How to save as Photoshop PDF with each layer as a different page?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
June 16, 2023
3 replies
19088 views

Hi everyone, I'm trying to find an answer to this question but to no avail.

I have to prepare a multi-page PDF for a printing company, and it's for a deck of cards. Since the back of the cards includes gold foil, the file for that must be a Smart Object (as it needs to include multiple layers for the effect).

So, I have a PSD file with 160 layers, 80 of those are repeated Smart Object layers. If I save as a Photoshop PDF, while selecting "Keep editting capabilities", the PDF saves all the layers and even the Smart Object layers - which is what I want.

But, opening that PDF file on Acrobat, it only has 1 page (1 page but if you open in Photoshop, the 160 layers show up).

My question is: How to I save that file as a Photoshop PDF, while keeping all layers and editing capabilities (including the Smart Object layers), but making it so that the PDF has 160 pages, 1 page per layer, and not a single page?

If I do "PDF Presentation", it saves a multi-page PDF but I lose the Smart Object layers. I can't find this info anywhere, so I appreciate the help!

Windows

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Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

Sounds like the wrong tool for the job, or if this is the right tool then the job requirements/expectations don't line up.

Do you have InDesign and or Acrobat Pro?

Is the back of the card common? So there are 80 different front images and one common back/reverse?

Has the printing company reviewed samples of the files and confirmed that this is suitable for foiling?

R

Ricardo30492841doywAuthor

Participant

Hi, I have Acrobat Pro and Photoshop.
They are 80 cards, so the printing company requires this:

A multi-page PDF with 160 pages: 80 pages being the front images, and another 80 which is basically just the common back/reverse repeated 80 times (the PDF goes like: Front1, commonBack, Front2, commonBack) due to their printing process.

However, those backs have an additional layer so they can get a gold foil effect, which is printed on top of the printed back; for that to be achieved, the file for the back of the cards has to be a Smart Object, or a multi-layered file (with a layer of artwork, a layer of black and white, and then a layer of gold (specific color input provided by them)).

The issue is, no matter how I make the final PDF, the pages that are the backs of the cards are a single "layer", and they lose the Smart Object characteristics they want.

I have tried:

Making each card a single Photoshop PDF, and then opening all PDFs in Photoshop and making a "PDF Presentation" > "Multi-page document". The final PDF loses the Smart Object layers (backs) if opened in Photoshop again.
Saving the Smart Object backs into a Photoshop PDF with "keep editing capabilities", and then combining that with the fronts via Acrobat Pro; as soon as you do this, boom, the Smart Object layers are gone.
Having a single .PSD file with all 160 cards as 160 layers, each orderd, and saving as PDF with "keep editing capabilities".

The latter works to an extent! The saved PDF will keep everything fine, even the Smart Object layers (if opened with Photoshop, for example). However, if I open that PDF with Acrobat, or any other PDF viewer, the PDF only shows 1 page (1/1).

So I'd like to do it that way, but somehow have that PDF file show each layer as one page, without losing any editing capabilities on Photoshop, including Smart Objects. But I have no clue if that's even possible.

Trevor.Dennis

Community Expert

Good gracious! I didn't know Photoshop could do that. To answer your question, you don't need Smart Objects in the PDF Presentation. You just need their visible effects to be saved. You still need to save the file as a .PSD for editing capability, and use the PDF for printing and slide shows. You do need to take your time when saving and look at the dialog windows carefully before committing. We have had several posts over the years from people who have lost their layered document after saving out to PDF.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

You say "If I do "PDF Presentation", it saves a multi-page PDF but I lose the Smart Object layers. " - do you mean it looks wrong, that it looks flattened, or that content is missing? You can't keep layers into a printer, so it's going to have to be flattened at some point.

R

Ricardo30492841doywAuthor

Participant

Hi, so the issue is, they say they need the "back" part of the cards, which has some foil printed onto them, to be a Smart Object (because it includes a black and white layer for printing in silver foil, and then a gold layer to print the foil in gold on top of the silver foil).

When I save as a multi-page PDF, be it by combining PDF files with Acrobat Pro or through an automation (PDF Presentation > Multi-page document), the PDF is saved with all the pages, but, when re-opening this new PDF in Photoshop, the Smart Object on the backs is gone - which is expected.

However, this printing company states they only accept a multi-page PDF but that it *has* to have the Smart Object layers untouched, with editing capabilities, all the while it being a PDF.

I can save an entire PSD file with all the layers as a Photoshop PDF, but that is only 1 page when opened as a "normal" PDF in Acrobat, for example. What I'd like to do, is save as a Photoshop PDF + keep editting capabilities + each layer being a separate "page" on the PDF - but I'm unsure how I can do that.

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