NoBs Digital Dogbowl

Getting Smart With Smart Objects

For this article I am going to talk to just those with Photoshop CS2 and CS3. Not that there is anything wrong with other PS and Elements users but this is all about something found in CS2 and CS3 which is a major change and a great upgrade called Smart Objects.

What are Smart Objects? Imagine adding a special layer which is so flexible that not only can you go back and readjust filters and effects settings, but if you wanted to do adjustments to the original image it is just a quick mouse click, do your corrections, and then back to the image with the Smart Object layer with all of your adjustments in place along with your new corrections. And to blow your mind even more, you can replace the image on this layer with a new image and all the adjustments are still in place. Think about that with a wedding album template. You could come up with a really complicated page with lots of images, full page spreads, black and white images with drop shadows and boarders. Then just go to the layers with the images and change out the images of Susan with Amy and you have just saved about an hour of work.

So how do they work? Very simple. You just go to File>Place and pick Smart Object. In CS2 and CS3 you will see a file box pop up and you pick the image you want to place in the image as a Smart Object Layer. It will come with a big X across it and the handles from Transform so you can move and size it anyway you want. Double click inside of the image or that little check at the top of the menu and it is there. For CS2 users you can now add adjustment layers or effects to this layer. You can even run filters on it just like any other layer. If you want to go back to the original image you just have to double click on the thumbnail in the layer. The original image will pop up and you do what you want to it. Save and the layer in the new image is updated. One big advantage with a Smart Object is if you need to resize it you can Ctrl click on the Smart Object layer for a selection and Ctrl T for Transform. Any change in size whether up or down can be done without affecting the resolution because the Smart Object is referring back to the original. So no pixilation from starting small then going big.

However it is, with CS3 that Smart Object got even better. When you bring an image in as a Smart Object you can run filters on it and they appear under it the same as effects which means you can go in and readjust them as many times as you want. For example, it lets you run a shadow and highlight filter on an image but later decide that you need to readjust to match other images on the page. Double click on that adjustment and it pops back up. The same could be done for Sharpening or Blur filters you might have run on it. What’s more in CS3 you can change any image layer into a Smart Object so even if you did a cut and paste that copy layer can be changed into a Smart Object by using the Layer Menu in the upper right hand corner of the Layer pallet and by clicking on Change to Smart Object you can now have filters under it too. You can also replace any Smart Object with another Smart Object so that images can be changed out with all the effects in place. As I said a great time saver for those who create templates for wedding albums or montages.

So, in our One Size does not fit all world, Smart Objects is a great fit for those who like flexibility.

Good luck and have fun!

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