diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 4292cb35..efb7090a 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 started 8.6.0 16/8/17
 - add scRGB support
 - improve radiance support
+- add composite to alpha menu
 
 started 8.5.1 22/1/17
 - fix a crash bug
diff --git a/share/nip2/start/Filter.def b/share/nip2/start/Filter.def
index daf8c0b3..a8ac20c0 100644
--- a/share/nip2/start/Filter.def
+++ b/share/nip2/start/Filter.def
@@ -1,164 +1,3 @@
-Blend_type = class {
-	CLEAR = 0;
-	SOURCE = 1;
-	OVER = 2;
-	IN = 3;
-	OUT = 4;
-	ATOP = 5;
-	DEST = 6;
-	DEST_OVER = 7;
-	DEST_IN = 8;
-	DEST_OUT = 9;
-	DEST_ATOP = 10;
-	XOR = 11;
-	ADD = 12;
-	SATURATE = 13;
-	MULTIPLY = 14;
-	SCREEN = 15;
-	OVERLAY = 16;
-	DARKEN = 17;
-	LIGHTEN = 18;
-	COLOUR_DODGE = 19;
-	COLOUR_BURN = 20;
-	HARD_LIGHT = 21;
-	SOFT_LIGHT = 22;
-	DIFFERENCE = 23;
-	EXCLUSION = 24;
-
-	/* Table to map blend numbers to descriptive strings
-	 */
-	descriptions = [
-		_ "Clear",
-		_ "Source",
-		_ "Over",
-		_ "In",
-		_ "Out",
-		_ "Atop",
-		_ "Dest",
-		_ "Dest over",
-		_ "Dest in",
-		_ "Dest out",
-		_ "Dest atop",
-		_ "Xor",
-		_ "Add",
-		_ "Saturate",
-		_ "Multiply",
-		_ "Screen",
-		_ "Overlay",
-		_ "Darken",
-		_ "Lighten",
-		_ "Colour dodge",
-		_ "Colour burn",
-		_ "Hard light",
-		_ "Soft light",
-		_ "Difference",
-		_ "Exclusion"
-	];
-
-	/* And to vips enum nicknames.
-	 */
-	types = Enum [
-		$clear => "clear",
-		$source => "source",
-		$over => "over",
-		$in => "in",
-		$out => "out",
-		$atop => "atop",
-		$dest => "dest",
-		$dest_over => "dest_over",
-		$dest_in => "dest_in",
-		$dest_out => "dest_out",
-		$dest_atop => "dest_atop",
-		$xor => "xor",
-		$add => "add",
-		$saturate => "saturate",
-		$multiply => "multiply",
-		$screen => "screen",
-		$overlay => "overlay",
-		$darken => "darken",
-		$lighten => "lighten",
-		$colour_dodge => "colour_dodge",
-		$colour_burn => "colour_burn",
-		$hard_light => "hard_light",
-		$soft_light => "soft_light",
-		$difference => "difference",
-		$exclusion => "exclusion"
-	];
-}
-
-Blend type = class {
-	value = Blend_type.types?type;
-}
-
-Blend_over = Blend Blend_type.OVER;
-
-Blend_picker default = class 
-	Blend blend.value {
-	_vislevel = 2;
-
-	blend = Option "Blend" Blend_type.descriptions default;
-}
-
-Composite2_item = class 
-	Menuaction "_Composite two" "composite a pair of images" {
-	action x y = class 
-		_result {
-		_vislevel = 3;
-
-		blend = Option_enum (_ "Blend mode") modes "over"
-		{
-			modes = Blend_type.types;
-		}
-		compositing_space = Option_enum (_ "Compositing space") spaces "sRGB"
-		{
-			spaces = Image_type.image_colour_spaces;
-		}
-		premultiplied = Toggle (_ "Premultiplied") false;
-
-		_result 
-			= Image output
-		{
-			[output] = vips_call "composite" 
-				[[y.value, x.value], blend.value] 
-				[$compositing_space => compositing_space.value_thing,
-				 $premultiplied => premultiplied.value
-				];
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-Composite3_item = class 
-	Menuaction "_Composite three" "composite three images" {
-	action x y z = class 
-		_result {
-		_vislevel = 3;
-
-		blend1 = Option_enum (_ "Blend mode") modes "over"
-		{
-			modes = Blend_type.types;
-		}
-		blend2 = Option_enum (_ "Blend mode") modes "over"
-		{
-			modes = Blend_type.types;
-		}
-		compositing_space = Option_enum (_ "Compositing space") spaces "sRGB"
-		{
-			spaces = Image_type.image_colour_spaces;
-		}
-		premultiplied = Toggle (_ "Premultiplied") false;
-
-		_result 
-			= Image output
-		{
-			[output] = vips_call "composite" 
-				[[z.value, y.value, x.value], [blend1.value, blend2.value]] 
-				[$compositing_space => compositing_space.value_thing,
-				 $premultiplied => premultiplied.value
-				];
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 Filter_conv_item = class
 	Menupullright "_Convolution" "various spatial convolution filters" {
 	/* Some useful masks.
diff --git a/share/nip2/start/Image.def b/share/nip2/start/Image.def
index 59cec551..a010d989 100644
--- a/share/nip2/start/Image.def
+++ b/share/nip2/start/Image.def
@@ -1177,8 +1177,65 @@ Image_alpha_item = class
 
     sep2 = Menuseparator;
 
-	Blend_alpha_item = Filter_blend_item.Blend_alpha_item;
+	Composite2_item = class 
+		Menuaction "_Composite two" "composite a pair of images" {
+		action x y = class 
+			_result {
+			_vislevel = 3;
+
+			blend = Option_enum (_ "Blend mode") modes "over"
+			{
+				modes = Blend_type.types;
+			}
+			compositing_space = Option_enum (_ "Compositing space") spaces "sRGB"
+			{
+				spaces = Image_type.image_colour_spaces;
+			}
+			premultiplied = Toggle (_ "Premultiplied") false;
 
+			_result 
+				= Image output
+			{
+				[output] = vips_call "composite" 
+					[[y.value, x.value], blend.value] 
+					[$compositing_space => compositing_space.value_thing,
+					 $premultiplied => premultiplied.value
+					];
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	Composite3_item = class 
+		Menuaction "_Composite three" "composite three images" {
+		action x y z = class 
+			_result {
+			_vislevel = 3;
+
+			blend1 = Option_enum (_ "Blend mode") modes "over"
+			{
+				modes = Blend_type.types;
+			}
+			blend2 = Option_enum (_ "Blend mode") modes "over"
+			{
+				modes = Blend_type.types;
+			}
+			compositing_space = Option_enum (_ "Compositing space") spaces "sRGB"
+			{
+				spaces = Image_type.image_colour_spaces;
+			}
+			premultiplied = Toggle (_ "Premultiplied") false;
+
+			_result 
+				= Image output
+			{
+				[output] = vips_call "composite" 
+					[[z.value, y.value, x.value], [blend1.value, blend2.value]] 
+					[$compositing_space => compositing_space.value_thing,
+					 $premultiplied => premultiplied.value
+					];
+			}
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 Image_crop_item = class 
diff --git a/share/nip2/start/_types.def b/share/nip2/start/_types.def
index a37575a2..7f589551 100644
--- a/share/nip2/start/_types.def
+++ b/share/nip2/start/_types.def
@@ -1287,3 +1287,105 @@ NULL = class
 			op.op_name == "not_equal"]
 	] ++ super.oo_binary_table op x;
 }
+
+Blend_type = class {
+	CLEAR = 0;
+	SOURCE = 1;
+	OVER = 2;
+	IN = 3;
+	OUT = 4;
+	ATOP = 5;
+	DEST = 6;
+	DEST_OVER = 7;
+	DEST_IN = 8;
+	DEST_OUT = 9;
+	DEST_ATOP = 10;
+	XOR = 11;
+	ADD = 12;
+	SATURATE = 13;
+	MULTIPLY = 14;
+	SCREEN = 15;
+	OVERLAY = 16;
+	DARKEN = 17;
+	LIGHTEN = 18;
+	COLOUR_DODGE = 19;
+	COLOUR_BURN = 20;
+	HARD_LIGHT = 21;
+	SOFT_LIGHT = 22;
+	DIFFERENCE = 23;
+	EXCLUSION = 24;
+
+	/* Table to map blend numbers to descriptive strings
+	 */
+	descriptions = [
+		_ "Clear",
+		_ "Source",
+		_ "Over",
+		_ "In",
+		_ "Out",
+		_ "Atop",
+		_ "Dest",
+		_ "Dest over",
+		_ "Dest in",
+		_ "Dest out",
+		_ "Dest atop",
+		_ "Xor",
+		_ "Add",
+		_ "Saturate",
+		_ "Multiply",
+		_ "Screen",
+		_ "Overlay",
+		_ "Darken",
+		_ "Lighten",
+		_ "Colour dodge",
+		_ "Colour burn",
+		_ "Hard light",
+		_ "Soft light",
+		_ "Difference",
+		_ "Exclusion"
+	];
+
+	/* And to vips enum nicknames.
+	 */
+	types = Enum [
+		$clear => "clear",
+		$source => "source",
+		$over => "over",
+		$in => "in",
+		$out => "out",
+		$atop => "atop",
+		$dest => "dest",
+		$dest_over => "dest_over",
+		$dest_in => "dest_in",
+		$dest_out => "dest_out",
+		$dest_atop => "dest_atop",
+		$xor => "xor",
+		$add => "add",
+		$saturate => "saturate",
+		$multiply => "multiply",
+		$screen => "screen",
+		$overlay => "overlay",
+		$darken => "darken",
+		$lighten => "lighten",
+		$colour_dodge => "colour_dodge",
+		$colour_burn => "colour_burn",
+		$hard_light => "hard_light",
+		$soft_light => "soft_light",
+		$difference => "difference",
+		$exclusion => "exclusion"
+	];
+}
+
+Blend type = class {
+	value = Blend_type.types?type;
+}
+
+Blend_over = Blend Blend_type.OVER;
+
+Blend_picker default = class 
+	Blend blend.value {
+	_vislevel = 2;
+
+	blend = Option "Blend" Blend_type.descriptions default;
+}
+