto-detect Masters & Integration (other boxes unticked too)
Load the 4 integrated (and calibrated) R, G, B, and Ha files as lights
Don’t load calibration files
Tab 2 Don’t need calibration because all files are already calibrated
Tabs 3 and 4 as usual
Tab 5
At the bottom of the Normalize panel under save normalized frames:
Click to apply registration to frames
Set Save Directory to know where they will be.
Click save normalized frames button.
These will be the 4 channels to load in the Combine RGB Tool.
Tab 6 Optional
Can do an integration of all 4 channels if desired to create a synthetic luminance
Set the parameters as usual
Set Save Directory to know where integrated file will be
Can click to integrate
Creates a single integrated file that can be used as a luminance.
Thanks again,
Jeff
@jhart In general you can leave all at their default values. APP will sort it out by itself.
Thanks Wouter,
I think the process I was following did not get the registration done properly. To do that correctly I understand that I should stop after Tab 4 and take those four registered channels to the Combine RGB Tool as follows:
Tab 1
Untick Auto-detect Masters & Integration (other boxes unticked too)
Load the 4 integrated (and calibrated) R, G, B, and Ha files as lights
Don’t load calibration files
Tab 2 Don’t need calibration because all files are already calibrated
Tab 3
Tab 4
At the bottom of the Register panel under save registered frames:
Set Save Directory to know where they will be
Click save registered frames button.
These are the 4 channels to load in the Combine RGB Tool.
I followed this and the Combine RGB Tool worked great.
Thanks again,
Jeff
@jhart Glad you figured it out. Once again, though, you don't need to untick any boxes in tab 1.
Hi,
Another question about preparing the integrated channels for the Combine RGB tool. Should they be normalized after being registered, or just registered for loading in the RGB tool?
Thanks.
