6 Correct answers
To you can automate that process with a Photoshop Script, Action can not use logic to see the Layer names that are being merged and rename the merged layer name to what you want based on the former layer names. Script can use the required logic to do what you wan to automate.
The previous script ran in approx. 6.7 seconds to run on a random set of 3 layers stacked.
The new code below took approx. 4 seconds for the same 3 layers.
It's still a less than ideal hack though... A better coder than me should be able to make this much faster. Can somebody upgrade my code?
EDIT: It appears that the best/common way is to temporarily group the selected layers, then do something with the group (rather than with a new doc as my second script uses).
/*
Select all requi
I think making it run in 2 steps is a bad idea because purpose of the script is making it work with single click, and seamless if possible.
And, it is indeed possible. With some external help as well, I managed to write this. It works without opening SO (which I didn't like), but it can be a bit slower with bigger files (very little tho). I personally prefer this.
/*
Create a new smart object with the bottom layer's name
Gökhan Şimşek - 7.5.21
v1.1
*/
#target photoshop
var myDoc = app.activeI modified the get selected layers code I posted to create the smart object layer, As the cods stands the Smart object layer name will be the bottom not the top name. However, there is code that is commented out. That code would make the layer name the list of merged layers.
app.activeDocument.suspendHistory('makeSmartObject','main()');
function main() {
try {
var selectedLayers = get_selected_layers_id();
var Names = (get_layer_by_id(selectedLayers[0]).name);
/*
var Names = ""
sTT = stringIDToTypeID;
(ref = new ActionReference()).putEnumerated
(sTT('layer'), sTT('ordinal'), sTT('targetEnum'));
(dsc = new ActionDescriptor()).putReference(sTT('null'), ref)
executeAction(sTT('linkSelectedLayers'), dsc)
with((actveDcmnt = activeDocument).activeLayer)
nme = linkedLayers.pop().name, merge()
actveDcmnt.activeLayer.name = nme
or:
(aD = activeDocument).suspendHistory('', ''), aHS = aD.activeHistoryState
sTT = stringIDToTypeID, dsc = new ActionDescriptor(), arr = ['back
I did not see the simplest way - to get the name of the 1st target layer and assign it after convert to SO.
function main() {
var s2t = stringIDToTypeID;
(tr = new ActionReference).putProperty(s2t('property'), p = s2t('targetLayersIDs'));
tr.putEnumerated(s2t('document'), s2t('ordinal'), s2t('targetEnum'));
(lr = new ActionReference).putProperty(s2t('property'), n = s2t('name'));
lr.putIdentifier(s2t('layer'), executeActionGet(tr).getList(p).getReference(0).getIdentifier(s2t('layerID')));
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I don't have time for "pretty" code with error checking and other nice things, however this script is functional. Simply select all required sequential/contiguous layers and then run the script:
/*
Select all required sequential/contiguous layers before executing this script
Selected Layers to SO Named After Bottom Layer.jsx
v1.1 - Stephen Marsh, 6th May 2021
*/
#target photoshop
// Convert the selected layers to an embedded Smart Object
executeAction(stringIDToTypeID("newPlacedLayer"), undefined, DialogModes.NO);
//app.runMenuItem(stringIDToTypeID('newPlacedLayer'));
// Open the SO (simple method for Photoshop compatible data)
executeAction(stringIDToTypeID("placedLayerEditContents"), undefined, DialogModes.NO);
//app.runMenuItem(stringIDToTypeID('placedLayerEditContents'));
// Select the back layer
app.activeDocument.activeLayer = app.activeDocument.layers[app.activeDocument.layers.length - 1];
// Capture the active layer name
var lyrName = app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name;
// Close SO doc without saving
app.activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
// Rename the base document SO layer
app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name = lyrName;
Left: Original Layers Right: Final named SO layer from selected layers
In Photoshop you can target more that one layer and a script, a plug-in can process these targeted layers. However, Photoshop does not have parallel Processing Support where you cans process layer in parallel using multiple processor support. Most of layer processing is sequential result of steps are use in the next step and the layer stack changes layers are deleted, added and changed. If you target two layers and merge them you effectively delete those two layers and create a new merged layer which will be Photoshop Current active layer. You can have a list open document and lists of layers and lists of targeted layers and each opened document can have an active layer. However, Photoshop is not a Parallel processor there is only a current Active document and that Document may have an current active layer.
So it will be easy to write as script to do what you want. A simple merge two layer script. Lets look at how Merge Down works. It basically that is what you want to do but you want to name the merged layer differently. In the Following Screen capture You will see the merge down blended layer ID 3 Green into layer ID 2 Red using layer ID 3 normal blending mode. Then deleted layer ID 3 Green leaving Layer ID 2 Red in the Layer stack. So you could Target the two layers and run a Photoshop merge layers script that would look at the two targeted Layers manes the merge the layers and rename the active layer using the two original layer manes. Or you could just target layer green like you did before using Ctrl+E merge down. Then you run your MergeDown Photoshop script that looks at the Active Layer's name before it does the Merge Down. Then after the merge down the script add a prefix to the active layer's current name The Original Active Layer name and so the layer names are merged as well.
Here is the mergeDown.jsx I wrote you could script that would also merge the layer names as well as the layers contents. Just target the top layer an press the shortcut you set for the script you could change Ctrl+E to be the Scripts shortcut. You can coment out the alert in the script if you want to.
app.activeDocument.suspendHistory('mergeDown','main()');
function main() {
try {
topLayer = app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name;
mergeDown();
app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name = topLayer + " - " + app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name;
}
catch(e) {alert("Nothing Merged");}
}
function mergeDown() {
var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
executeAction( stringIDToTypeID( "mergeLayersNew" ), descriptor, DialogModes.NO );
}
Here I used the shortcut twice. You can also backout the script with an undo,
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