How do you paste an image to conform to the canvas width or height?

[AntDX316]

How do you paste an image to conform to the canvas width or height?

I'm trying to "scale" but Photoshop is so advanced what is "easy" is impossible without a direct guide.

https://youtu.be/vUU9d1j5gQM

[Myra Ferguson]

If you copy the image first and then make the new document, Photoshop will let you select the clipboard as the size of the canvas.

[AntDX316]

I just go into Illustrator and edit it there this way it's already "vectorized?" and I can crop and other things without it turning pixelated. (I'm trying to print on an 8.5x11" and if you don't conform the form factor to that you can end up with a totally messed up layout on the print.)

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Why paste and not place a Smart Object? 

In that case the General Preferences setting »Resize Image During Place« determines if images larger than the canvas will get scaled down immediately. 

[AntDX316]

I forgot you can just edit > transform > scale.

What is the difference between smart object and not anyway?

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

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@AntDX316 wrote:

I forgot you can just edit > transform > scale.
What is the difference between smart object and not anyway?

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https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/create-smart-objects.html

https://photographylife.com/photoshop-smart-objects-explained

https://fstoptraining.com/what-is-a-smart-object/

And many more links on the topic are available via a quick web search...

[AntDX316]

What is the difference between Vector and Smart Object for resizing?  Is it the same?  Do they both keep their pixels from being over sharpened or blurry for printing and different resolution screens?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Smart Objects allow for editing (transforming, applying Filters, …) objects repeatedly without undue image degredation, updating multiple instances simultaneously, combining content of different Color Spaces in one image, … 

[AntDX316]

Can you convert back and forth without it getting worse and worse like rendering a video in h.264 then doing that 20 times until it looks bad?

I assume you have to "apply all changes" which burns in the adjustments to get out of smart object to edit..? then when you convert to smart object it starts how it is now and not how it was with all the changes in their different sub-layer properties?

Can someone explain situations where going smart object too soon would be bad?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I already stated: 

Smart Objects allow for editing (transforming, applying Filters, …) objects repeatedly without undue image degredation. 

Any editing will affect the mage, but when changing the edits applied to a Smart Object they are calculated based on the original, not the damaged version. 

[AntDX316]

So the idea is to smart object scale first, then raster what you need, then smart object again?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

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@AntDX316 wrote:

So the idea is to smart object scale first, then raster what you need, then smart object again?

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Of course not! 

Why would you want to rasterize the Smart Object? 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

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Can someone explain situations where going smart object too soon would be bad?

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»Pure« touch-up (no transformations, no Filters, no destructive Adjustments) would not benefit from employing Smart Objects. 

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I assume you have to "apply all changes" which burns in the adjustments to get out of smart object to edit..? then when you convert to smart object it starts how it is now and not how it was with all the changes in their different sub-layer properties?

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What does this mean? 

Maybe you could give an example of a scenario in your usual workflow? (Preferably with screenshots with the pertinent Panels visible.)