[multiweb (Marc)]

Originally Posted by SkyViking

When adding the stars back in, try adding them as a separate layer on top of the nebula and setting the star layer's blend mode to 'Lighten'. That way only the portion of the layer that is lighter than the underlying layer is added in. Before doing that you can try sharpening the stars, and/or adjusting levels & curves for them if you think they don't quite fit the appearance of the stretched nebula.

Great thread by the way Marc! Thanks for sharing

You beat me to it.
What he said.

Thanks.