Lessons

Lesson Info

Smart Objects from Adobe Camera Raw & Lightroom

Now I want to also address where we might start with smart objects, because in that last example, I had a document that Star does A J pic added a couple of layers, and I just said, Convert to smart object. But you can also say if you're working with photographs, especially camera raw files or raw files where you can make a really interesting type of smart object that changes on the fly so well. First talk about camera, mental address, light room in a second. So here's a raw file. If I open it up in camera, it, of course, gives me the ability to make some changes to it. First of all, show you what it looks like by default, so I'm going to deliberately overdo it a bit. So I'm moving these sliders around in camera on this part of the theory is the same in light room, and then I hit open image, and when I do that, it's gonna open almost like a version of this. So my original raw file I can still edit, but this one came into photo shop, and if we look at it, it basically says background lay...

er and that's it. So if there's anything about this I don't like tryingto change the exposure of the vibrance, I'm kind of out of luck. So by default, Kameron Light room in the photo shop is a one way street. So you go from those programs into photo shop, and if you've made any errors or you wish to change it, you're kind of unable to, which is unfortunate. So there is a way to get around that, and it looks like this. Every time I show this, I always apologise on the behalf of Adobe for them making the worst interface design in the history of computers software. That's just my opinion. But to me see that little thing at the bottom that says Adobe RGB 1998 looks like a hyperlink on a website that's actually one of the most important buttons quote unquote in camera. Raw on why it's not just a button that just says workflow options is beyond me, because I know a lot of people who use camera raw and completely have never clicked on that because they think it's just information. It's actually really important, so when you click on it, it says here's workflow options. All these important things, including size, you know, color space, things that are really important for us to do in photo shop. But down here at the bottom, there's a button that says Open and photo shop as smart objects. So if I click on that now, the rules have completely changed. I've just created a two way editing street between camera Raw and Photoshopped. So now I hit insensate open image, a subtle differences open object, so it's still applies. Whatever settings I've done still opens it in photo shop. But the difference is now it's a smart object because I created automatically means the contents of this smart object lives in camera raw, not in a separate window like it did a moment ago. So what this means is now, Aiken, do photo shop style things like transformation and make another layer and had a mask and do whatever I want. Let's just do that really quickly to make a point. So we had a layer mask and we decided we're just going for some reason we don't know why we're just gonna do this to it, and then, as we're doing, we're like you know colors. I kind of wash them out of it. It doesn't look very good. So instead having to start again, I just double click whenever you double click to edit the contents. One of two things gonna happen in our first in era where we created a smart object out of layers. It opened that separate window with the contents. In this case, when I double click the contents, they will all go back to camera raw because that's where I started. So now I can say it should look more like this. And I should play around with that and, you know, make it look the way that I want. And let's make it even more vibrant and saturated. Whatever. As soon as I click, OK, it updates back in photo shop, but preserved everything else I've done. So this could be a really interesting possibility when you're experimenting and I want to go down this path again and try things similar to adjustment layers. But now you've got all the benefits in camera raw and light room of all those sliders. Because adjustment layers, you kind of have to know this is what curves does. This is what Vibrance does. That's what black and white does in camera raw. It's all there, especially for beginners. I tell people all the time. If you're starting on photo shop use, this is so much easier than curves. Remember the first time for you veterans You ever opened curves and you saw a diagonal line and went, Uh, okay, what's that for? Whereas here they're sliders Air called exposure contrast highlights. I means it's very easy to understand, and you can still do things like black and white. And whenever you know, if you want, curves are still there. But it's all in one place and by nature camera raw itself and light room are vory nondestructive. Unfortunately, by nature, they're not nondestructive when you bring them into Photoshopped, unless you do this and we're talking right now about camera. All talk about light room in a second. But what this allows me to do again, as if I'm trying to create on effect of a certain kind to make my photo look a certain way I can take advantage of this two way street to try something. Go what it look like if I took the Reds and really saturated those and then kept working with. Yeah, it didn't work. Instead of starting over again, I just go back to camera and make some little adjustments to it. Okay, so camera and photo shop, it's a direct highway. Two way street camera photoshopped back and forth. If you start in light room and I apologize, I always talk with my hands. But here I talked with my hands even more to demonstrate this because it's with light room. It's a little bit of a twist to it. So if I start in light room, there is a function most people use called edit in Photoshop that creates the same kind of one way street we can't legal back and forth. So if you go a little further down that list of options, there's one that says Open in Photo Shop as a smart object. So now it comes over looking much like this with that little camera, a little smart object symbol on it. Excuse me, the difference is, and this is the part of throws people off you might expect since it came from light room. If you double click on it, it would go back to life room, but it doesn't. It goes to camera raw, so it starts in light. Room comes into Photoshopped. You want to edit the settings you double click goes to camera raw. You can still move all the sliders. Same ones You start adjusting in light room. Once you save, it goes back to photo shop. Then once you save, it goes back to your light room catalogue. So it's similar kind of trip. It just takes a little detour through camera raw and for light from users. The first time they're like, Well, what just happened there? But when they look at, the sliders are like, Oh, those are the same things in the develop module in light room. It just looks a slightly different in camera raw, but it carries over what have you started in light room. Those settings will come into Photoshopped. I am camera raw, so it just takes a little extra step. But it still gives you the ability to start in light room and bring it into Photoshopped in a smarter way than simply saying, edit in when that file goes back to light room, then you got a light room to view it can you double click it and edit it and the raw box comes up again? Yes. You have to go back to photo is you have to go back to photo shopping is technically what's happening is when you close and save it is gonna be called name of file dash edit dot psd. So when you double click, it will say, Well, I'm a Photoshopped document, so we'll take a couple of double clicks to get back to the the raw setting. Okay, so it just really is the differences where you're coming from, but at least it's amore, live ability and personally, any time I can edit in a place like camera where I have all those sliders in one place, that would be the equivalent of, like, five adjustment layers and Photoshopped the Onley differences camera on light room, our global. So when I move the exposure, sliders, sayings expose everything. I didn't If I want to be more selective, that's where adjustment layers offer the benefit, of course, of having a layer mask with, um so that's where you sort of play that game of deciding Which one do I want to use? Okay, that makes any other questions? Chris will be okay with that last thing. I know that one. Whenever I go down the road of light room and camera people kind of go. What, now? No, I think we're pretty cell. I mean, again, we have people who have all different levels of experience in the chat. Ah, quick one. Here. I know that you did touch on this a little bit, but just to clarify, Kaz Mob wants to know. Is there a reason you would go back to camera raw for adjustments rather than adjustment layers and PS just to clarify why you would do that? Yeah. I mean, the main reason is so here's an example of why I might do this. Let's say that part of my goal on a photograph was too Select the sky to replace it with a different photograph. Well, in order to do have a easier job of making a selection of the sky, what I might do is temporarily really wreck the exposure. So it's easier for me to see what I'm doing. But I don't like the way the rest the photograph works. So because I've got this smart object thing happening now it's easier for me to do whatever I'm doing, you know, add a layer mask and then now come back and kind of put it back to normal, which you could also do with an adjustment layer. But again, to me, the recurring benefit of cameras in this one place I've got all these sliders, including things that don't. By the way, this is very important in Photoshopped. There's still no easy way to add clarity, light room and photo and camera the only place where there's a nice little slice. I want more clarity. Brighten up those mid tones and add a bit more sharpness to it. White balance. There's still no simple way. There's no white balance dialogue box and Photoshopped. So if you're in the wrong white balance is still a lot easier to change it in the raw level with camera are lighting. So that's why I would do it that way. Now, having said that, there might still be a point where I'm at this point. I'm going, Okay, now I'm ready to move on. Since I'm in here already now, I might use an adjustment layer on top of this for some other purpose, so there's nothing to say. You have to go down one way or the other. There may be times where you start coming from light room or camera raw as a smart object. And then once you got to a certain point, now stay in photo shop and do adjustment layers and mass and especially the keyword for me is any time I think of selective editing, I would rather do that in photo shop with adjustment layers and mass. Because although camera on light room do have adjustment brushes personally, I do not find them as friendly and useful as using photo shop and making mass myself. So that's kind of where I would fall in the I use both, and quite often we'll have a document where they're literally has both camera smart up and adjustment layer on top of it. One more other that Yeah, great answer there. One more other disorder. Logistical question. Can you bring a J peg into camera raw from bridge? You can actually by nature. If you have a raw files, I do. It automatically opens camera, but here's a J peg file. I'm Enbridge. If I just press command control are that is the shortcut for open and raw. So it forces the J peg or tiff. By the way, toe open in camera. Now the difference is if I open a raw file, I got all these sliders. But there's one big difference, and that's in the white balance menu in a J peg. It just says, auto or custom in a raw file. It says, You know, daylight, tungsten, all the standard white balances. So if all you're trying to do is do some little tweaks to it, then this is great. Three on Leah thing, remember, is most cameras. When you shoot or capture in JPEG, there is some adjustments, and sharpening is being done to your J peg, where the raw file it does not. So some people are surprised. They're like my J pig almost looks a little better. That's because you can try to help you by adding some adjustments to it. But in some cases, I might not want that. It's already oversaturated more than I'd like. So, personally, I almost always, unless there's a compelling reason not to always capture in raw on my camera just because it gives me such a wider range of abilities to do things. Okay, Thanks. All right. OK, so we will continue to revisit the world of camera. Wrong where it fits into the picture. Often ia have PSD files like Here's an example where when you look at it, it says the name of the file dot psd I happen to know I already started that one that came from raw, so built into it already is a camera smart object. So sometimes you just starting from raw. And here's another thing I should mention. By the way, take a look at this when I was just working on Enbridge. It looks horrible because that's the way I left it. One. The advantages of using a raw file is that that's just the way I left it. But if I want to say, okay, that looks really bad. I could just say put it back to the camera, defaults and start again. So unlike a J pig or tiff, when you apply something directly to it and hit save a raw file by nature, it's almost like a negative that you always have the ability go back to. So that's one of the big benefits off me deciding I want to work in and stay in camera raw files as much possible