Even if you're a Photoshop newbie, there's still a good chance you heard the term non-destructive editing before. What does it mean exactly? Well, traditional editing techniques, you know rasterized layers, resizing, changing colors and whatever else all damage image files. They alter pixels reducing image quality and that's not something you want.
That's where smart objects come in. You've definitely come across them by accident before. Converting a file into a smart object brings some pretty solid advantages to the table. First of all, they preserve all the data of the original layers. This is something that doesn't happen with conventional editing. Let's say you have to make changes in the size of a rasterized layer. Almost without exception the result will be a blurred pixilated image.
Making massive changes to a file that has many layers is time consuming not to mention annoying. You have to work on each layer gradually and that can be very frustrating. By converting the file into a smart object, you can update multiple layers at once which is something that will improve your workflow dramatically.
It's also a lot easier to replace contents with smart objects. It's as simple as double clicking on the thumbnail of the layer and editing the source file. This will come in very handy when using the free transform tool.
Smart filters are another awesome feature of smart objects. They are editable effects that can be individually controlled. You can use almost any filter as a smart filter, with very exceptions like the vanishing point filter.
This awesome video tutorial from Howard Pinsky will teach you everything you need to know about Smart Objects and how to use them. Check it out.
Learn more about using smart objects and other Photoshop tools from these recommended books:
- Adobe Photoshop CC Classroom in a Book
- The Adobe Photoshop CC Book for Digital Photographers
- Adobe Photoshop CC Classroom in a Book