Applying adjustment layer to multiple layers

[studioiso]

Hi there,

I've read many posts with this same question and earlier in the year I found the perfect solution in a script. I have since updated Photoshop and the script disappeared. Now I can't find it again. What I need to do is apply the adjustment layer to all the layers in the group. I need to do this to every mouth layer of every character I have going into Character animator. There are several of these so the manual way of applying the adjustment is very tedious. Especially as Photoshop names the merged layer according the top layer so I have to go through and rename everything on top of all the manual layer merging management. The script was very neat, you would put the adjustment layer or layers inside a group with all the layers in need of adjusting then run the script and it would adjust all layers in the group. Massive time saver. Has anyone out there come across this script???? I love script writers, you are my heroes.

[JJMack]

If you install a new version of Photoshop did you copy the script into the new Photoshop version folder \Presets\scripts\ so it is installed into the new version pf Photoshop?

[studioiso]

No I had forgotten about copying the scripts over when I updated. I will keep them somewhere separate in future like I do with all my other scripts so that if I forget again, I can retrieve them.

[r-bin]

Select adjustment layer.

Run the script.

app.activeDocument.suspendHistory("Script", "f()");
function f()
	{
	var doc = activeDocument;
	var adj_layer = doc.activeLayer;
	var set = doc.layerSets.getByName("Mouth");
	for (var i = set.artLayers.length-1; i >= 0; i--)
		{
		var layer = adj_layer.duplicate(set.artLayers[i], ElementPlacement.PLACEBEFORE)
		doc.activeLayer = layer;
		executeAction(stringIDToTypeID("mergeLayersNew"), undefined, DialogModes.NO);
		}
	adj_layer.remove();
	}

[studioiso]

Thanks so much r-bin. I can't get it to work though. It says there's no such element as "Mouth". I tried it inside and outside of the group. Any suggestions?

[Geppetto Luis]

On my mac it works fine

try this way

you must rename the group in Mouth

then select the Adjustment level

and start the script

[studioiso]

Thank you for helping but I can't understand why it doesn't work for me.

[Kukurykus]

It doesn't work for you because on your original image other layers "weren't" inside Head.

[JJMack]

Rename the Mouth group to X then rename Group X to Mouth make sure the group name is correct. That line should find Layer group Mouth. It does on my Windows 10 Photoshop CC 2019 system.  The order of the merge layer surprised me though. I expected the group would have the same number of laters not all layer merger in the group

[r-bin · Accepted solution]

Try it. One of the adjustment layers located above the group should be active.

app.activeDocument.suspendHistory("Script", "f()");

function f()
	{
	var doc = activeDocument;

	var adj_layer = doc.activeLayer;
	var parent = adj_layer.parent;
	for (var n = 0; n < parent.layers.length; n++)
		{
		if (parent.layers[n] == adj_layer)
			{
			for (++n; n < parent.layers.length; n++)
				{
				if (parent.layers[n].typename == "LayerSet")
					{
					var set = parent.layers[n];
					for (var i = set.artLayers.length-1; i >= 0; i--)
						{
						var layer = adj_layer.duplicate(set.artLayers[i], ElementPlacement.PLACEBEFORE)

						doc.activeLayer = layer;

						executeAction(stringIDToTypeID("mergeLayersNew"), undefined, DialogModes.NO);
						}
					adj_layer.remove();
					return;
					}
				}
			}
		}
	}

[studioiso]

Thank you r-bin, you're the BEST!!

[marcoa12505531]

This works like a charm @r-bin ! Thanks alot 🙂

There is any way to tweak the code to make it work when you have layers using clipping mask like Layer 06 in the example?

[r-bin]

This is not a very beautiful script with great limitations. But still try.

Will not work on smart objects.

app.activeDocument.suspendHistory("Script", "f()");
function f()
	{
	var doc = activeDocument;

	var adj_layer = doc.activeLayer;

	var parent = adj_layer.parent;

	for (var n = 0; n < parent.layers.length; n++)
		{
		if (parent.layers[n] == adj_layer)
			{
			for (++n; n < parent.layers.length; n++)
				{
				if (parent.layers[n].typename == "LayerSet")
					{
					var set = parent.layers[n];

					for (var i = 0; i < set.artLayers.length; i++)
						{
						var grouped = set.artLayers[i].grouped;
						var layer = adj_layer.duplicate(set.artLayers[i], ElementPlacement.PLACEBEFORE)

						doc.activeLayer = layer;
						if (grouped && !layer.grouped) layer.grouped = grouped;

						executeAction(stringIDToTypeID("mergeLayersNew"), undefined, DialogModes.NO);
						}

					adj_layer.remove();
					return;
					}
				}
			}
		}
	}

[marcoa12505531]

Thank you so much for this code, you are a beautiful human being! That will save me so much time

[wagilwz]

Hi!

Im trying this in PS 2020 but can´t get it to work so far. Just to be clear - I created a textfile pasted the code into it and saved it as script.jsx

Then I run the script in Photoshop but nothings happening.

Haven´t worked with scripts a lot so far so maybe I´m just missing something essential 🙂

Thanks for your help!

[Kukurykus]

I corrected the codes! Try again.

[juanmiglesias2]

HI there, Same issue in CC 2020, I tried renaming the group to Group 1, LayerSet, but nothing. How exactly does it need to be the layer structure for it to work. I have it like this
- Adjustment layer name

- Group 1

  --Layer 1

  --Layer 2

  --Layer...

[Kukurykus]

Oct 23, 2021

[fantastic_Lily5CEC]

Hi does this script work with layers such as multiply and color dodge?

[r-bin]

This will not work, just as it will not work if the layers intersect and translucent.

I think, that to replace the adjustment layer to the correction for the individual layer, in general case is impossible

[garnetpilchard]

Hey Guys

This is something I need, but I get this illegal argument.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Kukurykus]

Oct 23, 2021

[MrB456]

I am trying to do the same in Photoshop CC 2017. I have a file with many layers and one adjustment layer above many object layers. I want to apply that one adjustment layer to each individual object layer so I can save the layers as a mulitpage PDF. I am very comfortable with the things I genrerally do in Photoshop but do not use scripts regularily. I copy and paste the text above into ExtendScript Toolkit 2, save it as .jsx and try to implement it through Photoshop/Scripts/Browse. When I find the file and select it nothing happens. I have tryed editing the script and I do get errors in Photoshop so I know it is trying, but alas no reults. This is something that comes up now and again and I usually spend hours doing it by hand. It would be very helpful if this worked.

Thanks 

[Kukurykus]

Oct 23, 2021

[Stephen Marsh]

A similar topic here:

How to merge a single adjustment to multiple layers individually?