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Save Groups to JPG


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dionsysos

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First time posting!

I have a PSD with multiple Groups to create Google Ads for various products. I use the same Call to Action, Background, and Logo and they sit in their own group. Each other group has the product picture, text, and price.

Is there a way to automate the saving of these groups into JPG? The problem I have is that the Logo, Button, and BG are separate groups. So I have to keep these groups on for each other group I need to save. If I put the Logo, Button, and BG into each product group, then when I update the BG, I have to do it for all groups which does not save time.

If I add the BG Group to each product, is there way to link all the background groups? So if I change the backgrond, it updates all the other linked layers? If I could do this, I could then run an action to merge each group and then run an export to JPG.

Thoughts?
 
you can make the background into a smart object and put a copy in each group

each change of the smart object will reflect in each copy of the smart object
 
colleague said:
you can make the background into a smart object and put a copy in each group

each change of the smart object will reflect in each copy of the smart object
Click to expand...

I converted the background to a smart object. Then copied the layered and dropped into the other groups. Then put a simple change of color with an overlay and it did not update the other layer.
 
here is an example


open the smart object by clicking on the miniature
it opens as background.psb , change the color , close and save

check the groups , it should work fine
 

Attachments

dionsysos said:
...I converted the background to a smart object. Then copied the layered and dropped into the other groups...
Click to expand...
Copied the layered.....what?

You should only copy the Smart Object, and by means other than 'New Smart Object via Copy' from the context menu. This method will create a copy but it will not be linked to the parent smart object.

Use Alt + Drag or drag the smart object to the 'New Layer' icon, Ctrl + J, or even LAYER > Duplicate ....any of those, and as colleague said, save the PSB file, or close it and opt to save it when prompted.

Only when and IF the PSB file is saved do the copies get updated.

An alternative is to have the BG as a separate [PSD] file entirely and use 'Place Linked' to insert the BG into the groups.

Being 'Linked' you can then edit the original BG file independently and any reference to it in your groups will auto update....but again the BG file would need to be saved before the update happens.

The advantage to this method over Smart Objects is that you do not need to open any PSD file that references the BG in order for the update to happen during any automated operation such as a batch command. Saving a Smart Object PSB file requires the referencing PSD file to be open in order to update it.

Regards.
MrToM.
 
MrToM said:
Copied the layered.....what?

You should only copy the Smart Object, and by means other than 'New Smart Object via Copy' from the context menu. This method will create a copy but it will not be linked to the parent smart object.

Use Alt + Drag or drag the smart object to the 'New Layer' icon, Ctrl + J, or even LAYER > Duplicate ....any of those, and as colleague said, save the PSB file, or close it and opt to save it when prompted.

Only when and IF the PSB file is saved do the copies get updated.

An alternative is to have the BG as a separate [PSD] file entirely and use 'Place Linked' to insert the BG into the groups.

Being 'Linked' you can then edit the original BG file independently and any reference to it in your groups will auto update....but again the BG file would need to be saved before the update happens.

The advantage to this method over Smart Objects is that you do not need to open any PSD file that references the BG in order for the update to happen during any automated operation such as a batch command. Saving a Smart Object PSB file requires the referencing PSD file to be open in order to update it.

Regards.
MrToM.
Click to expand...

That is a fantastic idea as well. Thank you so much. Both of these things will allow me to exactly do what I want to do and I got to learn something new today.
 
No worries.

Depending on your PS version the 'Place' option may just be FILE > Place... in which case you wont be able to use it.

Later versions have 'Place Embedded' and 'Place Linked' options....in which case you can use the 'Linked' option as I described.

Regards.
MrToM.

EDIT:
DOH!
Apparently PS isn't as good as I gave it credit for.....it doesn't update 'Linked' PSD files without opening them.

Sorry about that....for some reason I thought the whole idea of 'Linking' was to save time opening files.....obviously not.
 
Last edited:
MrToM said:
No worries.

Depending on your PS version the 'Place' option may just be FILE > Place... in which case you wont be able to use it.

Later versions have 'Place Embedded' and 'Place Linked' options....in which case you can use the 'Linked' option as I described.

Regards.
MrToM.

EDIT:
DOH!
Apparently PS isn't as good as I gave it credit for.....it doesn't update 'Linked' PSD files without opening them.

Sorry about that....for some reason I thought the whole idea of 'Linking' was to save time opening files.....obviously not.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I tried linking in another PSD, and it did not work. I am running CS6. But it is still a smart object and can edit via .psb and link them all.

This all really changed how I will do things going forward and I can now automate my saving layers to JPG with these groups after running an action to merge layers. Since we output hundreds of google re-marketing ads at a time, this will save a lot of time.

Thank you both very much!
 
No worries.

Sorry again for the confusion....it was late (read early) when I was going through it.

Whichever way you use will do the job. Placing an external PSD file does mean you can edit it without opening the referencing file, whereas with a Smart Object you need to open the file in order to edit the PSB....but...its not much of an advantage if you still need to open the files to update them.

I'd say 'updating' each file was slightly easier and quicker than editing each Smart Object but its a close call as to which is preferable. I guess the number of reference files would dictate that.

Anyway, as long as one of those methods is working for you then that's the main thing.

Regards.
MrToM.
 
You might want to look up Variables and Data Sets in the help files to see if that would fit your situation better than using groups. To save each individually, use Export-Data Sets as Files..
 
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