Combing RGB and narrow band

[1jimalexander]

I capture using a CCD mono with filters. I process with DSS and Photoshop. I’m looking for the best way to add visible and narrow band to the same picture. Does it make sense, for instance, to stack Red and Ha together. Seems like doing that would limit stretching each independently. Layers? Alpha channels? Thanks.

[KathyNS]

I would definitely not stack Ha and red together.

I would stack each independently. Process each group according to its needs, and then combine them. There are numerous ways of allocating the narrowband to colour channels, and that is mostly an artistic decision.

[yobbo89]

It is possible to combine other data for a lum channel, i would not be doing it in dss, pixinsight does good work with it using the sho-aip script.

[Stuart]

Welcome to the wild wild west of image processing.

[sdbodin]

I use Photoshop layers for combining the narrow band to broadband data. Generally a stack will look like this, base - RGB, then Luminosity at 60-100%, then narrow band color in lighten mode or screen mode 20-90% density, user taste here, then maybe a narrow band luminosity at 20-50% on top of all. So a stack could end up with rgb,lum, ha, oiii, ha lum, oiii lum. Six deep in all, but it depends on user taste, this is more art than scientific data. And then there are all those alternate color pallets, but I'm not into that.

Takes lots of practice to get what you really want.
Steve

[1jimalexander]

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I believe I'll try pasting into layers with PS and play with the blending and opacity.