AV News 201 - August 2015
Vector graphic images are composed of paths or lines that are either straight , curved , joined , or unjoined , and are ' resolution independent ', meaning you don ' t lose quality from changes to size , resolution , or resampling . Data source files for vector images contain data points where paths start and end , where and how much paths curve , and also colours that either fill or border such paths . Because Vector graphics are paths and not pixels they can be smoothly scaled or shape transmuted without producing jagged edges or losing quality . Because of this attribute Vector graphics are preferred by commercial artists for drawing objects when photographic images are not required . Vector based file formats include ai , ( Adobe Illustrator ) cdr , eps , vsd , svg , and dozens of others in common use . Back to our main subject . Advanced ' Linking ', ' Embedding ', and ' Smart Objects ' were introduced for good reason . An image from an external file source file can be directly ' Embedded ' into a Photoshop file , much like taking a copy of an external image and placing onto a layer . With ' Embedding ' the original external image file is not linked by this process and remains intact . However when using the command ' Place Linked ' a Photoshop file layer can share the same external source file image with many other Photoshop documents , and edits to the external source file can be automatically updated across many linked Photoshop files .
With Smart Objects , you can easily perform nondestructive transformations using a whole range of filters without losing quality because such transformations don ' t affect the original data which remains safe . A Smart Object can be edited many times or returned to its original state without quality worries . You can work with vector data , such as artwork from Illustrator or other Vector software . You can edit and re-edit multiple filters applied to Smart Objects , or apply layer masks either linked or unlinked . Using the ' Package ' command listed in the main menu you can save either single or multiple ' Smart Object Layers ' to a separate file completely independent of the . psd on which you ' re currently working .
If you ' re not sure whether your Photoshop version contains these advanced functions then open the main file menu and look for the commands named ' Place Embedded ', ' Place Linked ', and ' Package '. These commands are normally situated in the third group down from the top of the ' File ' menu . See red arrow in the above image . If these commands are not shown then unfortunately you do not have them . If you ' re really ' desperate ' to have them you will require a Photoshop upgrade . Of course from CS3 onwards you will still have the original and very useful Smart Objects .
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