How to export multiple images from a mock up in Photoshop?

[Mohammed_Alshamlan]

I got a mock up for a product, I can put my own design on it. To do so I need to double click a smart object and it will open another PSD and from there I can add my own design, save and go back to the original PSD and my design will be on the product.

I have 10 designs and it takes time to save them manually can I automate it with action? similar to the layers to file export.

[JJMack · Accepted solution]

A well design mockup is easy to batch update with a script and right setup for replacement objects. The script replaces the objects in the mockup template and saves an output image file and  repeats that  process till  all output  image files are created.

Re: Running a script within an action

[Mohammed_Alshamlan]

Yep that's it. Thank you

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

• If I understand you correctly, you have created all 10 smart object layers for each mockup, but now you wish to automate the saving of each layer? There are scripts that can batch output multiple layer comps or multiple history snapshots if either of these options works for you...

• Or do you mean that it takes too much time to create the 10 mockup layers and then save them and you have only made 1 mockup layer?

[JJMack]

All a script need to do is either replace smart Object layer content or edit their contents then save an Image files named for the replaced content.  Mockup templates do not need to incorporate  Layer Comps in their design and History snapshots are not output image files. The OP clearly wrote they want to save time with an automate the process  sometimes like layers to files. They just do not understand  what layers to files does,   For that would require them to make each layer a repopulated mockup merged into a layer. A  Layer being a complete mockup would not be a normal cast. Mockups  are composites like most Photoshop layered documents are. The op wrote they have 10 Designs nothing was stated about any number of smart object layers. It reads more like there is  a single smart object layer in the mockup they have.

They want to automate the process of populating the template with their designs and saving image files for the mock with their designs in it.  The script dialog I posted does that.  You past to the script. The Mockup Template,  the design files and the output image folder. The script does its automated process..

For one user it took 1.5 hours to populate 41 design into 84 mockup templates they had. My machine is a slow 2GHz machine outputting 3,444populated mockup took 1.5 hours.  I have no idea how long it would have taken to do that processing manually.  During the 1.5 hours I was able to enjoy some wine.

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

The OP clearly wrote they want to save time with an automate the process  sometimes like layers to files.

Sigh, here we go again…

JJMack, very little was clear on the OP, which is why I was asking for clarification and used examples to help prompt an informative reply.

Mockup templates do not need to incorporate  Layer Comps in their design and History snapshots are not output image files.

I did not suggest that mockup templates need to incorporate Layer Comps in their design. This is related to the above, I was asking for clarification on what the OP had setup. You will also note that Norman Sanders post #4 was also asking if the OP had considered using Layer Comps. I did not suggest that History Snapshots are output image files. I did mention that there are scripts that can output multiple image files from either Layer Comps or History Snapshots.

[JJMack]

I failed ever English course I ever had to take in school I had no problem understanding what was written and what was asked.

You wrote there were scripts that could output layer comps where would the be if not in your mockups.  What would create the history  snapshots you wrote about snapshots they are not in templates they are in document history.  What would create these snapshots.

The user did not know what would work for them they thought export layers to file may be a way.

It also clear your knowledge about templates can be improved.   Most Adobe template I have seen are created  to be manually edited by the end user not via automation.  Where the template I deal with are made  for automated processing.  There are no templates standards.  There are many ways to create templates. Only carefully designed templates can be populated automatically via a genetic script. Creating custom script for each mockup created is not a viable solution.

I'm sure your knowlege about Photoshop is better the mine in some areas where mine is better than yours in other areas.  There are many features I do not use in Photoshop my knowledge there is minimal. I do not do CMYK Printing. So all I know about spot channels is the exist.  I don't use Lab color for anything.  Photoshop is huge no one knows all of Photoshop.  And a good Photoshop user learns something  new about Photoshop almost daily and forgets something they use to know about Photoshop.

In my reply to Norman I exsplained it hard to use a template where you put all you assets into a single file and that may cause performance issues..  I broke the users single file up into 84 mochup template files and 41 design files.  Then one script I wrote was able to populater the 41 disignes into the 84 mockup templates and produce 3,444 output products mockups in 1.5 hours.  I know a bit about automating Photoshop.  If I knew JavaScript and I could type I would be a force to reckon with. But I do not have those skills.  I just hack and pick and poke at keyboards.

[Mohammed_Alshamlan]

Yep scripts help me.

[Norman Sanders]

If you have a single mockup and ten alternate incorporated designs, would you consider the Layer Comps panel with the mock up Background layer and selective alternate design layers?

[JJMack]

Having all you eggs in one basket is not a good idea. It create a single  point of failure. Its is also one that is not easy to use. One that can become big and un manageable and have performance problems.

The user with the 41 designs and 84 mockup started out doing that.  The mockup file was 1.5GB in size had a single shared object with 41 layers and 84 groups where each  group was a mockup that shared the object with 41 designs.  They had not gotten around to layer comps and their use layers in their shared object would still require the shard object to be edited to change visible design  layer comps would all show the same design is the different mockups. So their template document had 84 layer groups with one or two smart object layers that all shared the single object and there smart object layer had smart filters .  So the document  had some number of smart object layers between 84 and 168 that have layer content and smart filters.  Photoshop performance on my machine handling a 1.5GB Mockup file opened as a Photoshop document requires way more than 1.5GB  in Photoshop and operation is slow with all the layers needing to be update when you edit the smart object to change the visible design. So you can output 41 files. Then re edit the object to change the visible design and save 41 more files.  So I broke the mockup into 84 mockup files that had one shared object a singe design object not 41 design. A mock up had two or three smart object layers that share a single object.  I broke the 41 layered object into 41 image files.  Now it is easy to add additional mockup and add additional label designs. Sill it took my machine 1.5 hours to populate the 84 mockup template  with 41 label design 3,444 populated mockup files.  The largest mockup file was 39MB the smallest 10MB a far cry from all mock being in a  single 1.5GB file that will grow with each new mockup added.

CC 2019 also has an issues. Sometime CC 2019 will mess up the template is is working on during replace content. The next replace content  Photoshop to fail to upate the shared object stating the user canceled the operation. Where in fact Photoshop mess up the document it was working on doing a prior replace  content. I had the failure only in three test.  At other times the same test works without an issue.  It is  an intermittent issue

[Guest]

Can anyone help me with thiws please? im new to photshop, howevre have picked it up fairly quickly and have managed to automate a few thinsg, however i am struggling with the very laborious process of saving eacj layer asa file when using a mock up ( as per post above)

I have tried to create a script, hower i didnt really understand it 

please help, i have over 200 product images that need processing, each having 4 different mock up images, its talem me all day to create 10

thanks iso much n advance

VJ

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

Does the following help?

https://github.com/MarshySwamp/JJMack-Archive/raw/main/PhotoCollageToolkit.zip

https://github.com/MarshySwamp/JJMack-Archive

https://web.archive.org/web/20220130105643/http://www.mouseprints.net/Photoshop.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20210419210422/http://www.mouseprints.net/old/dpr/PhotoCollageToolkit.ht...

[antond99983697]

Yes, this is very easy to automate inside of Photoshop. However I don't think you can do is using Actions, as you originally suggested. (At least, I've never seen an effective way to automate mockup image creation using Actions.) Instead this can be automated using either a Photoshop plugin, or using a Photoshop script.

Using a plugin is the easiest method, especially if you're not experienced writing computer programs. You can use the Batch-Replace Smart Objects plugin for Photoshop to get this fully automated + operational with about literally 10 seconds of work:

1) Select what Photoshop document you want to use (ie, your mockup template);

2) Select your input folder of images (ie, your artwork designs);

3) Select your output folder to save to;

4) Click "Run This Now", + it will automate the process for you + create all your images.

Then if you have lots of mockups you need to create (like if you create several different product mockups for each of your new artwork designs), you can just create multiple-step operations + run these as needed. As long as your workflow is standardized (ie, you put your new artwork designs in the same input folder each time, and you want to save your final prepared mockups to the same output folder each time), you can just save these operations / workflows and run them with one button click using this plugin.

You can do basically the same thing using Photoshop scripting -- you'll just have to either write the script yourself, hire someone to do it for you, or find some similar scripts online that you can then modify for your specific workflow needs. If you want to do it yourself, this Adobe Scripting Guide is a good starting point, to figure out the "How To" basics. There are also freelance developers who specialize in Photoshop automation / Photoshop scripting who would probably be willing to do this for you, for a few hundred dollars. Search a site like Upwork for those keywords and you can find lots of experts willing to help.