I’m self taught, but I’ve been doing mockups in Photoshop for over 10 years, and this is a file I’ve used and edited before. Today I went to change a smart object and this thing popped up: Photoshop alert window saying “Select the Mockup’s decal layer, then try again.”I’ve never seen this before, and it certainly wasn’t part of the original set-up. What’s going on? What is a decal layer? Why is it applied to this smart object and none of the others in this Photoshop file? What I’ve done to troubleshoot:Updated Photoshop. Restarted Photoshop. Restarted my computer. Converted to Layers and then re-converted it to a new smart object. (Note, the convert-to-smart-object process has nothing new or that would designate a “decal layer.”) Converted the smart object to another smart object (the newest smart object is also locked behind this decal layer. Saved a new copy of the file. Put the smart object on a new file. Converted to layers, moved to a new file, re-converted to a smart object (This actually worked! But then when I duplicated the layers to put it back in the original file, the pop-up happened again!)I can man-handle a work-around, but I really want to know what this is, why this is, and how far it reaches because I do a lot of mockups and if all my old mockups now have a massive time-sink built in to accommodate whatever this is, I’m in trouble!

Inspiring

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What is a Mockup Decal Layer and Why is it Automatic?

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I’m self taught, but I’ve been doing mockups in Photoshop for over 10 years, and this is a file I’ve used and edited before. Today I went to change a smart object and this thing popped up:

Photoshop alert window saying “Select the Mockup’s decal layer, then try again.”

I’ve never seen this before, and it certainly wasn’t part of the original set-up. What’s going on? What is a decal layer? Why is it applied to this smart object and none of the others in this Photoshop file?

What I’ve done to troubleshoot:

Updated Photoshop.
Restarted Photoshop.
Restarted my computer.
Converted to Layers and then re-converted it to a new smart object. (Note, the convert-to-smart-object process has nothing new or that would designate a “decal layer.”)
Converted the smart object to another smart object (the newest smart object is also locked behind this decal layer.
Saved a new copy of the file.
Put the smart object on a new file.
Converted to layers, moved to a new file, re-converted to a smart object (This actually worked! But then when I duplicated the layers to put it back in the original file, the pop-up happened again!)

I can man-handle a work-around, but I really want to know what this is, why this is, and how far it reaches because I do a lot of mockups and if all my old mockups now have a massive time-sink built in to accommodate whatever this is, I’m in trouble!

Zebra JamieCorrect answer

Inspiring

Ok… it’s the dumbest thing… I just tried making a random layer named “Decal.” No smart objects, nothing on the layer itself, not linked in any way to the group or the smart object giving me trouble. Just… New Layer, rename “Decal”, and then double-clicked to open the problematic smart object.

...And it worked.

It opened smooth as you please with nary a glitch or even the smallest alert.

What the heck?!?!? I am both chagrined and dumbfounded that such a simple thing worked. 🤣

jacobedgren

Worked for me too. Thnx.

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jane-e

Community Expert

@Zebra Jamie

I’m surprised, too, and am happy you got it to work!

I tried doing a Search and only found that a decal layer is usually used for 3D. I was about to ask you if there was a 3D object in the SO.

I’ve marked you answer Correct so that others who search will find it.

Congratulations on finding a solution!

Jane

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Zebra JamieAuthor

Inspiring

Nope, no 3D objects anywhere in the file or the smart objects, although they may have been used in the original set up of the file and I would never know. It’s a mug mockup that has been really reliable for getting a realistic logo wrapped around it, which is why I’ve used to frequently over the years.

I honestly don’t work with any 3D stuff in Photoshop, so I wouldn’t even know where to look for those sorts of settings or artifacts.

Thanks!

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J E L

Community Expert

Hi @Zebra Jamie, as far as I know, this error message comes from the third-party mockup tool, script, or template you are using. It wants you to select the correct Smart Object layer to activate it in the Layers panel before you can proceed. I’ve seen the decal layer have a name something like “Your Design Here,” “Design,” or “Decal.” In the steps you took, it looks like you tried the right fixes.

What type of mock-up template are you using? Is it new? Did it start throwing this error with an update to Photoshop 27.11? Any chance you can record your screen to show us exactly what is happening?

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Zebra JamieAuthor

Inspiring

That’s really strange, because I don’t have any scripts or add-ons. I’m kinda a purist that way. :P

The original source is kind of old, probably from a template bundle we bought years and years ago, so the original creator may have had something running. However, it’s changed files and moved around and been re-used so many times over the years that I don’t think I could track it down.

I *thought* I was just using a basic Photoshop file with a smart object (I use them in a lot of mockups to preserve resolution and make warping around objects easier). I just started getting the error today. I updated to version 27.11 14 days ago.

I just want to disable whatever is throwing up this error.

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