Smart Objects are layers that contain image data from raster or vector images, such as Photoshop or Illustrator files. Smart Objects preserve an image's source content with all its original characteristics, enabling you to perform nondestructive editing to the layer.
In Photoshop, you can embed the contents of an image into a Photoshop document. In Photoshop, you can also create Linked Smart Objects whose contents are referenced from external image files. The contents of a Linked Smart Object are updated when its source image file changes.
Linked Smart Objects are distinct from duplicated instances of a Smart Object within a Photoshop document. With Linked Smart Objects, you can use a shared source file across multiple Photoshop documents which is a familiar and welcome concept for web designers.
With Smart Objects, you can:
Perform nondestructive transforms. You can scale, rotate, skew, distort, perspective transform, or warp a layer without losing original image data or quality because the transforms don't affect the original data.
Work with vector data, such as vector artwork from Illustrator, that otherwise would be rasterized in Photoshop.
Perform nondestructive filtering. You can edit filters applied to Smart Objects at any time.
Edit one Smart Object and automatically update all its linked instances.
Apply a layer mask that's either linked or unlinked to the Smart Object layer.
Try various designs with low-resolution placeholder images that you later replace with final versions.
You can't perform operations that alter pixel data—such as painting, dodging, burning, or cloning—directly to a Smart Object layer, unless it is first converted into a regular layer, which will be rasterized. To perform operations that alter pixel data, you can edit the contents of a Smart Object, clone a new layer above the Smart Object layer, edit duplicates of the Smart Object, or create a new layer.
When you transform a Smart Object that has a Smart Filter applied to it, Photoshop turns off filter effects while the transform is being performed. Filter effects are applied again after the transform is complete. See Apply Smart Filters.
You can create embedded Smart Objects using several methods: by using the Open As Smart Object command; placing a file (Photoshop CS6) or placing a file as embedded (Photoshop, and Photoshop CS6), pasting data from Illustrator; or converting one or more Photoshop layers to Smart Objects.
Although you can place JPEG files, it's better to place PSD, TIFF, or PSB files because you can add layers, modify pixels, and resave the file without loss. (Saving a modified JPEG file requires you to flatten new layers and recompress the image, causing image quality degradation).
Select one or more layers and choose Layer > Smart Objects > Convert To Smart Object. The layers are bundled into one Smart Object.
Drag PDF or Adobe Illustrator layers or objects into a Photoshop document.
Paste artwork from Illustrator into a Photoshop document, and choose Smart Object in the Paste dialog box. For the greatest flexibility, enable both PDF and AICB (No Transparency Support) in the File Handling & Clipboard section of the Preferences dialog box in Adobe Illustrator.
The Linked Smart Object feature is available in Photoshop CC version 14.2 (January 2014) and later.
In Photoshop, you can create Linked Smart Objects. The contents of Linked Smart Objects are updated when the source image file changes. Linked Smart Objects are particularly useful for teams or in cases where assets must be reused across designs.
Follow these steps to create a Linked Smart Object:
The Linked Smart Object is created and is displayed in the Layers panel with a link icon ().
You can also create a Linked Smart Object in an open document by dragging and dropping the appropriate file while keeping the following key pressed:
(Windows) Alt key
(Mac OS) Option key
To change this default behavior, turn off Preferences > General > Always Create Smart Objects While Placing.
Since Linked Smart Objects maintain a dependency on an external file rather than embedding a source file within the containing document, they often result in significantly smaller file sizes. While Linked Smart Objects do not store the original file in the containing document, they still store a flattened and scaled version of the image data from the original file. In some cases, the size of this data may be much larger than the size of the original file, making the file size savings seem negligible.
If an external source file changes while a Photoshop document referencing it is open, the relevant Linked Smart Object is automatically updated. However, when you open a Photoshop document containing out-of-synch Linked Smart Objects, you can update the Smart Objects:
Linked Smart Objects whose source images have changed are visually highlighted in the Layers panel:
You can update all linked Smart Objects in the current Photoshop document by choosing Layer > Smart Objects > Update All Modified Content.
While detecting changes to Linked Smart Objects or updating a Linked Smart Object, Photoshop looks only at the immediate linked file. Links nested inside Smart Objects are not updated.
To resolve a Linked Smart Object with a missing external source, follow these steps:
With a Linked Smart Object layer selected in the Layers panel, choose Window > Properties.
The following properties are displayed:
You can perform the following actions directly from within the Properties panel:
Do one of the following:
Choose Layer > Smart Objects > Embed All Linked to embed all Linked Smart Objects in the Photoshop document.
You can package the Linked Smart Objects in a Photoshop document, such that their source files are saved to a folder on your computer. A copy of the Photoshop document is saved along with the source files in the folder.
Any audio or video Linked Smart Objects in the document are packaged as well.
You must save a file before packaging the Linked Smart Objects that it contains.
Photoshop always looks for linked files in the last-known relative location. If the linked file is not found in that location, Photoshop looks for it:
This behavior allows you to move, copy, and share project folders and files with minimal risk of encountering broken links.
The Resolve Missing Assets dialog always displays the last-known absolute path of missing source files.
You can convert an embedded Smart Object to a Linked Smart Object. Transforms, filters, and other effects applied to the embedded Smart Object are preserved when it is converted.
Do the following:
You can use the toggle switch () to turn off layer filtering.
To create a duplicate Smart Object that is linked to the original, choose Layer > New > Layer Via Copy, or drag the Smart Object layer to the Create A New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Edits you make to the original affect the copy and vice versa.
To create a duplicate Smart Object that isn't linked to the original, choose Layer > Smart Objects > New Smart Object Via Copy. Edits you make to the original don't affect the copy.
A new Smart Object appears in the Layers panel with the same name as the original and "copy" as a suffix.
When you edit a Smart Object, the source content is opened in either Photoshop (if the content is raster data or a camera raw file) or the application that handles the placed format by default (for example, Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Acrobat). When you save changes to the source content, the edits appear in all linked instances of the Smart Object in the Photoshop document.
Photoshop updates the Smart Object to reflect the changes you made. (If you don't see the changes, make the Photoshop document containing the Smart Object active.)
You can replace the image data in one Smart Object or multiple linked instances. This feature lets you quickly update a visual design, or replace low-resolution placeholder images with final versions.
When you replace a Smart Object, any scaling, warping, or effects that you applied to the first Smart Object are maintained.
The new content is placed in the Smart Object.
Introduced in Photoshop 21.0 (November 2019 release)
You can convert an embedded or linked smart object back into its component layers directly into a Photoshop document. If there are multiple layers in the Smart Object, the layers are unpacked into a new layer group within the Layers panel. Transforms and Smart Filters on Smart Objects containing more than a single layer are not retained when you unpack.
Select the Smart Object layer from the Layers panel.
Do any of the following:
The layers are unpacked into a layer group in the Layers panel.
You can rasterize the contents of a Smart Object to a regular layer if you no longer need to edit the Smart Object data. Transforms, warps, and filters applied to a Smart Object are no longer editable after the Smart Object is rasterized.
Select the Smart Object, and choose Layer > Smart Objects > Rasterize.
If you want to re-create the Smart Object, reselect its original layers and start from scratch. The new Smart Object won't retain transforms you applied to the original Smart Object.
Select the Smart Object from the Layers panel, and choose Layer > Smart Objects > Export Contents.
Photoshop exports the Smart Object in its original placed format (JPEG, AI, TIF, PDF, or other formats). If the Smart Object was created from layers, it is exported in PSB format.
If you've transformed a Smart Object, you can reset all transformations you've previously applied by doing one of the following:
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