Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp
Lesson 67 of 118
Smart Objects and Album Layouts

Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp
Lesson 67 of 118
Smart Objects and Album Layouts
Lesson Info
Smart Objects and Album Layouts
The next thing we're gonna look at is how you can use Smart Objects to replace one object within an image with another object. So I'm gonna close this down. Close this down. And what we're gonna do is we're just gonna make a whole new document here. So I'm gonna press Command or Control + N to make a new document and I'm gonna set this up like a layout. Like I want to make, let's say it's an album layout for a book of landscape images that I'm working on. I'm gonna call this Landscape Layout. Then I'm gonna make this inch-based and go 10 inches wide and 14 inches high, at 300 pixels per inch and press okay. Actually, you know what? I kinda want it the other way. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go to image, and go to rotate canvas 90 degrees clockwise. That's better. So what I want to do is I want to make a layout that I can use on multiple different images, multiple different book pages. So I'm gonna start by just setting a couple of guides for myself. I'm gonna click here at the top...
, and just move this guide down to about the half-inch mark. So that I know that that's a safe printing area. Move this over here, to the half-inch mark again so it's about a safe printing area. Half-inch mark over here and notice the marks across the top and where I'm saving them, where I'm moving those guides to. And then one across the bottom right about here. So I'm making a custom layout that I can then put my images into. So I'm gonna make a couple different shapes here. I'm gonna go ahead and grab my shape tool and use a rectangular shape tool. And just do something like this. And we'll just take another one, maybe right here. If I want to maintain that half-inch rule, let's do this. There we go. Okay, I'm getting really picky here. And then Control + T to fix that shape and make it a little bit wider. There we go. And then let's make another shape right here, like this. Then if I want to do it with the half-inch rule. Control + T on that shape, make it a little bit smaller. And there. And then maybe I'll make two more shapes right here. One right here, and then another one right here. And with this one I might need to make it smaller if I need to click on it just Control + click on that shape. (mouse clicks) There we go. Think about a half inch. So, all these shapes are not actually Smart Objects right now. What these shapes are is that they are vector-based images but they are not Smart Objects. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna click on the top one, I'm gonna Shift + click on the bottom one and then right click and say convert to Smart Object. No, I'm not gonna do that. (laughs) Okay. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna just right click on this rectangle number four and say convert to Smart Object. Then I'm gonna click on rectangle number three. Right click. Convert to Smart Object. Rectangle number two. Right click. Repeat the pattern. Convert to Smart Object. Same thing for rectangle number one. Right click. Convert to Smart Object. So why I'm doing this is that - I can press Command or Control + H to get rid of my layouts now - is that because these are now Smart Objects, I can do things within these shapes that I couldn't necessarily do if they weren't Smart Objects. So if I double-click right here on this Smart Object, it's going to say "After editing the contents "choose file, Save to commit the changes. "These changes will be reflected upon "the returning to Landscape Layout." So, what that's telling you is that when you double-click this, it's actually going to open up what would be in that space as that Smart Object. But it's telling you that, in order for it to commit that space, you have to say that you want to save it to commit. So press okay. This shape is a new layer. It's a new document essentially. You see it says Rectangle.1.psb? It's a different type of document that's gonna save data within the workspace of that layout. So if I were to go into some images that I already have predefined here. And I were to go in and just grab, let's say, this image. And drag this and drop this into Photoshop on top of that rectangle. When I place it, it's gonna make that a Smart Object within inside of it. So if I go and press Shift + Alt, increase the size of that, now placing this inside that space. If I press cancel on this, or close. Remember how it said, "Do you want to save this?" I'm gonna say yes. It's gonna replace that shape with that image. So if you're thinking about album layouts, you're gonna think about how you can make one page that can have multiple images put into it so that you don't have to continue every time making this album layout, you make one album layout that looks like this, and you save it. You save it as landscape album layout 10 by 14, four blocks. Or something like that. Because if you double-click on this rectangle, check out what happens. That... That layer that we added to this is still contained within that square, or rectangle I should say. If we move it, we can move it to even make the size different 'cause it is remembering all of the data that's contained within that. So if I press Escape to commit, or cancel actually. The X I should say to commit. Press Yes. Now, if we double-click on this rectangle. Double-click. It's giving me that space of rectangle number two. If I go ahead and go into my images, click on this image. I believe I clicked all images from Chicago. Move that into there. Press Shift and Alt. Make this larger, to fit that screen a little bit better. If I exit out, it's gonna ask me, do I wanna save? Yes. And now that image is in there. Double-click this one. So what you can see, what you can do with this is if you have an album layout, even if it already has pictures within it, and you have it saved, you can go back to that anytime and change out what pictures are in there. So if you've got, maybe you have 15 different page layouts that you're going to use in this process for client-based work. If you're a wedding photographer and you wanna build your own very specific album pages, you could build all of your own album pages with Smart Objects, and then replace those pictures as necessary from one bride series to the next bride series. Now I know that there are other ways that you can do this within other programs but I'm gonna show you why this is beneficial to do it in Photoshop as opposed to other programs in a second here. So I'll move this into this rectangle. Shift and Alt, fix my size there. I'm just resizing that. Press Enter. Exit out. Save it. And then we need to open up the other one. Rectangle number four. Let's just take this guy. Some of them. Let's just take all of the Chicago images. That's what we're gonna do here. To my Chicago page. Something like that. Now obviously, I'm cropping these too, because I'm cropping off those edges. If I wanted to make this template exact to those images, I'd have to pre-plan a little bit, 'cause this image started out as a square and I'm putting it into the space of a rectangle. But when I commit to it and I save it, I can always go back by double-clicking on that to go into it if I needed to. But the cool part about this, is because these are all set up as Smart Objects, this is where the cool part comes in. We did that whole thing with the filters before, right? Let's say with this rectangle, we click on it, we go to filter, we go to blur and we go to Gaussian blur and we blur it a little bit. Let's just blur it a lot, so we can tell the difference. Blur it to about there. Press Okay. If we were to double-click this, nothing has actually happened to this photograph. This photograph remains the same. So if I were to replace this photo with any photo that I have in here. Let's just grab this one right here. And replace this photo with this one. Oops. I dragged it into the wrong space. Not thinking smart. So go ahead and drag this into this space here. Resize it to fit. Exit out, commit. Yes. Look at that. It changes the image, but it also changes the effect that happens within it. So for instance, if this is one of those albums that you're building where you know that, that's that one place it's gonna have that bokeh effect. Even if we were to come in here on that smart filter, and we were to brush, and brush something else. Let's make this a really large brush, and do kinda like a bokeh effect here. Like a little Gaussian vignette. Now if I double-click on this. Look at the images that are in there. Both those images are still in there. So if I turn this one off, and I save it, it's gonna replace that other image with that bokeh blur effect that's happening there. Now obviously, because these are Smart Objects, if you save it down with multiple files contained within that Smart Object, it's going to become a very big file. As we talked about before, there is a downfall to this. So a lot of times what I would consider doing with this is just maybe making your layouts like this. There is an ulterior way that you can do this. Instead of using Smart Objects you could also use clipping masks. The only problem with those clipping masks is that you wouldn't get the benefit of adding the smart filters to that area. And what I mean by a clipping mask is if we were to go into this one and just delete this completely and save that out, say Yes. We could essentially go in here, grab this image, pull this on to our photo or layout. Shape it to that rectangle up there and if we press Alt or Option and click here that will allow us to clip that into here. The only problem is, any effects that we do in there because it's not a Smart Object, would not happen to that photograph. This is basically now just overlaying itself and you're telling this image to just clip itself into that box, which is not the same as using a Smart Object workflow. Smart Object workflow will contain that information within it.
Class Description
Adobe® Photoshop CC® is a valuable tool for photographers, but it can also be intimidating. In this all-inclusive 20 lesson course, you’ll go from opening the program for the first time to creating images that really stand out. Join Blake Rudis, Photoshop expert and founder of f64 Academy, as he shows you how to maximize your use of Photoshop.
Topics covered will include:
- Class Introduction & Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw, Setup Interface, Cropping and Layers
- Layer Tools, Masks, Selections, Clean-Up Tools and Shapes & Text
- Smart Objects, Transforming, Actions, Filters, and Editing Video
- Custom Creative Effects, Natural Retouching, Portrait Workflow, Landscape Workflow, and Composite Workflow
Don’t let the many aspects of Photoshop prevent you from maximizing your use of this amazing app. Blake will help you develop the confidence to use your imagination and create the images that you will be proud to share with your clients.
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Photoshop CC 2018
Lessons
- Bootcamp Introduction
- The Bridge Interface
- Setting up Bridge
- Overview of Bridge
- Practical Application of Bridge
- Introduction to Raw Editing
- Setting up ACR Preferences & Interface
- Global Tools Part 1
- Global Tools Part 2
- Local Tools
- Introduction to the Photoshop Interface
- Toolbars, Menus and Windows
- Setup and Interface
- Adobe Libraries
- Saving Files
- Introduction to Cropping
- Cropping for Composition in ACR
- Cropping for Composition in Photoshop
- Cropping for the Subject in Post
- Cropping for Print
- Perspective Cropping in Photoshop
- Introduction to Layers
- Vector & Raster Layers Basics
- Adjustment Layers in Photoshop
- Organizing and Managing Layers
- Introduction to Layer Tools and Blend Modes
- Screen and Multiply and Overlay
- Soft Light Blend Mode
- Color and Luminosity Blend Modes
- Color Burn and Color Dodge Blend Modes
- Introduction to Layer Styles
- Practical Application: Layer Tools
- Introduction to Masks and Brushes
- Brush Basics
- Custom Brushes
- Brush Mask: Vignettes
- Brush Mask: Curves Dodge & Burn
- Brush Mask: Hue & Saturation
- Mask Groups
- Clipping Masks
- Masking in Adobe Camera Raw
- Practical Applications: Masks
- Introduction to Selections
- Basic Selection Tools
- The Pen Tool
- Masks from Selections
- Selecting Subjects and Masking
- Color Range Mask
- Luminosity Masks Basics
- Introduction to Cleanup Tools
- Adobe Camera Raw
- Healing and Spot Healing Brush
- The Clone Stamp Tool
- The Patch Tool
- Content Aware Move Tool
- Content Aware Fill
- Custom Cleanup Selections
- Introduction to Shapes and Text
- Text Basics
- Shape Basics
- Adding Text to Pictures
- Custom Water Marks
- Introduction to Smart Objects
- Smart Object Basics
- Smart Objects and Filters
- Smart Objects and Image Transformation
- Smart Objects and Album Layouts
- Smart Objects and Composites
- Introduction to Image Transforming
- ACR and Lens Correction
- Photoshop and Lens Correction
- The Warp Tool
- Perspective Transformations
- Introduction to Actions in Photoshop
- Introduction to the Actions Panel Interface
- Making Your First Action
- Modifying Actions After You Record Them
- Adding Stops to Actions
- Conditional Actions
- Actions that Communicate
- Introduction to Filters
- ACR as a Filter
- Helpful Artistic Filters
- Helpful Practical Filters
- Sharpening with Filters
- Rendering Trees
- The Oil Paint and Add Noise Filters
- Introduction to Editing Video
- Timeline for Video
- Cropping Video
- Adjustment Layers and Video
- Building Lookup Tables
- Layers, Masking Video & Working with Type
- ACR to Edit Video
- Animated Gifs
- Introduction to Creative Effects
- Black, White, and Monochrome
- Matte and Cinematic Effects
- Gradient Maps and Solid Color Grades
- Gradients
- Glow and Haze
- Introduction to Natural Retouching
- Brightening Teeth
- Clean Up with the Clone Stamp Tool
- Cleaning and Brightening Eyes
- Advanced Clean Up Techniques
- Introduction to Portrait Workflow & Bridge Organization
- ACR for Portraits Pre-Edits
- Portrait Workflow Techniques
- Introduction to Landscape Workflow & Bridge Organization
- Landscape Workflow Techniques
- Introduction to Compositing & Bridge
- Composite Workflow Techniques
- Landscape Composite Projects
- Bonus: Rothko and Workspace
- Bonus: Adding Textures to Photos
- Bonus: The Mask (Extras)
- Bonus: The Color Range Mask in ACR
Reviews
a Creativelive Student
Amazing course, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a beginner's course for photographers. The problem isn't Blake's explanations; they're top. The problem is the vast scope of this course and the order in which the topics are presented. Take layers for example. When I was first learning Photoshop (back when we learned from books), I found I learned little or nothing from, for example, books that covered layers before they covered how to improve/process photographs. These books taught me how to organize, move, and link layers before they showed me what a layer was actually for. Those books tended to teach me everything there is to know about layers (types of layers, how to organize them, how to move them, how to move them two at a time, how to move them two at a time even if there are other layers between the two you're interested in, useful troubleshooting tips, etc. ) all before I even know (from a photographer's point of view) what it is the things actually do. The examples of organizing, linking, and moving mean everything for graphic designers from Day One, but for photographers not so much. Blake does the same thing as those books. Topics he covers extremely early demand a lot of theoretical imagination for a photographer who doesn't already know quite a bit about what he is talking about. Learning about abstract things first and concrete things later only makes PS that much harder to understand. If you AREN'T a beginner, however, this course is amazing. I thought it would be like an Army Bootcamp, taking you from zero and building you into a fit, competent Photoshop grunt. Now I think it's more like Army Bootcamp for high school varsity jocks. It isn't going to take you from the beginning, but the amount you'll get out of it is nonetheless more than your brain can imagine. I've been using PS for years to improve my photographs, and even to create the odd artistic composite or two. The amount I've learned in the first week is amazing, and every day I learn something -- more like many things -- which I immediately implement to improve my productivity and/or widen the horizons of what I can achieve. If you ARE a photographer who's a Photoshop beginner, I'd take very seriously the advice Blake gives in the introduction: Watch one lesson, and practice the skills and principles you learn in that one lesson for two weeks. THEN watch the next lesson. You can't do that of course without buying the course, so it's up to you to decide whether you'd like to learn Photoshop and master Photoshop all from the same course. Learning it first and mastering it later will cost more money, but I think you'll understand everything better and have a much more enjoyable ride in the process. As for me? I'm going to have to find the money to buy this course. There is simply way too much content in each lesson for me to try to take on all at once, but on the other hand I don't want to miss anything at all that he has to share.
Esther Gambrell
WOW!!! I've been purchasing CL classes for several years now and have watched HOURS of "How-To Photoshop" classes, but this is the first one I've actually purchased because of the AWESOME BONUS content!!! SERIOUSLY??!!?!? A PLUG-IN??? But not only that, Blake is SO easy to understand, and he breaks down concepts in different ways to connect with different people's learning styles. I REALLY appreciated this approach because I am a LEFT-BRAINED creative that has an engineering background, so I really connected to what Blake was saying. THANK YOU FOR THAT! There are TONS of Photoshop courses out there, but I found this one to be the most helpful in they way Blake teaches concepts so that you know WHY you're doing what your doing. I feel like he taught me how to fish with Photoshop to feed me for a lifetime instead of just giving me a fish to feed me for one day. This is the BEST overall PS course out there!!! Thank you!!!!
Sonya Messier
I'm been using Bridge, Adobe Raw and Photoshop for 12 years. I thought I knew those programs until I started to follow Blake and do this Photoshop CC Bootcamp. This course is AMAZING. I love the way Blake teach, brakes down concepts and tools... excellent teaching qualities! I'm half way in this course and I change all my workflow already. Much better results and better use of what Adobe offer me. This course is an investment! When I will be done, I will listen it again. Great job and congratulations on your success Blake!