Top Smart Object features every Photoshop user should know.

5 Cool Photoshop Smart Object Tips

5 Cool Photoshop Smart Object Tips

I will give you 5 of my favorite tips for Photoshop Smart Object layers. This unique and powerful feature allows us to apply any filter non-destructively in Photoshop and that’s common association of Photoshop users with this special kind of layers. Fortunately Smart Object layers are much more of containers which allows us to apply filters to image or video clip non-destructively, this feature allows us to place almost any kind of files in open document, to scale freely our images without penalty, to convert bunch of layers to single Smart Object, to create cloned Smart Objects so updating content on one of layers will update all other cloned and to use snapshots (multiple versions) created in Camera Raw.

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Preferences associated with Smart Object layers

Lets start with Preferences which can be found from Edit > Preferences. In General tab you have 2 options which can be very important for you. First option is Resize Image During Place which gives instruction to Photoshop to automatically scale image when you are placing it to match document size. This in particular means that image or file you are placing will never exceed document bounds, it will be always scaled to fit into dimensions of document you are placing in. Second option is Place or Drag Raster Images as Smart Objects. This option is only for raster images and does not affects vector based files and video clips.

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Resolution of the Image and Smart Objects

One of common uses of Smart Objects is to place images into open document. When you are placing images what you see are handles which allows you to scale image before confirming placement. There are one thing that will happen in background and you may not be aware of that: resolution of placed image should match resolution of document. If resolution of image you are placing does not much document resolution then placed image will be scaled and sometimes you may wonder why placed image is so small or so big and blurry.

The good news is that’s how things work with different resolutions but in fact you won't loose anything, original image will be there as it is without any scaling or distortions.Let me give you one example: you have 2 images from which one is 1200x900px with resolution 300 and the other is 400x300px with resolution 72 but you didn't check resolution of images before you start working on project. Your task is to place smaller image into open bigger image to make your composition. What will happen when you place image is that you will see some blurriness and in options bar scaling percentage something like 70%?

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Resolution of the Image and Smart Objects

What this mean? Placed image is scaled up and looks terrible! You know that image is small and does not look blurry! With default settings in Preferences dialog placed image will match document size (Resize Image During Place) and will look just terrible! This is extreme suitable to explain you, it won't happen all the time in real life Photoshop.You can resize placed image and to try to match original or real pixel dimensions without help in options bar but there is better way to deal with this problem. So how to fix that and to have smaller image placed in its 100%?

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Resolution of the Image and Smart Objects

One way is to cancel then to change resolution of image you want to place to match open document resolution and the other is my tip. My tip is: when you come into situation like described above just confirm and place image. Check resolution of document you are working on then double click Smart Object layer with placed image. When new tab opens go to Image > Image Size, uncheck Resample Image option and change resolution to match resolution of document in which image is placed.

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Duplicating Smart Objects without cloning them

Smart Objects can be cloned don't you know? That’s somehow default behavior when duplicating Smart Object layers. If you use Duplicate Layer command or most common Ctrl/Cmd + J keyboard shortcut you will clone Smart Object with means that any change of content on any of cloned layers will reflect on all duplicates or clones. To avoid cloning use New Smart Object via Copy command which can be found in right/Cmd + click menu but also in Layer > Smart Objects > New Smart Object via Copy.

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Converting layers to smart objects

Another great option associated with Smart Object layers is that you can convert multiple layers to one single Smart Object layer which will keep original content intact regardless of what you will do and how many times you will affect content inside Smart Object. Select multiple layers in Layers panel then right/Cmd + click and choose: Convert to Smart Object or go to Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object. To see your original layers intact as they were before converting them just double click Smart Object thumbnail in Layers panel.

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Camera Raw snapshots and Smart Objects

Here we are: closing and probably favorite of all time tip for Smart Objects: use snapshot feature from Camera Raw. As you didn’t pay attention Camera Raw allows you to create snapshots or multiple versions of the same photo which will be saved along with file or for this tip more important: inside Smart Object layer in Photoshop. To use some other version of photo just double click Camera Raw Smart Object layer. When Camera Raw window opens switch to snapshots tab, click on version or snapshot name and confirm on Ok to return in Photoshop with new version of photo.

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