Un-smart or Revert a Smart Object

[team_graham99]

It'd be very convenient if there was a shortcut key or button that could "revert" or "un-smart" a smart object to what is contained within it. I know you can open the smart object, and drag the contents back to your working PSD, but having a button to toggle between these stages would be very helpful.

If anybody knows an easy way to do this already, please let me know.

Thanks,

Graham

[Chris Cox]

No one step way to do it, and only rarely could it even be done without significant loss.

Smart Objects can have a different depth, resolution, color mode, and profiles relative to the parent document.

Only if EVERYTHING perfectly matched could we take the contents out of a Smart Object and put them in the parent document without loss.

But you can already do that by opening the child and dragging the layers to the parent.

[team_graham99]

Thanks Chris. I was hoping there'd be an easy one-step way to do it, but you're right, there could be many characteristics distinct to the smart object that would not toggle back appropriately to the parent.

[retouchMOJO]

Under the menu "Edit/Menus..." Be sure you are in the "Menu For: Application Menus" tab.

Choose "Layer/Rasterize" and assign the keyboard shortcut of your choice.

[team_graham99]

Thanks Michael but I was looking for a non-destructive way to toggle the smart object layer into an expansion of its contents.

[Gyno-jiz]

Pretty easy to write an action for same depth, same colorspace, non-vector, non-raw smart objects: edit contents, select all layers, move to group, move to previous doc, close and dump old SO. On second thought, you can't really action a drag and drop, can you. As usual, after Chris posts, there'a not really much more (useful) to say...

[Chris Cox]

Maybe I should give you more time before writing my own responses?  🙂

[c.pfaffenbichler]

It could be Scripted including a check for mode, profile, bit-depth etc.

[Reynolds__Mark_ · Accepted solution]

Thanks Michael but I was looking for a non-destructive way to toggle the smart object layer into an expansion of its contents.

Thats the point, it can't be non-destructive if the containing document (what Chris is calling the parent) is a different resolution, mode or bit depth.

If you mean you would like to be able to return multiple layers of the Smart Object intact, into the containing document - then this is a good Feature Request. Of course this could only happen by contextually converting mode, dumping the Adjustment Layers, and resampling the contents of the Smart Object. So a dialog warning would be necessary. This would be a useful feature because it would allow the temporary 'embedding' of layers, to simplify layer structure on complex documents - another use for Smart Objects!  Its a feature I would use.

[team_graham99]

Yes Mark, you are correct. I would like to be able to return multiple layers of the Smart Object intact to the containing document. And the reason being is just as you said, when you have a long and complex layering system, it's handy to convert layer groups (and adjustment layers) into Smart objects which can easily be selected and manipulated.

I look forward to seeing this in the next CS!

[Terry_Veiga]

+1

Sent from my iPhone

[c.pfaffenbichler]

I’m not quite clear on what you want specifically – re-introduce the untransformed layers or get the layers back but with the Smart Object’s transformations applied to them?

[hannes-grebin]

You can just open the smart object and copy all layers within the opened document and paste them back to the file originally containing the smart object.

[Lumigraphics]

You are replying to a 13 year old thread.

[thejanebradbury]

Or even simpler, right-click the Smart Object layer and choose Convert To Layers.

[Jeff Arola]

Have you tried the newest photoshop 2020 (version 21.0) that includes Convert Smart Object to layers

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/whats-new/2020.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/create-smart-objects.html#convert-smart-object-to-layers

[RoséJellié]

@ Jeff Arola 

This doesn't not keep the transformations. Let's say I convert several layers to a smart object, move the smart object to a different position, and make the smart object smaller to fit into the design appropriately. Once I choose "Convert To Layers", the element does not keep its exact position and size.

What I had to do was duplicate the smart object so that I had 2 copies of the element. They both sat directly atop one another — already perfectly positioned & sized within the layout. Then I converted one of the smart objects to layers — it grew larger & moved across the artboard after it was "unpacked". Then I used the first copy of the smart object (still a smart object) as a guide for placement of the second element (the smart object that I converted to layers). I had to re-position & re-size that second element (the one that was once a smart object but has now been converted to layers). Then after it was resized and repositioned, I deleted the smart object that I used as a guide for placement of the unpacked layers.

I wish all those transformations happened automatically with the "unpacking" of the smart object.

[MatejKriz]

This is what I was looking for. Thank you.