How do Smart Objects affect an ACR-to-JPEG action, and are they saved with my RAW files?
Asked 2/13/2013
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I’ve upgraded from CS5 to CS6/ACR 7 and started doing more of my edits in Adobe Camera Raw, including local adjustments with the Adjustment Brush. I’m also learning about opening files as Smart Objects in Photoshop.
If I want to record an action that opens a RAW file, allows for this ACR-based workflow, and then saves a JPEG, do I need to handle Smart Objects differently?
Also, if I open a RAW file as a Smart Object, does that create something attached to the original RAW file in its folder, or do Smart Objects only exist inside Photoshop documents?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
1
I know spending more money is not probably the answer you want, but it sounds like Adobe Lightroom (currently version 4) would be the best answer for your workflow needs. I assume you want smart object editing for the non-destructability, and actions for the ability to apply those updates to many images at once. That is exactly what Lightroom is built for. It will do both much better than Photoshop by itself will, as well as faster.
It's not free, but it's much cheaper than Photoshop itself and it integrates nicely if you need to sw. Lightroom also uses the ACR rendering engine, so you will still have the excellent highlight and shadow recovery of CS6.
It's something to consider.
Originally by user8843. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user8843
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Smart Objects don’t get attached to your RAW files. They exist only inside a Photoshop document, as a special kind of layer, and are saved with formats like PSD—not as something extra sitting beside the original RAW file.
ACR edits themselves are non-destructive adjustments to the RAW processing stage. That’s separate from Photoshop Smart Objects.
So for an action that opens a RAW file and saves a JPEG, you generally don’t need Smart Objects unless you specifically want to reopen the embedded RAW settings later from within Photoshop. For simple batch output to JPEG, Smart Objects usually add no benefit.
In short:
- ACR adjustments happen before/while opening the file.
- Smart Objects only exist in Photoshop.
- They are not stored as part of the original RAW file in the folder.
- If you save a JPEG, the Smart Object concept is flattened away in the final output.
If your goal is non-destructive batch workflow across many images, Lightroom may be a better fit, since it uses the same ACR engine and is designed for this kind of editing and bulk processing.
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