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maddoxgrey42
maddoxgrey42
Participant
July 31, 2018
Answered

Opening as Smart Object from Lightroom vs Converting to Smart Object

  • July 31, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 1443 views

I use Lightroom to organize all my photographs and used to use it for editing, in the last six months I've started to edit mostly in Photoshop. I learned about smart objects early on so I almost always open the image as a smart object in Photoshop. I've noticed a difference in how smart objects work in Photoshop, hopefully I can state this clearly and someone here can answer my question. Here is my workflow:

1) From Lightroom, once I have the image I want to edit I choose to open this object in Photoshop as a smart object.

2) Once the image opens in Photoshop, if I double-click on the smart object layer I get the camera raw editor so I can make any edits I want to it.

3) Once my RAW edits are done I right-click on the smart object layer and select Convert To Smart Object. Now when I double-click on the smart object layer it opens up in a new tab in Photoshop and I can basically treat that layer as it's own image. So it's a smart object within a smart object.

4) I can repeat this process as often as I like, although it will create a large file if I create multiple smart object layers.

My question is regarding step 3, converting the "smart object" to a smart object. When I tried to explain this to people I know who have used Photoshop for a long time they thought it was a glitch, they didn't realize you could create smart objects within smart objects. But when I watch videos online about Photoshop smart objects this is all they talk about, although they leave out the part about having to right-click on a smart object that was opened from Lightroom and convert it to a smart object. So I have a few questions.

1) Does this workflow make sense? I realize there are multiple ways to accomplish things in Photoshop and everyone has their own workflow. But I just want to make sure I'm not picking up any bad editing habits from the start. I don't do this for every image, mostly for ones where there are different areas of photograph that I really want to focus on and require very different editing.

2) Why is it that when I open an image as a smart object from Lightroom I then have to right-click on it to convert it to a smart object again in order to get it to open up in a separate tab? Basically why do smart objects act differently depending on how they are created?

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer D Fosse

    You can nest smart objects as much as you like, but it's only useful in very special scenarios.

    The main purpose of doing it this way would be to add adjustment layers and masks, and then "package" the result for a new round of layers and masks. You need to decide for yourself whether the rapidly growing overhead is worth it.

    Smart objects don't behave differently. They are all opened by double-clicking the smart object thumbnail in Layers, and then the "child" opens separately. If it's a Photoshop file, it opens in Photoshop. If it's a raw file, it opens in ACR. If it's an Ai vector file, it opens in Illustrator. And so on.

    (edited for clarity)

    3 replies

    TheDigitalDog
    TheDigitalDog
    Inspiring
    September 18, 2021

    Just think of the SO as (in this case) a raw being embedded into a PSD/TIFF etc and when you wish to edit that part of the data, ACR opens it up so you can do so. IF (big if) you have no need to place a raw with other rendered data and prefer to work in LR, then there is little benefit to placing that raw, as a SO in some Photoshop document container. 

    Author “Color Management for Photographers" & "Photoshop CC Color Management/pluralsight"
    maddoxgrey42
    maddoxgrey42Author
    Participant
    July 31, 2018

    So is it safe to say that when I’m opening it as a smart object through Lightroom, that Photoshop views it as a Lightroom related smart object and therefore opens up ACR. And when I convert it to a smart object it’s basically converting it to a Photoshop smart object and therefore allows me to create nested smart objects instead of opening ACR? So they’re all smart objects they’re just associated with different apps almost like file extensions, file.doc would open Word and file.xls would open Excel.

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 31, 2018

    It's even simpler than you think. Don't overcomplicate it. The smart object opens in whatever application it would normally open in, if it was a standalone file.

    A raw file, if that's what's in the smart object, opens in ACR because that's where raw files open. Ignore the fact that it's coming from Lightroom - the "edit in" command basically hands everything over to ACR. Lightroom just says, here are my settings, you take over now.

    Photoshop can't open raw files. That's why ACR is there.

    If what's in the smart object is another smart object, then that's a Photoshop file. So it opens in Photoshop. If there's a nested raw file inside that again is irrelevant at this point. It's a Photoshop file, and it opens in Photoshop.

    maddoxgrey42
    maddoxgrey42Author
    Participant
    July 31, 2018

    But overcomplicating things is what I do! Thank you very much for that answer, I think it finally makes sense to me now : )

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    July 31, 2018

    You can nest smart objects as much as you like, but it's only useful in very special scenarios.

    The main purpose of doing it this way would be to add adjustment layers and masks, and then "package" the result for a new round of layers and masks. You need to decide for yourself whether the rapidly growing overhead is worth it.

    Smart objects don't behave differently. They are all opened by double-clicking the smart object thumbnail in Layers, and then the "child" opens separately. If it's a Photoshop file, it opens in Photoshop. If it's a raw file, it opens in ACR. If it's an Ai vector file, it opens in Illustrator. And so on.

    (edited for clarity)

    maddoxgrey42
    maddoxgrey42Author
    Participant
    July 31, 2018

    Thanks for the input! I guess the part I'm confused on is that "smart objects don't behave differently". Because if I open an image as a smart object from Lightroom the only thing I can do is open ACR when I double-click on it. But if I right-click on it and convert it to smart object (even though it already is a smart object) then when I double-click on it a new tab opens instead of ACR popping up.  So do I get a different outcome because of the "type" of smart object it is? I've gotten used to doing it that way so it works with my workflow but just trying to wrap my head around the way smart objects work.

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    July 31, 2018

    The smart object opens in its native application, the one it was originally created in. That's the common behavior.

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