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Intro to Groups & Smart Objects

Lesson 5 from: Photoshop Finishing Touches

Dave Cross

Intro to Groups & Smart Objects

Lesson 5 from: Photoshop Finishing Touches

Dave Cross

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Lesson Info

5. Intro to Groups & Smart Objects

Next Lesson: Quick Mask

Lessons

Class Trailer

Day 1

1

Course Intro

05:55
2

Layer Masks

15:37
3

Adjustment Layers

23:47
4

Clipping Masks

08:38
5

Intro to Groups & Smart Objects

23:44
6

Quick Mask

09:18
7

Defining & Creating a Brush

14:49

Lesson Info

Intro to Groups & Smart Objects

now where life gets more interesting. I think it's where you say, Well, what I'd really like to do if I turn all these back on again. I really like this flower to show up across all of these, but these are six separate shapes Now. Some people out there are thinking you could probably emerge those layers together. Well, if they're saying that clearly, have not watched me teach a class before because for me emerges one of the the bad words of photos off we don't want to use because I really don't want to do that because merging means I can't change my mind. I would like to preserve these six shapes of separate layers, So if I decide later on, I like them all spread out a little bit more. I can do that. Or if I merge them together, that's out of the equation. So one of things that's been around photo saw for quite a while, and it's it gets. I don't want to get a bad wrap. It just people don't think about it as interesting as it really is. And that's a group. A group is really a folder. I ...

don't know I just call a folder, but it's called a group where you put individual layers into a group. So I've selected my six little rectangles. I use his pop up menu and I choose new group from layers, and I could call it something if I wanted to. It's not necessary, but I will. So this does a couple things. First of all, it makes my layers panel look a lot less cluttered, sort of having six layers. I just see this one thing that says shapes the good news is they're all still there. Whereas if I'd merge them might see one layer, and there'd be no ability for me to say, Let me change things about them. Let me change their shape or whatever it might be. So when you're working with a group that means by nature, everything inside that group is preserved as separate layers. But now it'll act as if it's merged, which is kind of cool. So, for example, if I take my move tool, I can sit on the wrong thing here. Sorry. Here we go. I can move everything around as if it's merged because I'm clicking on the folder icon of the overall group. Since we're talking about clipping mask, the whole reason I mention this is because you can also take a photograph like this and use our same method. But now it's clipping to the entire group. So now I'm creating a much more interesting effect than I had before. But I'm still not at a point of going Oh, well, I guess I have to live with that because there's anything about this. Someone says almost anything like, I think this rectangle here should be taller than the rest. Okay. And I think maybe we should change the spacing, so they're spread out more. So I moved the 1st 1 to the left. I used this one. Move it to the right. Now they're spacings all off. So I just have to select all of these. And there are options up here with the move tool for aligning and distributing, I say, distribute by their centers and now redistributes everything. Now, if I'd merged a few minutes ago and I said that someone said, Just do this one thing, I'd be like, No, and I never want to say no to someone else or to myself because of the way I've built something up. So I think a lot of people when they first saw clipping master like, Oh, it's good for that one thing, like a photo inside type. That's kind of the classic example of, ah, clipping mask. But as we'll see, I use it for lots of other things, including things with groups, because it offers so many possibilities. So, for example, distinct. Get your mind thinking of what this really means. The contents of this group or folder is what's doing the clipping. So if I hide something, it's going to change. But the other way. Look at it as long as I'm inside here. If I add another layer and say on this layer, I'm gonna make sexually make a rectangle make better sense. Probably since everything's rectangular, I add another rectangles long as I fill it with any color. Now that part of the photograph shows, too, because it's been added to the group and since the group is doing the clipping, it means now you just added more information to that and other shapes to do that clipping. So from an experimental I wonder if this will work standpoint. I mean we could spend. I won't. But we could spend other five or 10 minutes explain what happens if I make this into a square and make this. And all of sudden you've got these basic shapes and now you're playing in a very effective way saying, if I just this one and even live as soon as you make a change to anything you take, you know, these two say, I want these to be shorter and I want to add another new layer in here. I'm using keyboard shortcuts and let's add another layer here that's this big and fill it with something. So on the fly, I'm just trying things, and I'm not at this point worried about all My layers are called Layer one Copy seven. And that doesn't matter at this point. I mean, frankly, at some point I might rename because I just tend to do that. But I'm on the fly, trying things ongoing thing quite make that rectangle. Why, there we go. That's better. And I can see now. I think once I've done that, I'd like this one to be taller. You know what I mean? It's just the whole point of this is I never had a point of going Well, I guess that's it. I guess that's my new design. I never want to feel that way and one of things that also was worth mentioning. I think about creating what I call templates in photo shop by nature. If you do it in, I think the most effective way this document in effect is like a template. Because if I save this document, Justus, you see it here. And then I said, I want you to different photograph. I just replaced the top layer with a different photo, make a new clipping mask, and I'm off to the races. So I whereas once again, if I had done anything like merging or any kind of other mass where I pasted things onto a traditional layer mask, then at a certain point I probably find myself going okay. And you know, I mean, if you have a very specific plan in mind, you can achieve it in a couple different ways. But I find that when I'm working on this one project at this moment in time, I also wanted to be potentially another project later on that I can reuse and repurpose by starting with this and then just tweaking it. Okay, so just to make a point, if I open on different photograph, Dragon tells sure, we're here ragging on top. It's also giant size, so scale it down. Whenever I'm doing this, I'm zooming out that I'm using option or alter the shift key so I can scale to the center very quickly, proportionally and off Do is add that to the clipping mask, and now it's ready to roll. And if I look at and say OK for this photo, I don't like this or I don't like that I can still go inside the group elements and change it, but I didn't wasn't like I was starting over again. I sad to say, I often see people starting a project, and they're Each project is like opening a new document, and my philosophy is, if you're getting paid by the hour, do it that way. But if you're a photographer who is trying to add some new functions to your or some new art to something you can sell to your clients, you don't want to start from scratch every time. So I think we should be looking at these elements in every single case. Every layer document has the potential to be, ah, form of a template in the sense of you're not starting over from scratch. Now, when you're in photo shop, there is no command called Save his Template. So don't go looking for that to go. Why can't I find that template? There is no such thing. The nature of the beast when you save a layer document is it's like it's ready to be used as a template, so I don't confuse anyone by going. I can't find those templates anywhere. That's because they aren't anywhere. So there's no command called saves template. But PSD format means preserve all the layers, and everything is in the layers panel that you structure it in the way like I have here and imagine I could have also thrown in a couple of adjustment layers and other things, you know, then, at this point, I'm I'm ready to use this for this project. But then next one, I just bring him new photograph, clip it into that mask and make any necessary. Okay, Now, just so that you understand what's happening here. So here's our group. With all these shapes that I add and everything else If I really wanted to, I could still add a layer mask to the group. And then everything inside that group will also be mass. So I can do various levels. I never and feeling like, Yeah, I'm kind of like, reached that point of going Can't really help you there. So here I could take this layer mask and decide on top of all this structure, Maybe I do want some of these auto parts to be just kind of more faded out like this. So I'm just painting with a, you know, a brush, and it looks lovely. I mean, I'm sold on it. No, no, no. But it's just another design element there. I'm not just I've taken this group and saying mask everything inside that group and because the clipping mask is still in effect, it's still that trickling down through it. Personally, I don't like that at all. So I would throw that away, but just trying to show the point that we have that ability t build on top of things. Okay, So groups are particularly useful when you want to preserve multiple layers, but then add some other function or feature on to them in terms of clipping or masking whatever it might be. OK, so let's compare now for a second, a couple of different options. So I'm gonna go back here anytime you have a group. When you go to delete. In my case, I'm instead of starting over again. I'm just sort of stepping backwards because I put things in a group a long time ago. I want to get back to having just individual layers again, which is probably not likely something you will do all the time yourself. But when you go to delete the group, it gives you the options you want to lead everything. Or in this case, I just want to lead the group on Lee. So I go back to having multiple layers again. Okay, so that's why that's I did that that way. I'm just going to make these other shapes the same color for the purpose of demonstration. So another possibility that we could do in terms of trying to not merge but make this layer act as if it's one element is something called a smart object and I use smart objects a lot because it offers an interesting possibilities. Honestly, in this case, I would probably do it the way I just showed you using the group, because it's a lot easier to add it on the fly. But just for comparison purposes, if I took all these layers, I have I'm not gonna include this background. So I wanted to be all just off on a transparent they mentioned before. I suppose you could argue that. Why not just take all these layers and merge them together? And I'll grudgingly do that and I'm gonna very quickly undo it. But just to show you Yes, indeed. Now I have one layer that is merge together so I could do things like clipping and masking whatever. But as I mentioned before, the problem is I could do a bit of editing, but not as much as I could before. I can't change the position of the very easily. All I could do is probably delete parts. So that's why I'm not a big fan of merging. What used to be a technique that we would use is to do something called stamp visible, which was a keyboard shortcut that said, Make a new layer, which was like a merged copy of everything and that was command option, Shift E or control all shift e and what that does it puts a new layer on top, which has emerged combination. And on the surface, that looks like a pretty decent technique. But the problem to me is still not as live as I'd like it to be. For example, if I hide this layer over here, you'll see that the merge layer nothing happens because that when I press that keyboard shortcut that was like, Ah, snapshot at that moment in time, so it means that that's the way it is. So if I want to edit, it would be a lot more challenging. And I still see lots of people in tutorials say, Just make a merge visible copy. I'm like, Yeah, I used to advocate that, too, was great, but to me there's now a better solution, and that is gonna take all these layers except the background, because I don't want that included. I just All I did was I had the top layer active, and then I held, downshift and clicked on the bottom of the wall and then I right click anywhere in here and choose convert to smart object. I be selected them as I did. That's one. Why didn't happen? There it. Let's try it again. Make sure they're all selected. There we go now. At first glance, you might think, Well, how is that any different? Cause it looks like it's merged. And the difference is this little symbol in the corner means this is this thing called a smart object. So what that means is preserved All that other information I talk about smarting from the way I've talked about the one multiple classes here on Creativelive and I always talk about the same way is you have to think of this layer now is a container that has contents in it, and that one part that throws people off a bit is to edit the contents. You have to add them in a separate window, and that's the part of first that kind of throws people off compared to a group where you just kind of toilet down and go. There's all my layers, So let's take this one back in again for a second. Gametes scaler down Okay, now I've done that. I'm gonna close these other windows. Just so all we have open is just this shapes document. And I could do things like make that same kind of clipping mask as I did before. But the difference here is, if I decide, for example, this rectangle here, I'd like it to line up with the top of this one. I can't actually do that here. If I try, it's going toe free. Transform the entire thing. I don't want to do that. So I need to do is be ableto access the contents of this file of this smart object. The container, if you will. So if I double click on it, it opens. A separate window was showing me all the elements that make up my smart object. So now I can go to this top layer free, transform it down, and then take this layer. Do that. So it's a little more uniform. So now I've updated the contents of it, but nor for it to reflect in my original document. I have to save it. They could also save it and close it. It doesn't have to remain open. That's up to you. But if now I switch back to this other document, you'll see it is updated. So the difference is it's really just two different means to the same end with a group I can very quickly see. There's all my layers with the smart object. I have to go that separate window. So it's not quite as live, but it has some advantages. Will see shortly where, from a standpoint of using filters, this is a better option for me. You can't apply a filter to a group. You cannot apply filter to a group where you can apply filled to a smart object. And it becomes this thing called a smart filter, which will talk about shortly. Okay, okay, so this hopefully will become clearer because right now I just very, very quick sort of concept introduction of smart, obvious will look at specific examples where I'll ask myself the question which would be better group or smart object. Often it comes down to tomato. Is there a any likelihood that I might include filters in this operation? If there is, then I would tend to gravitate towards this smart object idea. Okay, Now, before we leave this completely, though. Let me touch on this a little bit because the one thing that throws people off a little bit about smart objects is this. I'm gonna just this one here. So I have saved this previously. And I could just by glancing at I can tell it's already a smart object. That's because again, I'm seeing this little symbol on the bottom corner that tells me it's this thing called a smart object. So people who are new to smart objects, this is what usually throws them off the first times like, Okay, smart office prequel. And they go to do anything like I use the paintbrush or the clone stamp tool or the healing brush. And they get this little symbol going. Nope, I can't do it. And if you click on it, this is to me is a scary scary warning message because it says the smart object must be rast arised before proceeding at his contents will no longer be available. Rasa rise, smart object and worst of all, it actually enticing me to click okay, with the color going in click Ok, well, if I do that, I lose, For example, if this was made up of maybe three layers. I would lose those three separate layers. So Rast arising is another word we're gonna add to our list of Do not use words. So I'm gonna click canceled, say, actually know if I double click on this, it will show me. Oh, this comes from camera Raj. We'll talk about later. That's why it's doing that. So if I want, for example, to do painting or patching or healing even if this wasn't a smart object, I do it on a separate layer anyway. So that's the simple solution is add a new layer. And if I want to, for example, I don't know, try and get rid of something on here that's distracting me. I can use, like my spot healing brush or my patch tool whatever, as long as it in the end result it says, use all layers, then that's all you need to worry about. So let's just use the spot healing brush here sample all layers has turned on, and I just come over here, and so I just want to try and make this look like it wasn't there. So I've done that on this separate layer which I could said, even if this wasn't a smart object, that's the way I used those healing, patching cloning retouching type tools anyway, because I want the ability to change my mind. So if you have convert some into a smart object and you feel like you've hit a roadblock because you're getting that little, you can't do that symbol. Then just add a blank layer and do it to the blank layer. That's the simple solution. And that's the number one roadblock you'll run into when they first try these smart objects. And the very first thing and they go to do next is like giving them, oh, warning. And it says you need two rascals ago. Okay, it's a warning message. I should click. OK, No, don't do it because it means you're eliminated. The whole point of it being smart is wrapped Arising is the opposite of smart. It's dumb. It means the pixels. You can't edit it in any way like you could if its a smart object. So we'll be revisiting smart objects a whole lot as we continue toe, explore other possibilities. How we doing with questions? Well, yeah, So here's one from Robin and Robin says if you select all the layers and convert them to a smart object but you don't limit the number of types of minute doesn't it doesn't limit the number of types of manipulations you can dio. I thought smart objects don't allow you to use all of the Photoshopped tools. Yes or no. Well, I guess technically, that would be correct. But frankly, the tools that doesn't let me use I'm not worried about. So for example, I can't use the eraser. Who cares? I would use the Racer anyway. But things like transformations all you have to think about as comfort convert to a smart object means some tools will now operate as if you merge the layers. But you really didn't. So, for example, if I my case with all those rectangles when I made a smart object free transform that's gonna transform all those rectangles. But if I want to edit just one, I go to the contents document, click on that one layer. So it's given me the best of both worlds. I can transform everything as a whole and still the individual pieces. So the bottom line is yes, there will be some functions where you'll go and be like, Oh, I can't do this to a smart object. I think it's relatively rare, and most the cases where it won't let you do it. I wouldn't worry about, like, delete or a race anyway. That's where you use mass, as it is question here from Richard A. White and Richard says, when you stack adjustment layers, does the adjustment affect the layers below? Yes. By nature adjustment layers will affect every layer below. Um, see, here dio something fairly quick, See what I have. Well, I guess I'll just do it this way. Okay, so there's gonna be a weird example, but it's all I got right now, but it's better to do it visually, I think, than to not Okay, all right. So if I add a black and white adjustment layer at the very top, you see both layers. The red rectangle and the layer below are being converted or affected by that adjustment layer. Now, usually the follow questions. But what if I only wanted to affect one of those two layers? Okay, I'll do it. That's where another benefit of a clipping mask and clipping mask not only clips ah photographed on their shape, it also clips the adjustment layer. So I want this adjustment on Lee to effect that red rectangle. I just click right there and now you see that has been affected, but the layer below that hasn't so it might seem crazy to say this, but sometimes I'll have a multi layer document with four different hue saturation, just layers put in different places in the stack. So this one Onley effects this layer, and this one Onley affects this layer. So the look of my layers panel looks a little busy and crazy, but it means it's going to all these options go. That layer is gonna be affected in a penalty of that layer in a Bentley of that layer. And as long as you constantly are looking at the stack of layers on the order in which they appear, then you can control address Myers by nature. Yes, they affect every layer below. If you clip them like we did here, you can determine Onley affect the layer immediately below. So that's how you can extend the power of adjustment layers. And also for some people like, well, that's the reason I wasn't using it because I didn't think I thought it was gonna affect the whole document. Yes, by nature at will. But you can make it affect whatever parts of it you want by the combination of a clipping mask and or a layer mask. So I know you mentioned that you were against emerging, and that got people in the chat room talking a little bit in Barnacle Out a specific question here since Dave's against merge, does he not use the merge Visible Command either? Well, I did talk about that. That's That's one that there are rare instance where I use it instead. Now I use smart objects MAWR, because merge visible is a one shot deal at that moment in time, whereas smart objects is a much more of a live effect. And I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression that I mean, I tend to say things like, Don't ever emerge personally. I can't think of a time I did really recently, But it's not that it's a horribly bad thing, is just down the road. You might kind of go something. Oh, that's why he said that because now I've reached that roadblock where I want to change one thing and I cant cause back then I did emerge or emerge visible or rast arise or something that's going to cause me grief down the road.

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Ratings and Reviews

karlafornia
 

I like Dave's teaching style: methodical, well-organized, VERY knowledgeable, interesting, relevant, and delivered with a really good sense of humor (he's a very snappy dresser, too!). Most of all, his lessons are most useful in teaching me how to save time processing my photos in a NON-destructive way and with a stream-lined workflow. This particular class is not only versed in technique, but I LOVE how he encourages creativity through experimentation and "playing" and pushing the envelop with the program. that is not as scary as it sounds because Dave is all about working with smart objects, smart filters and other such ways designed to save us from destroying our photos or work that has to be redone or scrapped because we went down a road of no return.

a Creativelive Student
 

Dave has a brilliant (as well as humorous) way of teaching and I always learn something new from him. I have purchased many of his previous classes and love every one of them! Thank you for another great course!

Student Work

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