Question:
How do Landsat 8 band combinations differ from Landsat 7 or Landsat 5 satellite data?
Answer:
Because Landsat 8 data includes additional bands, the combinations used to create RGB composites differ from Landsat 7 and
Landsat 5. For instance, bands 4, 3, 2 are used to create a color infrared (CIR) image using Landsat 7 or Landsat 5. To create a
CIR composite using Landsat 8 data, bands 5, 4, 3 are used.
The graph at the bottom of the page shows the wavelengths from both Landsat 7 (bottom row) and Landsat 8 (top row). Seeing
where the bands fall will help to create Landsat 8 RGB composites that will be comparable to Landsat 7 and 5.
Displayed below are some common band combinations in RGB comparisons for Landsat 7 or Landsat 5, and Landsat 8