Smart Objects act dumb...

Yeah it's Friday so I shouldn't be so bitchy, but come on why make this a preference "option" if every time you just happen to drag an image file onto your workspace and you might just even touch an open image with it - bing - it still wants to latch onto whatever file you have open and become a layer/smart object buddy. No means no shouldn't it? Just open the image will ya. Smart Objects are a good thing, but dammit I said no in preferences didn't I?
Now someone else knows this bugs me. I feel better now, have a nice day...

The 15th year is always the charm.
If they changed it to do what you want, then all the hundreds of thousands of people who expect the current behavior from dragging and dropping documents on other documents and actively use that feature would find it to stop working. I'm thinking that might not be well-received at all.
Now, if you're asking for ANOTHER NEW, DIFFERENT preference to govern whether dropping documents on other documents places them as new layers or opens them as new documents, that would be great. We could all have cake and you could eat it too.
But Adobe is not quick to add new preferences to govern modal UI operations. I suspect there are several reasons for this... 1. The development cost is higher - it simply takes more resources to develop and test more different modes of operation. 2. The support cost is higher and (you notwithstanding) overall customer satisfaction may end up lower - we already see a lot of people on this forum asking, "What modal setting did I accidentally check that now makes Photoshop no longer work the way I want?"
Perhaps if we could wire Photoshop to deliver an electric shock when you drag your files to the wrong place...
"You must unlearn what you have learned, young Padawan."
-Noel

Similar Messages

Smart Objects saving in Dumb Place?

Is there any way to tell Photoshop to save smart objects in the same directory as the parent file?
Is there any way to tell Photoshop to save smart objects as a .PSD rather than .PSB?

Yes, thank you Warunicorn.
The question is about smart objects created in a document. Similar to precomping a series of layers in After Effects, where you select some layers, merge them into one sequence and then double click that sequence to edit it directly.
If you follow this workflow in Photoshop, (select layers>convert to smart object) it creates a file that is hidden in the temp and saves it as a .psb. If I wanted to share this document with others, I'd probably want to save as>.psd to some relevant location. Doing this makes a copy which is not linked to the original document.
Maybe there is a better way to do this, but in my professional design setting, our team starts with a large artboard of images- we then puts these images into folders (layer folders), we apply adjustments, write notes and eventually turn several layers into neatly organized smart objects. The smart objects become their own documents for members of the team to work on, and the changes are thus propagated up the line to the original 'parent' artboard... As it stands now, I can either relink the smart objects to documents that have been saved to relevant locations/file types or replace them entirely with link/embed.
Why save these files to temp? Why not save them to the same directory as the parent as a .psd?

Opening DNG as a Smart Object into Photoshop CS5?

I am using a Windows 7 64 bit platform and CS5 64 bit. I have the most recent Camera Raw plug in for my Nikon D3100 camera. In Bridge you are supposed to be able to open a dng file in Camera Raw, make your corrections and then by holding the Shift key it should change the open file button to open it as a Smart Object. When I do that nothing opens in in Photoshop.
Any suggestions?
P

Jeff Schewe wrote:
pbfp wrote:
Can you tell me how to access the workflow settings?
Pretty simple (and the settings are sticky), open a raw image and in the center where the processing info is shown (lower center link) which acts both as an info readout AND a button to change the Workflow Options settings, click on this link...it'll give you a dlog to change the Workflow Settings.
Alter the settings and click Done (cancel doesn't work since it works as a Cancel).
Thereafter, unless you make changes, the Workflow Options should be sticky.
Thank you Jeff for the information.
Please let me know if you think the worflow settings are wrong: Here is how the workflow is currently set: Space: Adobe RGB 1998; Depth: 16bits/channel; Size 34072 x 4608 (14.2 MP); Resolution: 260 p/in.; Sharpen: None; Amount: none; The bix is checked to open in Photoshop as a Smart Object.
Now here is the thing. If I am in Bridge and double click on a dng file or right click on a selection of files and choose Open in Photoshop, it opens a Camera Raw window for the file/s and then if I click on the open objects button, it does open them in Photoshop as smart objects. The problem is that if I select, from the Bridge pop=up menu to open the selected file/s in Camera Raw, it is then that they do not get sent to Photoshop as smart objects. Nothing happens, they just don't open in Photoshop.
I am also having a very hard time sending dng files from Lightroom into Photoshop. So clearly there is something not "connected" properly. Or maybe it is not clearly, but I am supposing that there might be some general issue. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
P

Camera Raw / smart object ?

Using CS3 / CR / Bridge
Scenario:
I've shot 500 wedding images, sorted & edited them in Bridge. Now I'll look at each one in camera raw (in Bridge) and make any needed adjustments. I use CR and adjust / sync as many similar files as I can; zipping thru the 500 images quickly and save without opening, then in Bridge > Tools > Photoshop > Image Processor, I use the image processor to process all the 500 images (while I sleep), and save as tiff or psd. I set the CR options to process as a Smart Object. But the files don't process a SO.
Question:
Is there a way to process /batch process the 500 images and have them saved so later when I open them, they open as smart objects. I only fine tune the client "Picks" as they don't order all the 500 images shot. Now if I want to alter the color balance, exposure, etc., I can double click the smart object, go back into camera raw and make any adjustments/ refinements, click OK and it updates the file. This mantain's a higher integrity of the file.
In CR I know I can check the box "open as a smart object", but that only seems to apply if I immediately open the file (or files) and then save them. It is not practical or feasible to select 500 files, open and save them at one time. If I save the Raw file(s) to open later, (as in my above workflow) then it will not open as a smart object.
Another way to ask this question:
Why can't I use the Image Processor in Bridge / CR to process my 500 CR files as Smart Objects?
When in CR I can set the options to process as a SO, but that only will process the open file(s) in CR as SO. Not practical to process 500 files.
I checked on the Adobe Exchange but did not find any scripts or actions that would facilitate this.
Does anyone know if what I'm trying to do is possible and how?
Thanks,
JeffN

In an effort to keep this question / answer current, (this question is on listed on two forums) here is an answer from Jeff Schewe from the Photoshop > Mac forum.
31. Jul 29, 2010 3:58 PM in response to: Jeff_N
Re: Camera Raw / smart object ?
Jeff_N wrote:
Jeff S
Any thoughts, suggestions, or can this not be done.
I'm pretty sure it's a bug....when recording the action in CS5, if you change the Workflow Options to open as a Smart Object, ALL the settings are hardcoded into the recorded Open action step. This is wrong...if you open an image and change the Workflow OPtions but DON'T try to open as a Smart Object, the Open action is recorded correctly–only the Workflow Options are recorded and when processed the files properly retain their individual original settings. So, the act of changing the Workflow Options to make a Smart Object is incorrectly hard coding the settings in.

How to place raster images as smart objects?

I'm trying to duplicate Photoshop's File:Place menu functionality and I'm experiencing something that I can't figure out. (I've added my code to the end of this message.)
I have a variety of test EPS images that I can run through the File:Place menu. They all appear on the document as "Smart Objects". That is I can then do a bunch of transforms to the image (like rotate, move, deform) before committing to the image to the document.
The important point here is that some images, when opened by Photoshop, first ask that I "Rasterize EPS Format" while others just open up without comment.
While doing these File:Place actions, I've been using the Listener plugin that comes with the SDK to generate code dumps of my actions. From these I've then generated my own code for placing images onto a document. I've had to re-arrange the code a bit to work in Objective-C so there's a good chance that I've done something wrong while translating.
Now if you look at my code you notice a commented out section. If you uncomment those lines then you basically have what I got from the Listener plugin log. But the problem is that this code then doesn't act like the File:Place menu action. It creates a new layer, places the image on the page - but its gone one step too far and the image is no longer a "Smart Object". The image is committed to the layer.
With a bit of experimenting I commented out the line that you can see commented out in my code. However, this does something odd. For all images you can see Photoshop put up a busy icon for a few seconds showing that it is process, but only images that Photoshop wants to "Rasterize EPS Format" actually appear on the page as Smart Objects. Trying to place the images that Photoshop doesn't rasterize results in nothing appearing.
That's my problem. If I uncomment that line in my code then all images that I test with appear on the page - but not as Smart Objects. If I comment out the code then only images that Photoshop wants to rasterize appear - but those that do appear then appear as Smart Objects.
So that's my goal: to place any image onto a document as a Smart Object just like Photoshop's File:Place menu command does. Any ideas where I'm going wrong?
- (SPErr)photoshopPlayeventPlace:(char *)cPath
PIActionDescriptor result = NULL;
Auto_Desc descriptor;
Auto_Desc offsetDetails;
SPErr error = kSPNoError;
Handle aliasValue = NULL;
FullPathToAlias(cPath, aliasValue);
do
error = sPSActionDescriptor->PutAlias(descriptor.get(), keyNull, aliasValue);
if (error) break;
// error = sPSActionDescriptor->PutEnumerated(descriptor.get(), keyFreeTransformCenterState, typeQuadCenterState, enumQCSAverage);
// if (error) break;
error = sPSActionDescriptor->PutUnitFloat(offsetDetails.get(), keyHorizontal, unitDistance, 0);
if (error) break;
error = sPSActionDescriptor->PutUnitFloat(offsetDetails.get(), keyVertical, unitDistance, 0);
if (error) break;
error = sPSActionDescriptor->PutObject(descriptor.get(), keyOffset, classOffset, offsetDetails.get());
if (error) break;
error = sPSActionControl->Play(&result, eventPlace, descriptor.get(), plugInDialogSilent);
if (error) break;
while (false);
if (result != NULL) sPSActionDescriptor->Free(result);
if (aliasValue != NULL) sPSHandle->Dispose(aliasValue);
return error;

If you want to go with Batch I would recommend creating an Action of more or less these steps:
• set the resolution to the same as the background image’s
• change the image from Background Layer to regular Layer if necessary
• convert it to a Smart Object
• add a Drop Shadow Layer Style to the image (do not use Global Angle)
• place the background image (File > Place …)
• move it behind the image layer
• Image > Reveal All
• make Selection from that layer’s transparency (cmd-click its icon in the Layers Panel) and use Image > Crop
• select and transform the image layer to fit the intended position
This would naturally work out best if the images had the same size and proportions.
For the reflection on the floor duplicate the image, flip it vertically, move it in position and reduce its opacity to maybe 10%.
Realistically you may have to hide it partially behind the pillows, a Vector Mask would be an option.

Smart Objects - File size issues

Hey All,
The Question: Not sure if this question has been answered elsewhere. But when using a nested smart object (meaning a smart object within a smart object) Photoshop CS5 doesn't display the correct file size (at bottom left) or seem to account for the nested smart object file size. Is there a "setting" I’m missing to accurately display what the true file size is?
The Problem: Using multiple nested smart objects that I have reduced the size of my image to be 260x200 for web export. Photoshop CS5 won't let me save a file that appears to be only 3mbs claiming it's over 2 gig's. See image below.
Really not sure what to do about this, the company I work for makes lots of changes so using smart objects is necessary for my work flow. But also seems to be slowing me down trying to figure out issues like this and is problematic when it comes to saving all the work I have been doing.
Thanks for the help

FentonDesigns wrote:
when using a nested smart object (meaning a smart object within a smart object) Photoshop CS5 doesn't display the correct file size (at bottom left) or seem to account for the nested smart object file size. Is there a "setting" I’m missing to accurately display what the true file size is?
One thing you might have missed is that Photoshop is not a file editor its a document editor. The sizes Photoshop is displaying are related to how much ram it using for the documents data. How efficient ram is being used etc. File sizes vary all over the place sizes depend on the number of pixels in an image format support layers no layers compression?, transparency. There is no way Photoshop could even guess at any file sizes.
An other is all smart object layer are not created the same and their sizes my be far different the you may think.
Smart object layers have a basic format. There is an embedded object, there is a composite pixel rendering for embedded object that is used for the layer pixels and there is a transform associated for the layer rendered pixels.
Anything Photoshop supports can be an embedded object. These objects are copies of the original object. For example a copy of a RAW file where ACR settings are stored in the file copy metadata. An embedded object might be a copy of a PSD file that has thousands of layers. in any case Photoshop renders pixels for the embedded objects composite view and uses these rendered pixels as the smart object layers pixels. These pixels can not be changed within the document.
However the embed object can be opened and worked on and changed. If the change is committed Photoshop will update the embedded object and render the updated object composit view and replace the layers pixels.
Smart Object Layer Pixels can only be acted on in the document not changed with paint etc. For example the Transform associated with the smart object layer sizes and positions the layer rendering over the canvas. The layer actual size may be larger then, smaller then the canvas size and have a different aspect ratio then the canvas. Example if you place in an image that is larger then the document canvas size one of Adobe Photoshop's Preferences is set by default have Place resize large images to fit within current the documents canvas size. The transform associated with that placed layer would cause the rendering of the layers pixels to fit with in the canvas.
Though an embedded object may contain thousands of layers the actual object may be much smaller then you think for PSD files are compressed object may be compressed. Also while the embedded object may contain vector layers when a smart object layer is transformed the layer is transformed using interpolation like a raster layer for all that is being transformed is the pixels Photoshop rendered for the embedded smart object. The only way to work on the embedded smart object layers it to open the smart object and work on the object itself.j

Manually set height of selected objects / smart objects

This might be a dumb question, considering how many years I've been using Photoshop, but ....
I was lining up and resizing these smart objects, each on its own layer. Typically I simply layout a guide and drag it but I was wondering if there is a way to set an exact height? When you first drag an object you see the height adjusting as a percentage, but once done you see it at 100% if you click again. Just wondering if I could set an exact height numerically somewhere.

Thanks. You'd think after all these years I'd have known. Maybe I did at one time (getting old). When there are many ways to do a thing you sometimes 'work around' a gap in knowledge to 'just get it done' and forget to ask the question "is there an easier way".

Help! Smart object resolution question

I just upgraded from CS2 to CS4. In CS2, when I placed (as a smart object) a 72 dpi image into a 300 dpi image, often it would come in enlarged to the full size of my document. But after accepting the placement and then selecting 'Transform,' the info bar at the top would tell me it was enlarged 200% (or whatever percentage it was), thus indicating the true resolution of my new smart object image. I would then scale it down so I could use it at an acceptable size.
In CS4, it acts differently. If I place a 72 dpi smart object image into my 300 dpi image, once again it imports it blown up to the size of my window. But after placing it and hitting Transform, the percentage may say 100%, or even 60%... when I know that the smart object should be much much smaller. So what it seems is that smart objects are coming in to match physical size - and interpolating as they are placed - rather than staying true to their original resolution. I can drag the 72dpi image into the 300 dpi image and the 72 dpi image will come in physically smaller, at it's native resolution. I can then convert it to a smart object, but that's a time consuming workaround.
Is there a preference setting I'm missing? I haven't found this problem in the forums or in help. I have tried going into my General prefs and turning off 'Resize image During Paste/Place' but all that does is bring my 72 dpi image in at it's full physical size, blown up and interpolated to a fuzzy mess. Hitting transform shows it at 100%... so no help from that.
Hope I've explained it clearly - thanks for the help.

> I can then convert it to a smart object, but that's a time consuming workaround.
it's only one click on a menu.... or you could make a keyboard shortcut? it seems like much less work than changing the ppi.
smart objects are the best feature in the suite.

How do you unlink contents of dup Smart Object layer from it's Orig Layer?

Say you are in camera RAW and you open the image as a Smart Object.
THen duplicate that SO layer.
I want to edit the RAW settings on the duplicate SmartObject layer to be different than the original SO layer.
The problem is that when i do that, BOTH layers are updated with the most recent adjustment in RAW.
I want only one to change and the original to stay the same.
How do you unlink them so they act independent of one another when you edit the contents of the smart Object.
Thanks in advance.
-josh

Yes, theres two cpmpletely different ways to duplicate Smart Objects. Command J or duplicate layer method which merely creates INSTANCES of the same Smart Object. This has a whole variety of different uses, and means that any edits to the smart object will reflect in all its instances.
To duplicate the CONTENTS of the object, there is only one way to do it and Doug has told you how.
Would be nice if command OPTION J did this as an alternative. And that there was some visual distinction in the layers panel between duplicated objects, objects with linked instances, and seperate objects.

Smart Object Display Issue CS5 - Anyone else?

I created a new PS document (CS5 Mac latest version) I have a few layers I grouped and made a smart object for ease of updating and reuse. Problem is my smart object just randomly disappear or even sppear to be "erased" by other layters if i move them around. They are still there and through some random acts I can them to reappear.
I am not even sure if I can explain it right as it is just odd...
Anyone else having dusplay issues with Smrt Objects in CS5?
I am running on a new iMac in 64bit mode.
Thanks!

Try turning Open GL off and relaunching the document. This is most likely something to do with your Graphics card not being able to keep up with Photoshops stringent requirements.

Photoshop CC 14.2 Smart Objects Bug

Hey,
While updating to the latest Photoshop CC 14.2 (today, 17.01.2014) I've found a huge bug with the traditional smart objects behavior.
I recorded a video. Please, take a look on it.

SG... wrote:
Hi Herbert2001,
What do you mean by 'smart objects do not update in realtime'? Can you outline steps to exhibit the behavior?
regards,
steve
Suppose you wanted to create a mirrored setup with two or more smart objects, or your project consists of multiple smart objects that are used throughout the design as repeatable patterns (let's say jewels, or textures).
So you open the contents of the smart object in a new window, and arrange both windows horizontally. Now draw in or change the smart object's contents - nothing happens in the main project. The user is forced to save the smart object first before the changes are applied. In effect a new separate file is generated.
Very cumbersome. Even more counter-productive is that the user cannot edit a smart object's content in place in the original file, and that Photoshop opens a new window instead. (I understand that external files like Illustrator cannot be edited in place, but Photoshop elements should really have that option.)
All of this severely breaks the workflow. An alternative workflow is presented in Photoline: the user is able to create virtual clones/instances of any type of layer, layer groups, and layer masks, and when the source layer is edited in some way those changes update in real time cascading throughout the project. No need for the content to be opened in a separate window. Also worthy of note is that the changes are applied while the user draws or changes the vector shape(s) - which makes it incredibly useful for mirrored painting, to cite just one example.
Flash also offers this type of functionality: double-click a symbol, and the user can edit it in place. Changing the object automatically updates the other instances. Unfortunately even Flash does not update in "real time", only after you made the changes does it update the instances.
All in all, dealing with smart objects in Photoshop is a bit of a pain compared. Just not a very well thought out feature, in my opinion, and in dire need for an update - the externally linked content is a step in the good direction, but the actual implementation of "smart objects" is rather "dumb". ;-)

Vector Smart Object max resolution?

I know it looks a dumb question since its a vector file, but when I resize them really big they look less sharp.Is it just me?Or is there really a cap?
Ty in advance.

Well, then it has been rasterized already.
Just because it is named »Vector Smart Object« doesn’t proof a thing.
But quite probably it was vector content at some time, so You might
try getting that from the people/company that originally created it.

Retaining local axis in Transform Mode (non-Smart object)

Hi guys,
I was wondering if there is any way to track an object's rotation axis something like the difference between Local & Global axes in 3d programs.
I know if I started the transformation as a Smart Objects and keep it as a smart object, it does remember. Is there any other workaround for a non-smart object to retain this information?
Just trying my luck here. Thanks

There is a big difference between a smart object layer and a raster later. Though a smart object layer seems to behave like a raster layer its operation is very different. The Pixels rendered by Photo do not change they are only acted on. Everything is recorded for the layer each smart object layer has an associated transform. If you transform the layer again you actually adjusting the recorded transform your not making a new one. If you transform a raster layer you wind of with a different layer, Pixels may have been deleted or added you do not have access to the old data except in Photoshop history states till it get deleted. Smart object data is protected and survive even save in a layered document.

Open as linked smart object

Hello,
iam looking for a solution to open files in a folder
and copy then into a document.
Its working good, but i need the files to be linked smart object.
Anyone knows a solution ?
Here my Code so far:
See in line 33. Convert to smart object: ?
var file = new File('C:/User_MY PATH.PSD'),
docRef = open(file);
// Use the path to the application and append the samples folder
var samplesFolder = Folder('C:/USERS_MY FOLDER');
//Get all the files in the folder
var fileList = samplesFolder.getFiles()
// open each file
for (var i = 0; i < fileList.length; i++)
// The fileList is folders and files so open only files
if (fileList[i]instanceof File)
open(fileList[i])
// use the document name for the layer name in the merged document
var activeDocName = app.activeDocument.name;
var targetDocName = activeDocName.substring(0, activeDocName.lastIndexOf("."));
// Copy the Document
app.activeDocument.selection.selectAll()
//convertToSmartObject(); THIS ISNT WORKING - CONVERT IT ?
app.activeDocument.selection.copy()
// don’t save anything we did
app.activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES)
//Select specific layer to paste the copy, this is to make sure the layers are in a specific position
var doc = app.activeDocument;
doc.activeLayer = doc.artLayers.getByName("bgr");
//Paste Document
app.activeDocument.paste()
app.activeDocument.activeLayer.name = targetDocName

Use scriptlistener:
var idPlc = charIDToTypeID( "Plc " );
    var desc2 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var idnull = charIDToTypeID( "null" );
    desc2.putPath( idnull, new File( "C:\\Photos\\myPhoto.psd" ) );
    var idLnkd = charIDToTypeID( "Lnkd" );
    desc2.putBoolean( idLnkd, true );
    var idFTcs = charIDToTypeID( "FTcs" );
    var idQCSt = charIDToTypeID( "QCSt" );
    var idQcsa = charIDToTypeID( "Qcsa" );
    desc2.putEnumerated( idFTcs, idQCSt, idQcsa );
    var idOfst = charIDToTypeID( "Ofst" );
        var desc3 = new ActionDescriptor();
        var idHrzn = charIDToTypeID( "Hrzn" );
        var idPxl = charIDToTypeID( "#Pxl" );
        desc3.putUnitDouble( idHrzn, idPxl, 0.000000 );
        var idVrtc = charIDToTypeID( "Vrtc" );
        var idPxl = charIDToTypeID( "#Pxl" );
        desc3.putUnitDouble( idVrtc, idPxl, 0.000000 );
    var idOfst = charIDToTypeID( "Ofst" );
    desc2.putObject( idOfst, idOfst, desc3 );
executeAction( idPlc, desc2, DialogModes.NO );

Photoshop CS4 smart object template just overwrote a raw file - HELP

So. I've been working in Photoshop extensively for about 6 years now and I am well aware that nothing we do in Photoshop or Lightroom is supposed to overwrite a raw file. I'm not talking about changing it to something a little lighter or darker, I'm talking about replacing a picture of one baseball player with another one - and the original? Gone.
Here's what happened: I have a poster template that contains several layers, 7 of which are smart objects. I change the pictures in the template by right-clicking the smart object layer and selecting "replace smart object," browsing to the new image, selecting, and here is what SHOULD happen: the target picture opens in Adobe camera raw, I make some small edits, click done or okay or something similar, and that new image has replaced the old one in the template. What DID happen was this: I followed the procedure above and selected my target raw file, the picture that was already in the template (the one I was trying to replace with my target file) opened in Adobe camera raw. I thought - Hey, that's wierd! Closed the ACR dialog and tried again. Same thing happened. I opened lightroom and saw - to my HORROR - that the target file had been changed to the same image that was in the template.
If it clarifies: pictures of player A (who played in 2009) is in all of the smart object layers in my template. I want to make that poster be of player B (who played in 2012) so I begin replacing all the smart objects. When I get to the 3rd image in the poster template, Photoshop overwrites my raw file of player B with the smart object photo of Player A. There were no photos of player A on the network drive that the picture of Player B was on. But there's one now. My raw file shows that it was modified about 10 minutes ago.
We tried undoing in Photoshop. That did nothing. We tried deleting the xmp file. That did nothing. We removed it from the lightroom catalog and reimported it. It is now a picture of Player A from 2009 and my picture of Player B from 2012 is just gone.
Anybody have any idea what this could be and how we could avoid it in the future?
Best,
Jamey

mojoimagery wrote:
Now - JJ - when you say "overlay files" - what do you mean? Because that feels like a good description for what happened.
We performed no save operation at any point during the sequence of events that ended with the image in one raw file being replaced by the image in the smart object.
As I wrote Smart Object layers embedded object is a copy of the original and if you replace it you replace it with a copy of some other object. Embedded object are copies and independent from the original. If after creating a smart Object layer who's embedded object is a copy of a raw file and its conversion settings. You change the original RAW files RAW conversion settings the smart object layer raw conversion setting are not changes for its a copy with independent raw conversion settings. When you replace a smart object layers contents you will replace the embedded object and you should replace it with an object the has the same pixel size and orientation. Because there is an associated transform for the object in the layer that is not replaced. The replacement is also a copy. If the original smart object was created using File Open where you choose a RAW file ACR would open with the RAW files current conversion settings. In ACR you can changes the setting then hold down the shift key to change the open image button to an Open Object button. Using that button ACR will open a smart object layer in Photoshop the contents of the embedded object is a copy of the RAW file and the current ACR settings. No File is written Photoshop is not a File Editor its a Document editor that has many data structures for different layer types. When you replace the contents of a smart object you will be put into a "Place" file selection dialog if you choose a raw file it should have the same orientation as the image being replaced because of the associated transform. When you choose a RAW file ACR will open and you can change the conversion settings however there will be no Open Image button instead there will be an OK button. There is also a save image button and you can save a RAW file that is a DNG file not a CR2 file. Like the DNG converter. If you click the OK button the embedded object in the smart object layer will be replaced with a copy of the selected RAW file and the current ACR settings. Again there is no file written Photoshop is not a File editor just the embedded smart object data is replaced in Photoshop smart object layer's data structure.
I do not think the use of smart objects in you process caused what you are experiencing and because it only happens once an a while I feel its more likely caused by some human error made during the processing in those cases. I would look elsewhere for what causing the overlay. In the place file selection dialog it is possible to rename files perhaps even by accident. Programs like LR and Bridge can rename and copy files perhaps overlay other files.

Smart Objects act dumb...

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