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camroc+
camroc+
Participant
June 18, 2020
Question

open smart object in new document

  • June 18, 2020
  • 4 replies
  • 1376 views

Double clicking a smart object's thumbnail in the layers panel opens the smart object in a new document. However, this does not happen if I have opened the document in PS from LR (using the command "Open  as a smart object in Photoshop"). Instead Adobe Camera Raw opens. Is there a way I can open a smart object I have opened from LR into a new document in PS without getting the Camera Raw dialog?

 

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4 replies

camroc+
camroc+Author
Participant
June 22, 2020

Hi all,

 

Thank you for your replies. The solution I have found is to open the file as normal layer from LR and then convert it into smart object in Photoshop itself. Double-clicking on the thumbnail then opens the file into a new document with a .psb extension.

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 22, 2020

You do understand the difference? Those two are not the same at all. You lose a lot of the advantages of a raw smart object directly from Lightroom.

 

A smart object from Lightroom contains an embedded copy of the raw file, the full original sensor data. That's why it reopens into ACR. It's a raw file.

 

When a raw file is processed and opened into Photoshop as an RGB file, a lot of that original information is thrown away in the process. It has to be, in order to produce a useful image. But that means you can't go back and retrieve blown highlights or clipped shadows like you can with a raw file. Converting it into a smart object at this point doesn't bring it back. It's gone.

 

That's fine if you think you have exhausted the raw processing. But there's a reason these smart objects from Lightroom reopen into ACR. It's still a raw file, still containing a lot of unused data.

 

Of course you can always go back to the original raw in Lightroom and do it over. But as long as you're making smart objects, do it from Lightroom, keeping the raw data.

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    June 19, 2020

    ...or to put it very simply: Smart objects are just like all other files.

     

    RGB files open into Photoshop.

    Raw files open into ACR.

     

    That's it 😉

      c.pfaffenbichler
      Community Expert
      c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 19, 2020

      You can convert the RAW Smart Object to a Smart Object itself. 

      JJMack
      Community Expert
      JJMackCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 19, 2020

      Or open the images as a normal layers not a smart object so you can work on it with Photoshop tools that can not be used on smart objects layers. Its the RAW object that is giving you trouble. When photoshop passes the RAW object to ACR Photoshop puts ACR into control and Photoshop waits for ACR to finish its processing of the RAW object.

      JJMack
        JJMack
        Community Expert
        JJMackCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        June 19, 2020

        All smart object are not Photoshop object Photoshop does not support RAW files Photoshop uses the ACR plugin to open and convert Raw files into a Photoshop layer a smart object layer or normal pixels layer.  Photoshop also the does not support vector files like .SVG and .ai files. If you place a vector file into a Photoshop document a vector smart object layer will beg created. If you open  a vector smart object it will not open in Photoshop it will open in AI if you have AI installed. If you pass a RAW file from LR to Photoshop ACR will be used to open the RAW file.  ACR can user LR Develop module RAW conversion settings. ACR and Lightroom Develop module use the same Adobe RAW conversion engine. 

        JJMack
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