Learning Smart Objects in Photoshop. Using smart objects in Photoshop

With the recent introduction of related Smart Objects (SO) in Photoshop (PS) have become much more powerful, more useful. We'll share with you 10 things you should know when working with SO in PS. Let's begin!

1. Create Smart Objects (SO). They can be created in several ways, generally the type of SO depends largely on how and where you develop them. For example, you can create Linked Smart Objects or Embedded Smart Objects. This can be done using the Layers panel, or by simply dragging and dropping elements on the canvas.

2. Saving raster images. Maintaining the quality of layers is a very important property of SO. Working with pixel image layers is very complex and requires care. Even simple things like rotating a layer with the Free Transform Tool can result in loss of quality. When you include a pixel layer in SO, PS saves an embedded or linked file that stores the information needed for the original image. Therefore, it cannot maintain the original image quality no matter how many times you resize the smart object layer. This is similar to working with vectors, but the difference is that SO scaling is larger than their original size. This will still result in loss of quality and pixelation.

3. Saved Free Transform Settings(Freely transformable settings). If you warp SO by applying a transform, the original transform will be available if you need to tweak it later.

4. Common source. If you copy SO in the normal way in a PS document, the same embedded source files will be used in both cases. This means that you can make copies of SO multiple times and keep everything updated with just one replacement of their original file.

5. Smart Objects Via Copy. If you need to duplicate Smart Objects and you want to make sure that the two examples are not related by the original file, you should use the Smart Objects Via Copy function, which can be used to separate the duplicate layer from the original SO. The only downside to this is the increase in file size.

6. Content replacement. Replacing content in SO is very easy. All you have to do is click on the layer button and edit the source. This is where the Free Transform tool for distorting and rotating SO comes in very handy.

7. Related Smart Objects. This PS feature allowed the use of external source files for smart objects. There are advantages to this and one of them is being able to use an image or vector file in multiple PS documents as related SOs. If you change the original object later, it will automatically update in all your PSD files. Another great benefit is that linked SOs will not increase the file size.

8. Convert text layers into smart objects. Text layers can be scaled, rotated, distorted without being rasterized, but they cannot be distorted without being destroyed by default. The best method to save layers for editing is to convert them to SO. This will help you mangle them wisely by providing access to editable text within the SO source. The same technique can be used for Illustrator Smart Objects.

9. Usage filters (Smart Filter). Another advantage for SO is that they convert filters into immutable Smart Filters. These editable effects can be combined and controlled individually. But there are filters that cannot be used as Smart Filters. One of them is Vanishing Point.

10. Smart Filter Mask. When you first start using Smart Filters, you will notice an additional white rectangle below the layer thumbnail in the Layers palette - this is the Smart Filter Mask. It is used to mask the effects of filters applied to a specific layer.

So, SO are the powerful tools of Photoshop. They are used not only to speed up work, but also to preserve the quality of pictures, and will also help reduce file size. We hope these tips will make your work more productive.

Final result

Smart Objects are one of Photoshop's most powerful features. In this tutorial, you'll prepare a mockup of multiple computer screens and then add layers of smart objects to them. Once everything is set up, you can change the pictures on all screens by updating only the original layer. Each smart object can consist of many layers. This makes it easy and quick to change your presentation.

1. Preparing the layout

Step 1

I'll start with three different screens. You can find individual photos of each on PhotoDune or GraphicRiver, and you can use any number of devices in your composition. The file for this tutorial is divided into layers for the devices themselves, their shadows and highlights.

Translator's note : As a free alternative, you can use the layout from 365psd.com.

Step 2

Prepare a separate layer for each screen. Select a tool Rectangle(Rectangle Tool) and draw a rectangle the same size as the screen itself. Alternatively, you can use the tool Rectangular area(Rectangular Marquee Tool) and fill the selection with pixels. It doesn’t matter which method you choose, the main thing is that the rectangle is on a separate layer.

Draw a rectangle the same size as the screen. Fill it with any image and place it on a separate layer.

I prefer to use shape layers as they are easier to edit with the tool Free transformation(Free Transform). You can activate it by clicking Ctrl+T.

Step 3

Make the same layer for each screen. You can fill out the forms with any color. We will use these shapes as masks for smart objects. You should now have a result something like this:

Step 4

Now it would be nice to organize our layout. Renaming and organizing layers will save a lot of time in the future. In the screenshot below, I have marked the layers with different colors for each device. To change the layer color, right-click on the eye icon and select the desired color.

You can also create layer groups for each product. Select all layers belonging to one device and from the drop-down menu in the layers panel select A new groupfrom layers(New Group from Layers). Setting the group color is very easy. Right-click on the group and select the desired color.

2. Setting up smart objects

Step 1

This tutorial uses a screenshot from the Tuts+ website. Drag it into the document with our layout. Place a new layer above the layer with the shape for the computer screen (translator's note - in the screenshot it is called “Desktop Screen”). There are three ways to convert it to a smart object:

1. Go to menu Layers> Smart object> Convert to Smart Object(Layers > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object).
2. Click on the drop-down menu in the layers panel and select Convert to Smart Object(Convert to Smart Object).
3. Right click on the layer and select Convert to Smart Object(Convert to Smart Object).

Step 2

Now you can resize the smart object to fit your device screen size. Click Ctrl+T and use dots around the edges of the image. When working with smart objects, you may notice a small hint: the points for a smart object are filled with black, but when editing a regular image they are empty. Don't touch the bottom of the screenshot for now. Change the layer name if you like.

Step 3

Duplicate the smart object by dragging it onto the special new layer icon at the bottom of the layers panel.

Step 4

Drag a copy of the smart object to place it above your laptop screen. As in the previous step, use Free transformation(Free Transform) to resize the screenshot. Here too, don't touch the bottom of the photo.

Step 5

Make another copy and place it above your tablet screen. Resize it again. Don't worry about excess smart object length.

Step 6

Now that all the layers are in place, you can remove the excess. This will hide the protruding parts of the images, but will not crop the screenshot itself. First select the smart object layer, then click on the drop-down menu and select Create Clipping Mask(Create Clipping Mask). You can use a keyboard shortcut Alt + Ctrl + G.

There is also an alternative way. Click between two layers while holding down the key Alt. If you see that the cursor has changed appearance, you are at the right point.

Hold down Alt/Option and click between layers to create a clipping mask. You will see the cursor change to a double circle icon.

Once the clipping mask is created, the screenshot will fill the proportions of the screen. You'll also notice that the layer thumbnail is offset slightly to the right, and there's a small arrow next to it. This indicates that the smart object is "clipped" by the layer underneath it. That's why we created special layers in the very beginning.

You should end up with a layout something like this:

3. Editing a smart object

Step 1

Now that the smart objects and their copies are in place, you can change the image on all three screens by updating the original layer. Double-click on the smart object thumbnail to edit it. You will see the following message. Once you get used to working with smart objects, you can check the box and turn it off.

The smart object opens as a separate, special file with the extension .psb:

Step 2

To edit the smart object, I'll simply take a new screenshot and place it above the existing one. There is no need to replace the original image because smart objects support layers.

Step 3

Close and save the .psb file. Now a new screenshot will appear on all three screens. There is no need to edit the other two smart layers, since they are a copy of the original.

You can add or edit an image as many times as you like. You can also store multiple screenshots in a Smart Layer to quickly present different photos in one Photoshop document.

conclusions

Mockups like these are a great way to present different designs. Because the smart layers are copies of the original, all three screens are updated at once. And with the ability to store multiple screenshots in one layer, you can organize everything in one neat PSD file.

The name itself is literally translated from English as “Smart Object”. Smart objects allow you to make reversible edits that do not change the main image.

To create a smart object, you need to click on the layer name in the palette Layers right mouse button and select Convert to Smart Object . After this, an icon appears in the lower right corner of the layer icon, indicating that this layer is a smart object.

What is the advantage of this type of layer over a regular layer? Try, for example, a regular layer: reduce it by 10 times, and then increase it by 10 times. In this case, the quality of the image will deteriorate greatly, because when reduced, most of the pixels and information about them will be discarded, and when increased, the program will fill in new pixels at its own discretion.

Of course, automatically filling pixels with intermediate colors is always worse than the original picture was before the transformation.

Now try the same operation with a smart object: click Ctrl+T, then in the properties panel of this command set the width and height to 10%, and click Enter. The image will be reduced by 10 times. Then press again Ctrl+T, set the width and height to 100% (you can click on the icon Maintain proportions between these parameters, and set the value 100% in only one of the parameters). The image will be the same size as it was without any reduction in image quality.

This is the advantage of a smart object over regular layers. For example, if you work with several images at once, when creating a collage, you will constantly have to transform the same fragment several times to fit the pictures to each other. If there are many such transformation operations, the image will quickly lose quality, and you will have to use the original again. If you make a smart object from the layer where the image is located, the image quality will remain unchanged in any case.

Smart objects are vector images. For example, you cannot use drawing tools or most correction commands directly on them. For such an effect, you need to either create a new layer, or make an adjustment layer, or add a layer mask to the smart object.

You can also rasterize the layer: or through the menu Layers - Rasterize - Smart Object , or by right-clicking on the layer on the palette Layers, and selecting the appropriate item. This turns the smart object into a regular layer.

You can also immediately open the image as a smart object through the menu File - Open as Smart Object .

To influence the pixels of a smart object image, you need to double-click on its icon. on the palette Layers. At the same time, a new tab of a new open document appears, with this image. On this image you can apply correction commands, or draw, as on a regular layer. Then, after saving, you can close this additional document, and the smart object will contain the new, saved content.

Smart objects can be copied. If you drag a smart object on the palette Layers on the create a new layer icon, you will have two linked smart objects. If you change the contents of one smart object, the contents of the second smart object will also change.

The second method of copying: right-click on the name of the smart object and select Create Smart Object by copying. With this method, smart objects will not be linked, and they can be edited independently of one another.

This Photoshop tutorial is dedicated to describing 10 properties of smart objects that can be very useful to you when working with this program.

Stock photos

1. Creating smart objects
Smart objects can be created in several different ways, and the type of smart object directly depends on exactly how and in what place you create it. For example, you can create a reference smart object or a linked smart object. A smart object can be created from the layers palette by calling the context menu, or it can be created simply by dragging an image onto your canvas.

2. Preview the quality of the rasterized image
Preserving the quality of your layers is one of the most important properties of smart objects. Working with layers containing a pixelated image in Photoshop can be very destructive. Even a simple operation of rotating the contents of a layer using Free Transform can lead to a partial loss of image quality. If you convert a pixel layer into a smart object, Photoshop creates a linked or, in other words, reference file in which it stores all the information about the original image. This ensures that the quality of the original image is maintained no matter how many times or how you modify the layer converted to a smart object. This is very similar to working with vectors, with the only difference being that scaling a smart object to a size larger than the original image results in pixilation and reduced quality.

3. Saving Free Transformation settings
One of the coolest things about Smart Objects is how they retain the Free Transform settings applied to them. For example, if you warp a smart object using Free Transform, the transform will be saved so that you can make adjustments to it if you need to later.

4. Common source
If you duplicate a smart object using the usual method used in Photoshop, then both copies will be associated with one common source. This means that by creating several duplicates, you can correct all of them at once by making changes to the source file.

5. Smart object via copying
If you need to duplicate a smart object, but you do not want the duplicate to be associated with the same original source, then you should use the Smart Object Via Copy feature. This allows you to separate the duplicate layer from the original smart object. The significant disadvantage of this method is that it significantly increases the file size.

6. Content replacement
Changing the contents of a smart object is very easy. All that is required for this is to double-click on the layer icon - a smart object, and make the necessary changes to the source file. You will be able to appreciate the convenience of this option when deforming your smart objects using Free Transform.

7. Linked Smart Objects
This option is available in Photoshop CC 14.2. It allows you to use external files as smart objects. This is very convenient, but the biggest advantage this option provides is that you can use image and vector files from various Photoshop documents as linked smart objects. If you subsequently modify the original object, it will automatically update all associated PSD files. Another advantage of this principle is that it does not increase the size of the current document.

8. Convert text layers to smart objects
Text layers can be scaled, rotated, and warped without rasterizing them, but in normal cases they cannot be warped non-destructively. The best way to keep text layers editable is to convert them to a Smart Object. This allows you to distort the text, while providing access to edit the source file. The same can be done with smart objects from Illustrator.

9. Applying smart filters
Another great property of smart objects is their ability to transform filters into non-destructive smart filters. These editable effects can be combined into a set and modified individually. There are only a few filters that cannot be converted to smart filters.

10. Smart filter mask
When you apply a Smart Filter, an additional white rectangle appears under the layer icon in the Layers palette. This is the smart filter mask. It can be used to mask the effect of a filter on that particular layer.

Conclusion
Smart Objects are a very powerful tool available in Photoshop. They can significantly speed up the workflow, maintain image quality, and also reduce file size. I hope this article was useful to you, and you can apply the tips given here when using smart objects yourself.

In this tutorial, we'll explore Smart Objects and look at some of the amazing benefits of using Smart Objects in Photoshop.

Smart objects are an integral, yet independent part of the layer editing process in Photoshop. At their core, Smart Objects can be thought of as a separate Photoshop file that is placed in the current file. Those. they are a "grouping" layer that can contain other raster or vector images. And which allows you to save the original image with all its initial characteristics.

Using smart objects, for example in web design, makes it easy to insert content, update it, and not break a single layout or entire design.

Advantages of Smart Objects

There are several benefits of using smart objects, but the most important are the following three:

• Easy to update content

If you transform a Smart Object, for example, and apply a transformation, the original transformation will still be available if you need to adjust the transformation later. When you replace the contents of a smart object, all scaling, warping, and effects applied to the first smart object are retained.

If you duplicate Smart Objects in the normal way in a Photoshop document, the link will affect the original file. This means that you can duplicate a smart object multiple times, and you can update them all together later by simply changing one source file. This is called Linked Smart Objects. They are especially useful when sources need to be reused in other projects.

Replacing the contents of a smart object is quite simple. All you need to do is double click on the layer icon and edit the original file.

• Edit an image without losing the original data or quality.

Working with raster images in Photoshop is quite complex, since even the simplest manipulations, such as using the “ Free Transformation", may lead to loss of source quality. When you "switch" a raster layer into a Smart Object, Photoshop saves an embedded or linked file in which it stores the information it needs for the original image. This way, the original image quality will be preserved, which will not depend on how many times you apply transformations to the layer. This is similar to working with vectors, with the difference that scaling Smart Objects beyond their original size will still result in some pixelation and loss of quality. But if you work within the original size, there is no risk of loss of quality!

• Smart filters

Using Smart Filters in smart objects is much better than regular, “destructive” Filters. These editable effects can be combined and adjusted individually. When applying a filter to a smart object, the smart filter (with mask) will be embedded. The filters themselves can be changed and edited.

Creating Smart Objects

A Smart Object can be created from a layer in several ways: for example, from the Layers panel, right-click on the layer and select “ Convert to Smart Object” (“Convert to Smart Object”), or through the menu Layer - Smart Objects - Convert to Smart Object, or when importing the file, selecting the command “Open as Smart Object”. An indicator that this layer is a Smart Object is a small rectangle in the lower right corner of the layer icon.

Convert text layers in smart objects

Text layers can be scaled, distorted and rotated without rasterizing them, and the best way to do this is to turn them into smart objects. This will allow you to manipulate them without losing access to the editable text inside the Smart Object source.

A small example: Creating a mock-up presentation of responsive design

Our task is to present the newly created site using a small presentation layout, on which we visualize the display of the site on various devices. In other words, we will show that our website is responsive and displays well on different devices.

For this purpose, we decided to use screenshots of the site layout and use Smart Objects in Photoshop. We will also need a mock-up (dummy, blank) with an image of these same devices (we decided to use a laptop Mock-Up). Study the article to find your own mock-up.

1. Open the device layout and use the tools you like (for example, Rectangular Selection - hotkey M) to select its screen and copy it to a new layer. Since our screen is not exactly rectangular, we used the Pen Tool (P). Later we will use the screen layer as a mask for the Smart Object.

1. Open a screenshot of the site. Drag the screenshot into the PSD layout. Place it above the screen layer. Right-click on the layer and select Convert to Smart Object. Important: Do not resize the layer before converting it to a Smart Object.
2. You can now resize your screenshot to fit the width of your desktop screen. Use the Free Transform tool - Ctrl+T. Or, if the device screen is not at a right angle, the Tilt tool ( Edit – Transform – Skew ).
3. Now let's crop the screenshot so that it fully fits the screen size. To do this, we will use the screen layer as a mask. Hold down the Alt key and move the mouse cursor between the Screen and Screenshot layers. When the arrow with a square appears, left-click - this will create a clipping mask and everything that extends beyond the dimensions of the Screen layer will be hidden. You can also create a clipping mask Alt+Ctrl+G.

That's all! If you have multiple devices in your presentation layout, using Smart Objects will allow you to preserve the quality of the original screenshot and transform it an unlimited number of times.

Smart Objects are an incredibly powerful tool in Photoshop. They can be used to speed up your workflow, maintain the original quality of your images, and reduce the size of the resulting file.

We hope that this lesson was useful to you and you learned something new for yourself.