Photoshop "Smart Objects"

[TheJoshMan]

Ok, I've been using Photoshop for god knows how long now and I STILL have not figured out if it is even possible to do this...

I am wondering if once you take a group of layers and "convert to smart object" is it possible to revert back to normal layers?

I know that you can double click the smart object and edit in a completely separate document, and then once you save it will apply the changes to your smart object, but is it not possible to revert the smart object back to normal layers at some point?

I have tried everything I can think of with no results.

Thanks for any insight!

[TheJoshMan]

anybody have a clue?

[BLiZZaRD]

PhotoShop has Smart Objects? Had no idea....

[TheJoshMan]

yea they do... apparently i'm the only one who's noticed this so far. LOL

[djr33]

Can't say that I've noticed it either. What version are you using?

[TheJoshMan]

I'm using CS2...

You can find it by selecting a few layers, then right click and click on "Group into new smart object"

[djr33]

I regularly use v7, actually. But I can use CS, too, though I haven't noticed the smart objects.

[Master_script_maker]

look what i found! http://www.adesdesign.net/php/tutorials/photoshop/smart_objects.php

[TheJoshMan]

i already knew about the functions he was talking about... The thing I'm trying to figure out is if it's possible to "ungroup" items from a smart object and turn them back into regular layers.

[Medyman]

Are you saying you want to create a smart object, edit it (within it's own document), and then ungroup the smart object to show those changes?

That isn't possible.

But if you've created a Smart Object by mistake or want to revert back to the state the document was in before you created the Smart Object, you can certainly go into the History panel and revert the change.

I'm using CS3, but I don't think that'll make a difference.

[TheJoshMan]

i'm not necessarily wanting to show the changes made to the smart object if i ungroup the layers... but what if i group into smart object... then decide... oops i shouldn't have done that, but i can't go back in the history far enough to undo it... is there no other way to revert to normal layers?

[olveyphotodesign]

One solution would be to open up the smart object and select all the layers. From there open up the layers drop down menu in the top right corner of the layers panel and select duplicate layers. Select the original document as the destination and click okay.

Delete or hide the smart object layer in the orginal document.

Good Luck!
Ben

[TheJoshMan]

ah, that's a good idea. I never thought of duplicating the layers from the .psb file