Hi guys
Google is failing me, or it just can not be done. Does anybody know how to use a linked smart object as a mask in PS? I saw some workarounds where you mess with the layer blending options and sometimes even stick it in a group, but that doesnt seem to work well on precise aphas. mattes, etc.
Any ideas?
It is feasable, but Google was not that much help indeed 
It is the best alphas and mates, super precise, and soooo much faster that regular masks
You have a folder ( a group) that has propreties,
You have the smart object mask layer, in the group, with properties as well.
Just make sure that your corrections layers, (levels, curves) are below, in the very same folder.
See the image of the structure
Hope it helps
(forgot to say that the image shows the filtering of the red pass of a RGB image)
this is the method I was saying I dont want to use since its not working very well for me.
A simple soft white brush dropped onto a black background, made into a linked smart object and using the group/blend trick, creates heavy jagged edges
Are you using Photoshop CC or higher ?
This method was not working fine in previous versions..
Did a small template, You could try this. Works fine over here, no jagged edges.
Did it on a black and white smart object mask
Get Affinity Photo and forget smart objects
maybe something wrong in photoshop color settings?
I have both the latest PS CC version and Affinity Photo.
For this project it is a “client” requirement to use PS
Thanks Alain I’ll take a look at your file when I get a free moment!
Thanks Alain, your file worked. Dont know what I was doing before, but it was pretty muich the same and it didnt work, but it does now. But on 6K 32 bit images, PS is dog slow!
@flino2004 Affinity doesnt have any XREF type objects/files yet as far I know, so fast iterative workflow still consists of manually replacing layers. You know another way in Affinity?
Soooooo if a LINKED smart object is essentially an XREF, then why is my PS filesize so HUGE? Shouldnt it only be a few k since all the layers are linked externally?
Its not a “real” link like in AE. It has to hold all the image info from linked images so that if you delete the linked files, the PSD is kept untouched. But I agree there should be an option for it to run as per AE so the PSD would be small.
if you link .psd file it should work as you expect from xref.
you’re missing the whole point of using linked smart objects in the 1st place
It is really heavy, I don’t know why but so more flexible (of course depending on the workflow)
You will also see that if you have multiple ‘automatic masked linked object’, the performance of Photoshop will suffer, way more than with manual masks. However, since using this technique, our comp time is 73% faster… So I guess that a little extra weight and swearing at photoshop because it hangs a little kinda worth it.
what is the reason behind screen blend mode and shallow knockout on masking smart object?
regarding linking psd files - still an option for large files, just automate updating the linked psd with action.
The blending mode is the one that works best, from trial and error. No other reason.
For linking files, large works fine, it is just long..
