New in Version 1.9
Version 1.9 was released August 20, 2020. It is a free upgrade via the Apple App Store for all existing users.
Summary
RAW files are now supported for a wide range of cameras.
A novel processing technique for dark frames has been added that results in very good correction of hot pixels and sensor glow with a small number of dark frames.
The workflow part of the user interface has been updated.
Lots of small improvements the the user interface.
A problem with crashing when run on certain combinations of operating system and graphics hardware has been improved.
Other bug fixes and improvement.
Starry Landscape Stacker now requires macOS 10.11 or newer. (Was 10.10 or newer).
Details
Master dark frames are now created with a novel technique that allows them to capture hot pixels and sensor glow using a small number of dark frames. Depending on the camera, as few as 5 dark frames may be enough. I have found that there is no point in using more than 10 for my Canon 5DIV. For most cameras under most conditions 10 frames should be good. This is much less than 5x the number of light frames, which is the minimum for traditional dark frame subtraction. Information on preparing master dark frames can be found here.
It is now possible to export master dark frames. When all the files you open are dark frames a master dark will be generated and saved.
RAW files are supported for a wide range of cameras. Some RAW conversion options can be set in the preferences window. The defaults should be good for most users. The RAW controls are described here. The full list of supported cameras can be found here.
Updated UI allowing new workflow options. It is now possible to go back and change the files to be composited after composting.
When painting and erasing both red dots and masks, shift-click draws/erases a straight line from where the last line segment ends to the current point.
Tool tips have been added to many controls in the UI—especially descriptions of the composition algorithms.
The image classification table now supports multiple selection with cmd-click (add the current item to the selection), shift-click (add the current item and anything between it and the first selection to the current selection) and cmd-A (select all).
The window title now includes the name of first file read and count of files.
The tests that the input image files meet requirements have been improved. The messages that report problems have been improved with information that should speed up the process of finding and correctly the problems.
The range of color profiles supported for input has been expanded. When images are read, they are converted to the working profile specified in the preferences. Currently the only supported working profiles are ProPhoto RGB (the defaults) and Adobe RGB. All files written by SLS use the working profile.
When selecting files in the open panel, cmd-A (select all) works again. (Long ago it worked, then it stopped working for several releases).
Alignment is slightly more tolerant of camera motion and rotation of the sky as might be noticed with a longer time between the first and last image being captured.
Added support for cmd-9 (fit) and cmd-0 (actual pixels) to control zooming.
Switched to a different way of estimating free space available for temporary files. It should work better with Mac OS 10.14 and later. (Temporary files are only used if there is not enough memory to process all the images in memory).
Fixed an issue with alignment that might be occasionally encountered when using long lenses.
Improved image classification. It is now less likely that a light frame will be classified as a dark frame just because it is slightly darker than the other light frames.
If the user cancels from first open panel a popup will be presented asking if the user really wants to quit.
If the user excludes too many images a popup is presented notifying the user that at least two images must be included in the composition.
More of the long running steps can be interrupted.