Re-linking PS smart-objects on mass?

[blackberryd1991]

Hope this makes sense?!

A colleague [who works off-site] has been working on a number of PS files, using smart-objects etc. He has now sent us all the PSDs and a folder with all the smart-objects collected together [so not packaged individually].

When we open these PSDs, the smart-objects are 'missing' and we have to re-link individually to the folder he created containing all the smart-objects.

I was wondering if there's a way to tell PS to search this new folder for ALL the missing smart-objects on mass, as appose to us doing it manually, one at a time.

Or, when we manually re-link one missing smart-object, is there no way to tell PS to search the same folder for other files that match the smart-object file name [like you can in InDesign]?

Thanks in advance.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

What happens when you put the containing document into the same Folder and open it from there? 

[blackberryd1991]

You mean put the PSD into the folder conatining all the smart-objects? Haven't tried this but we can.

Just hoping there is a way to tell PSD to re-link all smart-object to a folder contained on my desktop as appose to my colleagues desktop all at once, rather than having to do it one at a time! 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

»You mean put the PSD into the folder conatining all the smart-objects?«

Yes, I seem to recall it being mentioned once that missing linked SOs would be looked for beside the containing dsdocument. 

[blackberryd1991]

Ok, update! I moved a PSD to the 'smart-object' folder and it did link/find the relevant files [it just asked me to 'Update All Modified Smart Objects', which confused us a bit as we didn't think anything had been modified, but I did as asked and it seemed all fine].

However, when I then tried to package the file, it still told me some SO where missing.

So, I'm guessing these missing SO are within the 'next-level' [if that makes sense]. What's annoying with PS is that there doesn't seem to be a way of pin-pointing which SO I have to double-click to find the missing file. I have to keep opening them until I find it...it could be several levels deep if the designer has used smart-objects within smart-object within smart-objects.

Maybe this will have to be another thread...is there no way of finding where the missing SO is without manually searching?   

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Hmm, I am surprised that Photoshop would check for missing Linked SOs within the Linked SOs. 

So none of the SOs currently show the »warning«-sign in the Layers Panel? 

[blackberryd1991]

You are correct. No warning signs in the Layers Panel, but still wont package due to missing SO [which I'm putting down to the missing item being within one of the 'top level' SO].

I'm going to search it out manually to find out where it is and if it's a file that's the designer hasn't included....I'll report back!

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Have you saved the containg Document after opening it? 

[blackberryd1991]

Yes, didn't make any difference.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

A quick test seems to confirm that you are indeed right and missing Linked SOs in Linked SOs trip up the packaging. 

But in that case it would seem the person that originally provided the data did not package the file at all but may have just manually (and incompletely) collected the files, so ideally it should be up to them to provide the data again, but this time properly packaged. 

[blackberryd1991]

I managed to 'sort' one of the PSDs [see my reply below].

I need to ask the Designer his process of collecting all the SO and how one was left out [as the missing SO wasn't part of the final image I can see why he didn't include it but PS was still recognising it as missing, as it was still a layer].

I can also see why he didn't package all the files. If we need to amend a SO, we can still do it globally. If he packages all the PSD's we have to amend each one.

If PS did have a way to finding what level and what SO has the issue, it would solve our problem as searching manually is time consuming.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Might be worth posting a Feature Request over at https://feedback.photoshop.com/

[blackberryd1991]

Yeah, will do. I'm sure I'm not the first person to have this issue!

Cheers for your help anyway 🙂

[RuskinF]

I hope you understood that putting the containing document into the same folder as the smart-objects solves the problem.

The software finds and links to the appropriate file when all the files are in the same document.

[blackberryd1991]

Yes, as mentioned above, moving a PSD to the same folder as the smart-objects did re-link to the revevant files...but it still wont package due to 'missing smart-objects'.

[blackberryd1991]

Ok, so I found the 'missing smart-object'. It was effectively 3 levels deep and was a layer that had its 'layer visability' turned off.

As this layer wasn't part of the final image, the designer didn't include it as part of his 'smart-objects' folder [so technically his fault I guess].

But the point remains, I had to search manually to find out where the missing SO was. It would be much easiler if PS had a way of pin-pointing where it is.