P: Duplicating smart objects into different document breaks the links

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

I'm having issues duplicating a group of smart objects to a different document; when I do the links break and I am no longer able to edit one and have the changes made to all instances of the smart object. I only seem to have this problem in the latest version of Photoshop CC. On my laptop at home, I have CC but an older version, and it works on that, and a friend tried it on CS4 and it worked for him, and it also works fine in CS6 when I tried it on there.

To reproduce:

1. Create a new document (Doc A) in version 14.2.1 of Photoshop CC.
2. Make a rectangle object and convert to a smart object.
3. Duplicate this smart object a couple times and make sure you can see them all. Now you should be able to double click to edit and make a change to one of these objects and have it change across all instances (change the color or something).
4. Create a new document (Doc B).
5. Duplicate the smart objects from "Doc A" to "Doc B".
6. Editing the smart object in the same way no longer makes the change across the other instances of the smart object.
7. Try this same process in CS6 if you want, and see that after duplicating the smart objects to the new document, you can still edit one and have it change the others as well.

Very inconvenient.. I have to use CS6 for now until this is fixed, as this function is essential for some templates I created for photoshop with smart objects in them. Please let me know if anyone else can confirm this! Thanks!

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I suspect you started this thread?
http://forums.adobe.com/message/63023...

In any case this behaviour seems unexpected and undesirable to me, too.

Edit: A work-around might be to duplicate the file and drag in all the elements from the other file, but if those also include more than one instance of a Smart Object that’s useless obviously.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Yep that was me!

I'm not sure how well that work-around would do for me, if I understand you correctly... I am needing to duplicate multiple groups of smart objects from separate files on to one "template" kind of document. So if you are suggesting that I duplicate the the layers into the document with the smart objects rather than vice versa, that still wouldn't work for me because there is more than one set of smart objects I need to duplicate into the file.. bah! let me know if I misunderstood though. I think I will just have to use CS6 for now unless this gets fixed in CC.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Nah, in that case it would not work anyway.

As for »fixing« I’m skeptical because Mr.Cox called it »expected behaviour«. Hopefully he had misunderstood the description, because I don’t quite see how that behaviour should be intentional.

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

No, nor do I.. especially since the latest is really the ONLY version I seem to have this issue with.

[J453]

Hey guys, we can repro and will investigate a fix. Thanks!

[steves59293326]

This appears to be a bug in Photoshop 14.2.1. (and probably eariler versions of Photoshop CC)

This is a feature I use a lot in my workflow, and it appears to no longer work in PS 14.2.1:

1. In a Photoshop doc, make a new layer with some kind of art and convert it to a Smart Object. (This creates an Embedded Smart Object).
2. Duplicate this layer several times, either through "Option+Drag" or "layer>Duplicate Layer..."
3. Open up one of these Smart Object Layers, make a change to the art and Save and Close the Smart Object. You will see that all the Smart Objects update correctly.

But here is the problem...

4. Create a new document and place it next to your original one.
5. Go to the original document and select several of the Smart Object layers(Command-Click) you created in Step 2.
6. Grab these layers in the Layer Menu and drag them to your new document.
7. Now, Open one of these Smart Object layers in the new doc, make a change to it, save, and close it. You will see that only the ONE Smart Object updated. In other words, in the new document, these have now become independent, separate Smart Objects, instead of remaining 'connected' as in the original document.

This worked fine in CS6. As I meantioned earlier I use this technique all the time.

Also, If you simply take all of those Smart Object layers and combine them together in a new Smart Object, they will they be 'disconnected' (I don't want to say linked because that now means something else in regard to Smart Objects) when you open that Smart Object. 
 
This is really a huge problem...

[steves59293326]

I have since verified that this happens in Mac systems. I have seen it in 2 running Mountain Lion and one running Mavericks.

When I tested on a PC it did NOT happen.

Hope that helps and good luck with the fix!

[steves59293326]

Jeffrey,

Are there any updates on this yet?

Thanks!

[FeedbackCommunityMember]

Nothing we can share at this time.

[J453]

Fixed in Photoshop CC (14.2.1) or later.