Photoshop Tips
Creating Image Composites in Photoshop with Smart Objects
By Gary Young
Dateline: September 28, 2005
Version: Photoshop CS2
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When making a composite, anything
you can do to edit nondestructively
keeps you out of trouble when making
changes later. What layer masks
do for editing, Smart Objects do for
transformations. In Photoshop CS2, a
Smart Object is essentially an embedded
image within a file and remembers
an element’s original pixel data even
if it’s scaled, rotated, or warped. It
looks like a normal layer, but if you
shrink a Smart Object to a fraction of
its original size, then enlarge it, you
won’t get the typical pixelated result.
A Smart Object always appears as crisp
as possible.
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I created an ad in Photoshop by placing images on separate layers,
then adding layer masks to isolate the
images’ figures from their backgrounds.
In preparation for making Smart Objects,
I didn’t blend any of the layers’ elements
together or reduce them below the largest
size I could imagine using them.
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For the Relaxed guy image, I created
a Color Balance adjustment layer and
clipped its effect to the layer by pressing
Option-Command-G (Alt-Ctrl-G). To create
a Smart Object from the Relaxed guy
image and its adjustment layer, I Shift-clicked
each layer to select both of them
at the same time. (This is a new feature to
Photoshop CS2.) From the Layers palette
menu, I chose Group into New Smart
Object, and the two layers appeared as
one layer with a small page icon on the
layer’s thumbnail to denote that it is a
Smart Object.
Note that if you’ve created a Smart Object
that would be useful in another image,
Ctrl/Right-click the layer, and
choose Export Contents. Photoshop
saves the file in Smart Object format
(PSB). You can open the file directly,
or use the Place command to add it to
other images.
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I pressed Command/Ctrl-T to access
Free Transform and scaled down the
Relaxed guy Smart Object as I would
any layer. I clicked the Add layer mask
icon at the bottom of the Layers palette,
and painted with a 200-pixel, soft, black
brush to gently blend the edges with surrounding
images. By waiting to blend the
image until after converting it to a Smart
Object, I was able to apply different layer
masks to the same layer—a hard-edged
mask to isolate the figure and a soft-edged
mask to blend the image.
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Although the Smart Object command
has “Group” in its name, it’s best to create
Smart Objects from each layer you want
protected against overzealous transformations.
I made each of my figure layers
a Smart Object, then scaled them and
blended them with layer masks, Layer
Styles, and blending modes. I changed
my mind and scaled the Relaxed guy
Smart Object back up, and didn’t need to
worry about getting a pixelated result.
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I wanted to readjust the color of the
Relaxed guy, but my adjustment layer
wasn’t visible. To edit the source contents
of the Smart Object, I selected the layer
and chose Edit Contents from the Layers
palette menu (or double-click the layer
thumbnail). The Smart Object appeared
in a new window with the image and
adjustment layer intact. I double-clicked
the adjustment layer thumbnail to access
Color Balance, added more yellow, and
clicked OK. To integrate the change into
the main image, I saved and closed the
Smart Object window.
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Click to enlarge
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For the logo I created in Illustrator, I used the Place
command in Photoshop to put it into
the composite, which automatically
made it a Smart Object.
I duplicated the
layer, moved the duplicate logo to the
bottom, and applied Free Transform
to each layer to scale them differently.
Had the logo not been a Smart Object,
scaling it would have created pixelation.
If I wanted to alter the appearance of the
logo, I could access Edit Contents from
either logo layer and the appearance of
both Smart Objects would change since
each layer is linked to the Smart Object. The final illustration is shown at left.
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Gary Young has written Photoshop
courses taught worldwide in training
centers and online. Contact him at
gary@tectrixinc.com.
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