After making the smart object in PS, is there a way to edit the raw file in LR (rather than ACR) and have the changes propagate to the smart object in PS? I haven't figured out a way to do this, perhaps it isn't possible.
John
Yes, what you need is an even newer type of smart object - the linked smart object. It's slightly messy, but see if you can follow this example.
- Starting in LR, I have an raw original which is cropped and adjusted. I do a Cmd/Crtl S to save this crop and other adjustments to the file.
- Ctrl/Cmd E to edit the image in PS.
- Save the file and close it. Saving and closing makes LR add this TIF file to the catalogue and works around a limitation of placing linked items.
- Reopen the TIF and do File > Place Linked. Choose our original, click OK in ACR, and then press return.
- This should now add the placed SO but it may not be correctly sized:
- To resize the LSO, first check that the LSO layer is selected, then go to the Properties panel, and click the little Reset Transforms
- I think the resizing is only needed if LR's External Editing sets a different Resolution to that set in ACR (so set them to the same value).
But this bit seems tricky. If the LSO isn't aligned properly with the document, just do a Image > Reveal All, then Ctrl/Cmd click the LSO object layer and choose Image > Trim. - Delete the background layer and save. We're essentially done - we've a linked smart object - but leave the TIF open for now so we can see the updating process.
Back in LR, do an adjustment and hit Ctrl/Cmd S. Tab over to PS and you'll see that the linked smart object is being updated. Close the TIF file, make some LR adjustments, save to xmp, then reopen the TIF and notice how the LSO layer has a warning triangle which tells you it needs updating.
This is relatively new and has improved in stages, though there are still one or two awkward bits - like LR's lack of Open as Linked Smart Object.
Note:
I've revised steps 4/5