Nested Smart Objects in CS4 Win

I made a text layer and converted it to a smart object.
I copied the smart object.
When I changed the original smart object, the copy also changed. So far so good.
Then I created a second copy of the original smart object and again changed the original. The change was reflected in both the children. Still as expected.
I then combined the two offspring into another smart object. From then on, updates to the original were not replicated to the children.
By combining the children into a group instead of a smart object, changes rippled down as expected.
Is there a limit on nesting depth of smart objects to just one level? If so, where is it documented, since I have found no mention in the help file?
Otherwise, what am I doing wrong?
Thanks.
PhotoShop CS4 Win XP SP3 fully up to date.

When nesting a second time, you break the hierarchy. PS has no concept of true instancing, it merely manages hierarchies. It is utterly agnostic of what you do on the lower levels. What you do could probably be done by replacing the content of your smart objects with pre-existiing other SOed files, but depending on how many levels you plan on using, this could become pretty hairy...
Mylenium

Similar Messages

Smart Objects in CS4 not opening correctly

I am experiencing a problem in CS4 at work that is giving some trouble. First off, I'm running a quad core, Mac Pro running Snow Leopard with 3GB of RAM.
Here is my issue. If I have an existing Photoshop document with a placed EPS Smart Object file (which was created in Illustator CS3 or CS4) or I Place an image using File>Place, and I double click it to open for editing, it's opening in Preview and not in Illustrator. But, if I open the EPS in Illustrator, select the graphic, copy, then paste into Photoshop as a Smart Object, double-clicking the square to edit works just fine.
After searching through the preference and Google searches, I just can't seem to figure out why.
Please help for this is very frustrating!
Thanks in advance.
JimmyDC

Thanks Chris,
That's pretty much what I had to do. Basically, I had to control-I on an EPS file, change the Open WIth to Illustrator, then checked "use this application to open all like documents" . Works like a dream now.
It appears that Snow Leopard restructured the way files are opened via their creator codes. If anyone is interested, here is a MacWorld article I found that was written back in September.
http://www.macworld.com/article/142937/2009/09/snowfiles.html
Again, thanks for the help!

Transforming smart object in CS4 is good but .......

I have a couple of masked layers that are converted into a smart object.
I make a free transform of those and it works like a charm with my CS4 extended.
Now - I want to get rid of that transformation -
I was hoping that click on the " Not" sign or using escape key would do that , but nope - I get the same " accepting" result as with enter / return key .
Any advice how to get rid of the transformation thing/box without dragging box corner handles into image corners ( frankly that doesn't work either )
There is sure some nice method for this ...
I cannot see any context " reset " menu item either ..
Thank you for any suggestion.

Yes you are missing something. What you've got is a decent feature request.. a way to reset an SO. But in reality it's not really something that any of the current commands
should do. Because in general you only want the
last transformation to be undone.
Smart Object (SO) transformations aren't stored anywhere but in history like all actions. You can use undo (or the History panel) to revert a transformation, but only if it's still available. Which means, depending upon your preference settings, if you transform an object, any object, then proceed to complete 25-30 more actions, you can no longer go back to before that transformation. And, if you are to go back, you lose any actions you've taken since the transformation since history is primary linear. Of course, you can use the history brush to paint back in a history state, but I've never attempted that to get an SO back to before a transformation completed long ago.
In other words, undo.. if undo is not available, then replace the SO.
You can also reset some transformations by initiating a new transform on the SO, then reset the fields listed in the Control Bar manually.

Smart Objects and CS4 Extended

Hello,
I'm wondering if there is a known issue with CS4 Extended and Smart Objects.
It's entirely impossible for me to work with them in CS4, as it constantly unexpectedly quits.
Any attempt to edit the object in Photoshop or in Illustrator and upon updating in Photoshop causes it.
I end having to go back to CS3 if I have to use them.
I have CS4 at home and don't have this issue, so I'm wondering if it's something with Extended. A coworker is having the very same issue also.
We're both working on 2.26 Quad Cores, 10.5.8 and 16 GB of memory.
Any suggestions will be apreciated.
Thanks.
-Vincent

Hi thanks for the reply.
I have the performance set as: Memory Usage 100%, No Scratch disk as I haven't been given a 2nd HD.
20 States of History and Cache Level at 4.
It's a fairly new machine and I haven't done any maintenance as IT keeps it's permissions to itself and I have limited access to system. I don't think they do any maintenance. That said, it has been doing this from the start. I and my coworker got the machines and CS4 extended together and have experienced this issue right away.
I dump the Prefs a number of times during the week, because of regular slow downs with this. Overall I'm finding CS4 EXT is not as reliable as the regular CS4 I have on my home machine, which never unexpectedly quits or requires a dumping of preferences.
Thanks again for the suggestion.
-Vincent

Edit smart object problem - CS4

I have some Illustrator art placed in Photoshop as a smart object. The object contains one main element and then a smaller element off to the side. Now that the object is placed as a smart object I want to edit the content in Illustrator and remove the smaller element that is off to the side. The problem happens that once the element is removed the remaining art placement in the Photoshop document shifts position relative to the new center of the art. Is there any way to change/prevent this?

Giving the objects no fill/stroke has been my work around in the past however this particular element is extremely complex and I was hoping that I could find a quicker and better way. I like the idea of the no fill/stroke bounding box. I will give that a try but I see a potential problem with effects like drop shadows and such. I think that if those effects are expanded and the bounding box set to the area of the expanded raster it might work. I wish that it was "smart" enuf to realize how it was placed/edited and not have to add elements that are for nothing more than to keep it ancored. Is this how it is in CS5?

Smart object will not open in CS4

I have Lightrooom 4.2 and Photoso CS4. When I try to open a RAW file as a smart object in CS4, Photoshop opens but the image does not appear. There is no error message. Any ideas on how to get the image to open?

Your application versions aren't in sync, so this just won't work I'm afraid: CS4 is (roughly) four years behind LR4 and the version of ACR that comes with PS CS4 (5.x - should be on 5.7) won't be able to interpret the edits you've carried out in LR4, assuming you're using the latest process version with the new slider controls.
Very surprised you're not getting any error messages or warnings though. Maybe you switched them off in Lightroom?
M

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

How do I stop automatic placement of files as a smart object in Photoshop CS4?

I have done numerous searches on the internet to find out how to stop Photoshop from placing files as a smart object. I followed the suggestion of going to Edit > Preferences > General to uncheck the "Place or Drag Raster Images as Smart Obejct" but that option does not appear in Photoshop CS4. Does anyone know how to deal with this issue in CS4?

This may sound strange, but to avoid the "Smart Object" designation, just stop "placing" the files. Either open them, or copy and paste them into Photoshop.
If you're just opening raster files in Photoshop, they come in as pixels - drag a newly opened raster file onto your target Photoshop file. If you're copy/pasting art from Illustrator, you can choose at the time whether it is a "Smart Object," or "Pixels." Sounds like you want pixels.

Smart objects not opening in CS4

Hi,
A few months ago I upgraded to the entire CS4 Premium design package and everything was working just fine. However, recently I've been having some issues with Illustrator's smart objects, .ai, & .eps files. Every time I choose to edit a smart object within a document in any of the CS4 programs (i.e. Photoshop, InDesign, Dreaweaver, etc..), it keeps loading up Illustrator CS3 instead of using Illustrator CS4 (which is already open). I'm also having the same issue when I doble click on an .ai or .eps file. Instead of it opening the files with the CS4 version, it keeps wanting to open them in the CS3 version - even the files that were originally created in the CS4 version.
I haven't added any new programs, plug-ins or updates since I last upgraded to the CS4 edition, so i really don't know what coul be causing this to happen. Especially since I never had this issue before. If anyone has any ideas on how I can correct this issue, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,
Dave

I've tried setting up the default file to open with a specific program, but I keep getting a message stating that it's not a valid program. Yet CS4 opens & works with no problems. At this point, I'm kind of stumped ?!?

Smart Objects in CS5 behave differently than in CS4?

I've just upgraded from CS4 to CS5, and I've noticed, what is to me, a BIG change in the way Smart Objects work.
Imagine this simplified hypothetical scenario...
I create a document in Illustrator, with two layers.
On one layer would be a 800x600 solid rectangle. On another layer I'd put a small 50x50 circle.
The import thing here is that the circle would be positioned roughly in the top-left corner in relation to the rectangle.
I'd select both objects, go over to Photoshop, create a new 800x600 document, and paste what I've just copied into the document as a Smart Object.
Photoshop would treat both Illustrator layers as one Smart Object of course, and they would get pasted together, and they would look exactly how they did in Illustrator - that being the circle positioned in the top left corner of the rectangle.
Now I decide I want to hide the solid rectangle in my Smart Object, but I want to keep the circle exactly as it is now in the Photoshop document.
So I simply double-click to edit the original Illustrator file, and then I hide the layer with the rectangle on it, save the file, close it, and go back to Photoshop.
In CS4, the file would update to show the changes I had made, so the rectangle would disappear and only the circle would remain - and importantly, the circle would maintain its position. It would stay in the top-left corner of my Photoshop document (the rectangle still exists in the original Illustrator file, but the layer it's on is simply hidden).
However, when I do this exact same process in CS5, when I update the Smart Object after hiding the rectangle layer in Illustrator, the Smart Object seems to ignore the rectangle that is hidden in the file, and the solitary circle that remains gets totally shifted into the centre of the 800x600 Photoshop file. So it is now no longer in the top-left corner where it was before.
This is causing me HUGE problems, because I have painstakingly positioned many many various objects in my Illustrator files which then get shifted out of place whenever I make an adjustment!
Is there any way to get CS5 to treat Smart Objects in the same way that CS4 did before it?

Regards your comments above, yes I am aware of that discrepancy, but I very carefully make sure not to change the size or position of the largest object. In other words, when ALL objects on ALL layers are selected, I make sure that the OVERALL X/Y co-ordinates AND X/Y dimensions do not change between adjustments of various isolated objects.
(I actually deliberately keep a "spare" oversized rectangle on a bottom layer to maintain overall size, and it's this layer that I normally switch off in my final Smart Object.)

Spot Channels & Smart Objects in Photoshop CS4

Please Help!
I am trying to replace a smart object in Photoshop CS4 with a .psd, pdf or tiff image that contains a spot channel and it is not being honored in Photoshop
The Channel tab does not honor the "Spot Channel" from the replaced Smart Object image.
Question is: How can I replace a Smart Object and hold the spot channel?
Thank you

I don't believe spot channels transfer from smart objects but there is a workaround.
1. Select Smart Object Layer. Layer: Smart Objects: New Smart Object Via Copy
2. Open the new smart object
3. Load spot channel as a selection.
4. Layer: New Fill Layer: Solid color.
5. Hide or delete all other layers.
6. Save and return to parent document
7. Load the smart object layer as a selection and hide the layer
8. Invert selection, save selection
9. Change the new alpha to the appropriate spot color channel
Let me know if that doesn't work.

Illustrator CS4 Text & Shape logo is pixelated when placing as smart object in PS

I made a Logo in Illustrator CS4 containing text & shape. The lines are crisp and clear at 100% & 200%+. I save my file as an ai and also another version as outlined. But when I copy & paste it into Photoshop CS4 as a smart object it becomes pixelated when I zoom in more than 100%. Is there a way to fix this?
When I use to do this in CS3 it worked fine, but now it doesn't work. The Photoshop file, placed as a smart object is the one on the left at 200%. You can already tell the pixels are distorted. The one on the right side is Illustrator file at 800% and is still crisp & clean. I've saved as eps, tiff, jpeg from illustrator and when opening it in photoshop and zooming in it's pixelated....and yes AA is turned on in Illustrator and nothing happens when I view as overprint either.
First, I'd like the logo in jpeg crisp and clear when zoomed in.
Second, I'd like to resolve the smart object issue in PS. I know a smart object will hold it's quality no matter the resize of the image in PS, but I can't get it to work... Can someone offer any suggestions

What is the ppi of the Photoshop file?
And for what it's worth, any raster image will never be as crisp and clear as a vector image, smart object or otherwise. Photoshop shows raster previews even if the actual object is vector. If you zoom in on any raster iamge, you'll see pixelation.

Hi :) Problem opening a smart object in PS CS4.

Hi I'm struggling to open a smart object in Photoshop CS4 from Lightroom 5. It gives me the option in LR, opens PS, but the image doesn't open. Just wondering if I need to alter any settings to get it to work?
Thanks,
Lou x

No way. You are using two incompatible versions, art least where Raw processing is concerned. You would need Photoshop CC to establish such a workflow using LR 5.
Mylenium

Jagged edge of Smart Objects in Photoshop CS4!

Vector graphics created in Illustrator CS4 and pasted as Smart Objects into Photoshop CS4 used to appear perfectly smooth. This has stopped. I now get very jagged edged Smart Objects which are quite useless. I have checked all the Edit preferences and made sure Anti Alias is turned on in the Illustrator files to no effect. What can be done about this? What has suddenly changed and why? Would uninstalling & reinstalling CS4 solve this problem? Has anyone else experienced this and found the solution?

Hi OldBob1957,
Thanks for your helpful suggestion and the links which I've noted for future
reference.
However, I think the problem is solved and I'm indebted to Chris Cox of
Photoshop Family for
No idea. The only time I saw this happen was when someone mistakenly turned
off the antialias
feature when placing the smart object. (which is why I put the antialias
checkbox in the transform
toolbar to make it more visible in later releases)
And of course when I checked I had done exactly that and been struggling for
weeks!
Now unblinkered.
Regards,
John

Smart objects from PS CS5 being edited in AI CS4

I have both the CS4 and CS5 creative suits loaded on my machine.
Just recently when I edit smart objects in Photoshop CS5 it launches Illustrator CS4 to edit the objects. I am also seeing this in InDesign where it will choose AI CS4 when I select edit original.
Is there a way to change the default to use CS5 products?
Thanks,
Phil

Try changing the file association of the .AI file format from CS4 to CS5 through Windows, usually done by right clicking on a .AI file and choosing Open With->Chose default program

Nested Smart Objects in CS4 Win

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for