FEATURE REQUEST: Dats SETS -add a Checkbox for images to be LINKED not just embedded rasters.

Report · Sep 30, 2023

I love me some data sets. They are great for a data-driven workflow. For a small amount of graphics, using visibility variables is fine in your template. You simply use LINKED images for these graphic design elements. When you have LOTS of different images, the PIXEL REPLACEMENT allows you to path to say, individual photos, but the resultant PSDs you export out from your template have those images embedded.

It would be a quality of life improvement it there was a simple CHECKBOX under PIXEL REPLACEMENT to bring the pathed image in as a LINKED image.

Why is this of benefit? If I update a LINKED photo, I could just load the PSD and update it there. WIth the current PIXEL embeds, I have to go through the template and re-export the data set.

This adds additional benefit if you have started to do individual edits on your DATA SET psds. Re-exporting your DATA SET just to update a PIXEL REPLACEMENT would over-write your one-off changes on that PSD.

I know that gets into some philosophical arguments about whether you should drive all changes from the CSV/template, but I believe it is common that once you get to final polish, you know you have to break that export dependency.

Thanks!

-Greg

Report · Sep 30, 2023

I've added my vote, I doubt that this code has been looked at since it was first added to Photoshop.

I wrote a script to convert embedded smart objects to linked smart objects, however, it creates a new saved .psb asset from the embedded image as it has no idea if the original image exists or where the location might be.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/converting-to-linked-smart-object/td-...

Although it's possible to relink the image via a script, you would have to locate the replacement via a dialog selection or paste the full file system path to the file.

So I'd be interested in finding a solution until Adobe add such a feature, however such solutions are being performed after the fact, when it ideally should happen at the time of the pixel replacement as per your suggestion for a checkbox.