Exposure Blending with Smart Objects

Last week, we looked at creating copies of Smart Objects in Photoshop, and we saw that regular copies are linked together in a special way such that when you update one Smart Object, you update ALL the copies of Smart Objects. We put this principle to work in creating a Picture Package template that was completely reusable.

This week, we’ll ask the question once again: When is a copy not a copy? When it is a copy of a Smart Object! We are going to create Smart Object copies in a such a way that they are completely unlinked, independent and separate, and each of these copies will be able to be changed without impacting the other.

Let’s start with this image of a Royal Tern fishing. In this case, we want to have our subject be as sharp and well-defined as possible, while we try to completely avoid sharpening the sky – as that will emphasize the noise inherent in the blue channel:

Please note that these images are resized to fit within this page’s width – but you can and should click to enlarge to see the details we are discussing.

We’ll go ahead and open this from Bridge CS5 by highlighting the file and pressing Ctrl-R/Cmd-R to open the image in Adobe Camera Raw. In the ACR dialog box, I’m faced with a dilemma: I want the bird to be sharp, but sharpening creates very visible noise in the sky:

The new luminance noise reduction features in CS5 work wonders on the sky, but even with detail protection active, the bird’s body is turned into a blotchy mess when we crank up the noise reduction:

Within ACR is a great feature, the Adjustment Brush, that provides great control over many parameters and lets you paint in the effect where you please. However, the Adjustment Brush (at least in the latest version) can’t control the noise reduction setting. We need a way to develop this RAW image twice – once for the sky, and once for the detail – and Smart Objects will provide the means.

Let’s leave the noise reduction up, and open this as a Smart Object in Photoshop by holding the Shift Key, and clicking “Open Object” in the ACR dialog window. The Smart Object is prepared and appears in the Layers panel, identified with the Smart Object “package” icon. I’ve renamed this layer “Smooth Sky:”

Now, we need to make a copy of this Smart Object and change the develop settings to sharpen for the subject, the bird. However, as we saw last week, copying a Smart Object creates a “live link” between the two layers, so any changes made to one are seen in the other. Unless…

The answer is to copy using a different command. Select the following command:

 Layer > Smart Objects > New Smart Object via Copy

This will create a brand new, unlinked, completely independent Smart Object. I changed the name of this one to “Sharp Bird:”

Now, we choose the Sharp Bird layer, double click the icon to re-open the image in ACR, and change the settings to sharpen the detail of the subject, ignoring the sky:

Now, add a black layer mask to hide this entire layer, by holding Alt and clicking the “Add Layer Mask” icon, or by choosing Layer > Layer Mask > Hide All. Then, using a white brush, paint back in the sharp areas of the bird, focusing especially on the eyes, beak and feather detail:

You can, of course, get as ambitious as you want in creating the mask for the sharpened layer, even going as far as to create an edge mask to reveal sharpening only in the areas where there are well-defined edges (but that’s a topic for another Tip). Be careful to avoid letting any of the sharpened area of the sly show, you may need to go back in and touch up any areas that spill over. Here are the final results:

Smooth sky, blurry subject:

Sharp subject, noisy sky:

Combination using two Smart Objects and a layer mask:

Now you’ve seen two ways to create Smart Object copies – one, maintaining the link between the copies, and today, this technique, which severs the link and allows complete independence. Give it a try and see what you can do!

Picture Package with Smart Objects

When is a copy not a copy? When it is a copy of a Smart Object! In Photoshop, there are two very different ways to create copies of Smart Objects, and each of these has unique and special qualities and behaviors, which we’ll review right here.

In Photoshop CS4, Adobe “retired” the Picture Package script from the released Photoshop product, although they have, and still do make it available as a download. Many people have worried, fretted and fumed over this omission. But, with Smart Objects, we can create our own Picture Package in Photoshop – better, stronger and faster. Let me show you how.

Before we get started, however, a note for anyone using Photoshop CS5. Adobe has added a new option in preferences that controls how raster images are placed into images. If you’re following along with Photoshop CS5, you’ll want to select Edit > Preferences and make sure you have checked the option for “Place or Drag Raster Images as Smart Objects.”

Users of Photoshop CS4 or CS3 won’t need to do this.

Now, let’s create our Picture Package template. Open a new document, 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall (US standard paper size, you can adjust to your local taste). Then, show rulers (Control-R/Command-R) and drag out guides to define the locations where you want your pictures to go. In this case, I’ve created a document that will hold one 5×7 image, and four 2.5×3.5 images. For best results, you should keep the aspect ration the same for all images in the document:

Now, with CS5 I’ll open the Mini Bridge, and drag an image file onto my document. This will have the same effect as File > Place…, and you can use that command in older versions of Photoshop to get the same results:

When the document appears on the workspace, it will have the large “X” through it, indicating that you are placing the file. At this point you can move and resize it. I’ll move it into position on the left side and resize it to fill the 5×7 frame. It helps to have “snap” enabled (View > Snap To > Guides). Then, in order to commit the placement, I’ll click the checkmark icon:

Notice that the image has been placed as a Smart Object, as evidenced by the package icon in the Layers panel. I’ve changed the name of the layer to “Photo:”

Now, to make the copies. Make sure that the Photo layer is selected, and press Control-J (Command-J), or choose Layer > New > Layer via Copy. This creates a second smart object which is linked to the first smart object. This is a key concept when copying Smart Objects in this way.

Now, I’ll use Edit > Free Transform (Control-T/Command-T) to move and resize the copy of the image into position in one of the smaller cells:

Now, I’ll repeat that three more times to fill the remaining cells. Control-J, Control-T, Drag, Checkmark:

There you have it! Your finished Picture Package… for a 5×7 and four 2.5×3.5 images, ready to be printed.

Not so easy, you say? Lots of work? Here’s the kicker: You never have to do this, ever again! You can reuse this over and over. This is due to the way we copied the Smart Objects, using “New Layer via Copy,” and the fact that in doing so we created four copies that are linked to the first object. Here’s how we put this principle to use in a reusable template:

Start with the image we just created, with the five Smart Objects placed into the Picture Package template. Now, right-click (command click) on any of the Smart Object Layers, and choose “Replace Contents.”

Then navigate to another image (for best results, it should be the same size and aspect ratio). Select it and choose “Place.”

That’s all there is to it. Your Picture Package is updated with the new image, thanks to the capabilities of Smart Objects. Since all the copies are linked together, replacing the contents of one, replaces the contents of all of them, simultaneously!

As long as your new images have the same dimension, you can swap them out endlessly, making this a useful part of a photographer’s workflow. You can create as many of these Picture Package templates as you like, with different combinations of sizes to suit your needs, but remember: you only have to create them once – then you can use them over, and over, and over…

I hope this gives you some ideas for using the power of Smart Objects. Join me next week, as we look at another way to copy and use Smart Objects, with completely different results.

Smart Objects, Raw Flexibility

Last week, we saw that Smart Object Layers are a special kind of layer within Photoshop, that actually encapsulate data so that you have a “document within a document,” and allow you access to the original unblemished data no matter how badly you warp, twist, bend, fold or mutilate the layer. One very practical use for this concept is to package Camera Raw files within a Photoshop document. By embedding a Camera Raw file as a Smart Object within Photoshop, you actually gain access to the Adobe Camera Raw dialog box at any time you have the Photoshop document open. This gives you tremendous flexibility!

Lightroom users, this applies to you, too. Read on and we’ll cover how to employ this is a Lightroom workflow, too.

Let’s see how this works. We’ll start in the Photoshop CS5 editor, in the mini-Bridge (if you have an earlier version of Photoshop, start with the regular Bridge window). Double click on the thumbnail of the raw file you want to open:

The file, being recognized as a Camera Raw file, opens into Photoshop and the Adobe Camera Raw dialog box is displayed. At this point, you can make any Camera Raw adjustments you please:

Now, you might be tempted to go ahead and click on “Open Image,” but let’s not get hasty! Hover your cursor over the “Open Image” button, and we get a tooltip with alternate instructions. Pressing the Shift Key, it says, will open as a Smart Object:

Note that when you hold the shift key down, the button legend changes to “Open Object.” Go ahead and choose this option:

In a few moments, we are in the Photoshop editor. Notice the Layers Panel – instead of a “Background” pixel layer, we have a layer named after our file, with the telltale “package” icon, indicating a Smart Object. Hovering our cursor over the thumbnail confirms this:

So, what does that buy us? Incredible power, as we’ll see in the next few lessons! For now, let’s try something simple: Double click the layer icon, and notice that you end up back in the Adobe Camera Raw dialog box… with all the earlier adjustments still intact! We can tweak any of the settings, even update the image crop size:

Now, notice the button at the bottom is labeled “OK,” You don’t have a choice this time. Go ahead and click it, and you’ll see the status dialog indicating the smart object is being updated. Then, we find ourselves back in the Photoshop editor. Note that changing the crop size of the Smart Object doesn’t change the PSD document size! We can simply use Edit > Trim… and leave the default settings as shown:

And now our image is ready for further creative work:

Are you a Lightroom user? No problem! This power is available to you, too. From within Lightroom, in the Library module, right-click (Mac: command-click) the image you want to open, choose “Edit In >” and notice the menu. Don’t choose “Edit in Photoshop CS5…” (or CS4, or CS3). Instead, look a little further down, and you’ll find “Open as Smart Object in Photoshop…”

Select that and we’re off to the Smart Object races, just as in the example above.

Stick around next week for more Smart Object goodness, as we explore the question, “When is a copy not a copy?” In the meantime, get out there and start experimenting with Smart Objects!

Smarter Editing with Smart Objects

In my early Photoshop days, I created a fair number of disasters in which I edited my files, saved over the originals, and lost the ability to get back to an earlier, untarnished version of my files. Over time, I learned to approach my editing more carefully, and the idea of non-destructive editing began to make a lot of sense to me. Then, along came Photoshop CS3 and with it, the introduction of Smart Objects, and suddenly a whole new world of non-destructive goodness was available at my fingertips. I’d like to spend the next few weeks talking about Smart Objects, how they work, what they can do for you, and why they have become so crucial to my workflow.

Simply put, a Smart Object is a layer that contains a package – a document within a document. The enclosed package can be raster (pixel) based information, such as a Photoshop file or a JPG file, or it can be vector based information, such as an Adobe Illustrator file. The package encapsulates the entire native document in its original format, leaving you with just the final flattened appearance of the file it contains. Once you have a Smart Object layer, you can transform, filter or mask the layer in a completely non-destructive way.

You cannot use any tools that affect the pixel data directly on a Smart Object layer. Tools like the Brush tool, Clone Stamp, Healing Brush, Eraser, Blur, Smudge, Dodge and Burn do not work directly on Smart Objects. However, if you do need to edit at the pixel level within a Smart Object layer, you can open up the package, do your edits, and close the package again, and the Smart Object Layer is updated to display the results.

Let’s look at a simple example to see the power of Smart Objects in action:

Step 1: We’ll start with this simple shape on a regular layer above the background.

Step 2: Now, we need to resize this shape to a smaller size. We choose Edit > Free Transform, and drag the object to make it smaller. We click on the checkmark to commit the change, and in this case when we say “commit,” we mean it!

Step 3: Now the client has decided the image really should be bigger. If we use Free Transform again to enlarge the pixels, we get a severe loss of data – the fact that this once was a large crisp image is completely wiped out. We’re left with nothing we can use – we have to start over.

Step 4: Let’s go back to Step 1, but this time before we make any changes, we convert the layer into a Smart Object. From the Layers panel, choose the flyout menu and select “Convert to Smart Object.”

Step 5: Now, notice in the Layers panel, the layer still looks like a layer, except the thumbnail now has a small icon superimposed, the image of small packages. This is your indication that the layer is now a Smart Object.

Step 6: Let’s use Free Transform again to make the Smart Object layer smaller. Click the checkmark or press Enter to commit the change. In this case, “commit” isn’t so final….

Step 7: Use Free Transform again to scale the Smart Object back to a larger size. This time, when you commit the change, the detail is as crisp and clean as can be!

Step 8: Let’s take this even further – we’ll use Edit > Transform > Warp and give the Smart Object some really wacky distortions.

Step 9: Now, we’ve decided we need to change the color. Not to worry, we still have access to the original unwarped data. Simply double click the Smart Object icon, and you get this message:

Step 10: The dialog box is VERY important. Do NOT “Save As,” you must simply choose File > Save. Now we are in the Smart Object, which has opened as “Layer1.PSB” in our editor – a separate document within a document! We’ll use Hue/Saturation (Ctrl/Cmd-U) and simply drag the Hue slider to modify the colors of the butterfly:

Step 11: Now choose File > Save, and return to the original document by selecting its tab in the document tab bar at the top. The colors have been changed and the warp has been re-calculated based on the updated Smart Object layer.

Step 12: Just for fun, let’s go back into Edit > Transform > Warp. Notice how the warp handles are exactly the same as we left them in step 8?

Step 13: In the Warp tool bar, we can change the warp to “None” and to undo the warp distortions we’ve applied:

Step 14: Now the Smart Object is unwarped, restored back to its original shape, and it still is as crisp and clean as before:

Now that you have seen just a bit of what Smart Objects are capable of doing for us, I invite you to join me over the next several weeks looking at various ways you can put this to good use. Smart Objects allow you the freedom to do all the following, and more:

• Scale, rotate, skew, distort, warp, or perspective transform your object without fear of losing any quality or ability to make adjustments later, since the Smart Object contains the original unaltered data and remains intact;
• Place data from vector files, such as Adobe Illustrator, into your Photoshop document – and still retain the ability to edit the original data in its native application, because the data remains vector data within the smart object;
• Create multiple instances of Smart Objects that are linked together – updating one updates them all;
• Use Smart Filters to create non-destructive filter effects that can be tweaked and edited any time after they are applied;
• Selectively mask Smart Filters, without the need to create multiple layers.

Smart Objects have been a huge step forward in Photoshop since their introduction in CS3. I encourage you to explore the many ways you can use them in your own workflow.

Single Image HDR Toning in Photoshop CS5

OK, I promised we’d be back to our normal pre CS5 stuff today, but Mike’s just too excited about the new HDR Toning in CS5 to let it pass un noticed ^TS

---

It’s top tip Tuesday, and here is an easy technique to achieve that HDR look with a single image, using the new HDR toning features of Adobe Photoshop CS5.

Photoshop CS5 Single Image HDR Toning from Mike Hoffman on Vimeo.

Drawing With Photoshop Shape Tools – A lesson for beginners

Elizabeth Gast, or ‘Firgs’ as she’s better known, drops in for Top Tip Tuesday special – Thanks Firgy!

---

There is an epidemic among beginner Photoshop users. It’s called “Penicullus Fervesco“. It’s that moment when a beginner is trying to use the pen tool but after messing with it and trying to get it to work for them, their blood starts to boil at an alarming rate due to frustration. When they reach the point of yelling “I QUIT!” and stop themselves just short of throwing something – that is Penicullus Fervesco and we have all suffered from it at some point in our Photoshop journeys. There are loads of lessons about the Pen Tool out there, but sometimes they don’t always help. 

So, here is a quick tip that will cure this ailment of boiling blood. Start out drawing without the Pen Tool. 

“What? If I couldn’t draw with the pen tool, how am I going to draw without it?” 

Believe it or not, most things can be drawn using the Shape Tools and that includes the Custom Shape Presets. Don’t believe me? Then chances are you missed out on a Drawing 101 class somewhere along the way. In Drawing 101 they teach you to stop looking at the whole picture, and start looking at the pieces. Simplify the image. Bust it up until you get down to the very basic shapes that construct the frame of what you are trying to draw. 

For example, take a look at this basic owl image. 

Now at first glance, and to a beginner, this may look like an involved sketch. But if we take a closer look at it we will see that the whole image was made using the basic shapes (rectangle, triangle, ellipse) from the Shape Tools pallet. 

First, let’s simplify the image. Here is what it looks like without all of the fancy shading.

And now we are going to bust it up into pieces. Here is the wire frame.

Once you get to know the shapes and can start to visualize how whole images are built using them – then you can start to do things like transform them, warp them, use the path selection tools to change their points, handles and curves. Although the custom shapes are already images, you can actually create entirely new images just by experimenting with them. Go on! Try it! It can open a whole new world of image creation for you.  And here’s the bonus of it all – the more you play with shapes something will start to happen. You will gradually understand how the Pen tool works! 

So the next time you need to draw or redraw an image and you find yourself cringing at the thought of using the Pen Tool, try using the shapes and see what happens. I’m willing to bet that if you do, Penicullus Fervesco will soon fade from your life. 😉

---

Firgs on Twitter

Design by Firgs

---

Introducing Photoshop Styles

 

 

The last TipTorial for a while. Next week sees the return of The Nut Cluster. TipSquirrel.com started as a way to communicate great finds on the internet for Photoshop users, so it’s back to my roots!

Making a Vingette With Photoshop

Don’t forget we’re still after your “Photoshop @ 20” paragraph for Thursday’s post: More details

---

Making a Point With Warp

Making Stars with Photoshop

 

A quick look at how to make stars (and a triskaidecagon) in Photoshop.

 

  

 

---