Photoshop Smart Object Pretends to Save but Actually Doesn't Save or Apply Changes

[WaxWings]

When working in Photoshop, creating a Smart Object, opening the Smart Object, editing the Smart Object, Saving the Smart Object, Closing the Smart Object, returning to the original file with the Smart Object (now edited). 

Normally after saving the Smart Object the changes apply to the Smart Object in the original file. After a recent Photoshop Update, sometime within the last month or so SOMETIMES and I haven't been able to figure out what or why, I'll save the Smart Object and it will save, however it does not apply the changes to the Smart Object in the original file. If i close the Smart Object I am editing (even after Saving it) it will close and any edits will be lost, I'll be left with the original unedited Smart Object within the original PSD file.

This is an effing nightmare. Anyone else run into this issue, have a fix, and/or know what is causing the Smart Object to randomly save in some mystical realm without apply itself to the Smart Object I originally opened?

There have been a few times I have caught it not saving before losing my work and I've had to open the original Smart Object again (so now I have two Smart Objects open, the edited one that is saving to some fictional location and the original unedited file) drag my work from the edited Smart Object over to the original uneditted Smart Object and re-save the original Smart Object with the new editted art work.

It's like the Smart Object is suddenly disconnected from it's source and goes through the motions of saving without actually saving or applying changes to the existing original Smart Object that was opened/edited.

[barbara_a]

This post may have some helpful information for you.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/problem-smart-object-ask-to-save-it-b....

[Bojan Živković]

Can you describe process of creating or placing Smart Object into file? Can you post short video or some screenshot along the way?

Are you aware of some limitations when placing file in the document like placing JPG file will allow you to edit SO but will not allow you to save with additional layers before saving file as a new PSD/PSB and relinking it. Have you tried to flatten edits when editing SO layer which contains only Background layer?

[WaxWings]

The Smart Object in this most recent case this an asset originally created from two base layers in a PSD file; highlighted in the picture below as the 'Line Art' and 'Base' Layers. 

'Line Art' is line art that I'd drawn in the original Photoshop file, 'Base' is a solid color fill defined by the 'Line Art' layer above it. Image below shows to two layers after the Smart Object has been created and opened.

At any point beyond opening the Smart Object is when things (seemingly at random) can go wrong. Most of the time (probably to lure my into a false sense of security) I can save them, make edits, save them, close and open, save them again, etc etc and everything works fine, however sometimes it'll derail on the first attempt to Save while other times it'll work for awhile (Saving and applying changes correctly) then suddenly stopping applying changes or actually Saving (while still going through the motions of Saving the Smart Object correctly).

Something else to note is in this instance it happend with a Photoshop Cloud file. I cannot recall if previous times this has happened were with Cloud files or files saved locally.

I've been using this process of creating and editing Smart Objects without trouble for going on 8 years and it's only in the last couple months that I started running into this issue (again, seemingly at random).

[WaxWings]

Saving the Smart Objects in their default .psb format, Saving the PSD file the Smart Object is in as a .PSD file. At no point am I working with JPEGs or formats not supported by Smart Objects.

[D Fosse]

To sum up: the smart object is not updating. On the face of it, that's a bug.

As a very first step in troubleshooting this, I'd find out if it's strictly cloud, or also happens when saving to local disks. That's a pretty crucial distinction.

This sounds to me like one of those things that can happen when saving to cloud (or for that matter, a network connection to external server).