Make Smart Contact Sheets with Photoshop's Smart Objects
Sunday, December 27th, 2009 running time 15:03
Learn to make an automated contact sheet in Adobe Photoshop, and check out Bert Monroy's tricks to instantly updating images with Smart Objects.
Segments
We're back in the studio and this week, learn more about Smart Objects in contact sheets!
Create an automated Contact Sheet
Smart objects are often used with images, and Bert shows you how to create a contact sheet. Choose File > Automate > Contact Sheet II. This option isn't available for everyone because Adobe removed it a couple versions ago. You'll need to re-install this plugin from your Adobe CD, or find it on the Adobe site. Place the plugin in the Automate folder. .
When you get the Contact Sheet II window up, choose the folder that contains your images and set the specifications of your contact sheet's layout. Photoshop will automatically create the graphic with all image files loaded in a single layer.
In a new layer, Bert takes a rounded corner rectangle with a radius of 20px and he draws a box around the first image. He loads this as a selection, then hits Ctrl+T to transform and copy for each of the images in the contact sheet. This layer of shapes is moved below the image layer, and a clipping mask is made so that the images show through the rectangle shapes..
Bert then drags his contact sheet layers into a new, pre-designed document. He duplicates and flips the contact sheet layers, then applies a gradient layer mask to the bottom images to add a stylistic reflection. He uses creative warp options (arch) for additional design elements.
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Highlights
nice and sunny: 11:51video game: 1:52
amsterdam: 4:52, 10:52
ninjas: 12:56
Automatically Generated Transcript
May not be 100% accurate" Wow."
" This episode of pixel perfect is brought to you by game fly and godaddy.com. Am -- welcome the pixel -- it would be Bert on right. On today's show look at smart objects with a whole bunch of things make a window smart objects twist him around to all kinds of weird stuff to them. But. Before we do that let's talk about his background who want to really take this thing out. This it was sent to us by Ronan all the way from Ireland. But of this thing. That is really sweet nice job -- Okay. Let's talk about our sponsors and then we can get into the cool stuff. If you wanna make an impact online godaddy.com. Has what you need. Dot com names for as low the dollar and 99 plus the world class hosting fast and easy web site builders and so much more. Plus and the -- pixel eight. To get an additional 10% off any order. Find all of our GoDaddy discounts at revision3.com. Forward slash GoDaddy. You should check out revision3.com. Godaddy for all the pixel perfect godaddy deals and codes there's a whole bunch of them on there. Also I think game fly. They are the largest online video game rental service and offer you a choice from over. 7000. New and classic titles across all consoles and hand -- With plans starting at fifteen dollars and 95 cents a month. Game -- members can rent up to four games at a time and keep them for as long as they'd like. There are no late fees no due dates and shipping is always free. Once you're done playing a game send it back in game -- the next available game on your list if you really leg game you're playing some big click keep it on the game fly website and the game is yours. And at a discounted price game -- even know unique case and manuals free of charge. Pixel perfect fans can get a two week free trial when they go to www. Game slide dot com forward slash pixel perfect are right. Now on to the show. But we do today is we're going to take a bunch of images turn to smart objects and do stuff that. All -- that twists and turns for a for possibly some kind of video website picture whatever whatever is who wanted to do remember it's not. Exactly what I do it's how I did that's important because a few changes here and there number of images of settings and you can create whatever you want. So now the first you gotta do is we're gonna go in there and we're gonna create a -- contacts you could have a whole bunch of images. Set aside that I wanna use this I'm gonna come over here to filter the file put on -- automate and go to contact sheet to. I did it now if you're following along and you just what that I think think yours is not there. It's not there you don't have contact sheet and that's because Adobe took about a couple versions ago. But it's still available they just took it out of the program when it comes out of the box on your disks that the second and boxes of goodies this. Right in there there it is me up -- plug in called. Contact sheet now. If you don't have that -- he's just for some reason whatever you -- the -- and the whatever. Go to the Adobe dot com site and there you'll find a download for now there is a direct. I URL for it right there on the screen right now it's pretty long so I'm gonna just hang out you hit the pause button and write down that -- just hang out of a few minutes. Okay got it directs and out go to Adobe dot com download that port."
" I guess again if you go these disc and then would you do if you're going to your applications folder right here you'll see that I got my applications folder right here and go down to. Photoshop CS war. And I go into my plug ins folder right there and -- you would automate. That's realistic -- plugin just drag and drop it right in there now you notice that might already have it because I installed it. It forced on the show because of course disposed of them have to be there and I needed for this particular segment. So now here's what we're gonna do. And we go into my file automate and contact sheet to. And let it go in here and I'm gonna -- filter rather a folder I'm gonna choose -- right -- I've got this little political Amsterdam it's got eight images and some percent open that and that let's say I want a twenty -- is by eight inches is 72 and I want to be four. Columns and two -- phased array being you can see the set -- I got right there so when I click okay it's gonna go in there and find those images from that folder and this is it's -- on the screen here is that it's funny each of those images and it compiling them into a context she. So given a second to do all those and that the artist might eight. Images and does -- the little name -- it's like a real context and that you have up in the old days when you dealt with. Good old photo matter whatever and -- contact easy to see your pictures well that's what you got here. And how it goes into eight layer as you can see -- liquid layer on top of this on competent player. And that what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go in here and I'm gonna take my. Rounded corner. Permitted here rounded corner one and I have it and a set of radius to twenty get a nice rounded corner. And this -- third choice appear to what it's gonna give me -- filled pixel shape. -- gonna draw a box right around this guy right here in that first. Over that first image right so now going to do it I'm gonna turn to sort of like command clicking and opening on CDC. And -- hit option command T which is gonna give me the transformed tools and I would do is hold down my option command. I just drag it over making a copy and shift the constrain it voted straight on top -- the other one right there like that. I'm gonna hit enter return -- when it's done so and I wanna do is I'm gonna hit. Option command shift and T as going to be doing the same thing said that if they're gonna go and one more time you see that I've got war form. They don't created for boxes that impose those. Little guys make it look like they're on a job. -- little TV set which right now -- of black babble Wilson's TV set effect in the second Anderson asked when you know maybe a little bit off limits to us. Kind of selected we here. I mean and over just those little bit over to their -- that looks better and our good good I'm gonna select -- fourth command click on that. And I'm just gonna option click drag them straight down. The company guys at the bottom right there. Click okay. And downloaded drag that layer below the layer with the up. With the contact sheet and it is a option or open a PC put between the two to turn them into clipping group. And they can see that now they are enclosed inside that area right. Right so now I'm gonna do and I'm gonna -- that contact sheet. -- that he would go here to my layers and say turn it into a smart object convert to smart object. And -- little icon right there instantly -- that is now a smart object. All right so now. I'm going to do is I got myself another file here. And -- to get this guy over here to the side that the other file back here as previous guidance of their old nice individual file that you'd see them separately. And this guy you would distort -- where we don't dispute that. Don't say that again we have our other two files in back here. And there -- got this guy. And we got. My contacts you right here so I'm gonna do it and I think both cities layers of the -- select both. Just gonna drag -- into here let's -- I -- right into the file right over here. And there are falling right at the place which I can now bring it up into this area right up in here like that date and difficult to start from now wouldn't see the type. That's that's a detective about going to play it would just a little bit. -- here it is so now what we're going to do it I'm gonna take those two that's still select it. An option to drag them over here so we've got the bar appears at the top which means I'm about to make a copy of those -- they are just copied them. And wanted to do these -- and I'm gonna go in there and say. -- And yup you guessed it things are gonna be a reflection down below. Right here did little reflection down in the based down here. So what I'm gonna do -- those now is I'm gonna give them a little layer mask and the -- guy right here. Given little layer mask so I can kind of hide -- bit. Just create respectable affect benefits as speeding and bring them to -- before it also that it becomes as little reflection down here. So now I'm gonna do it with select all four of these. All four -- them right there. I got all -- selected and I'm going to turn them all into. A smart object. I've converted all four into a smart object so now wanted to do these guys. Spasm when it victim and I think I'm gonna go go in here and I'm gonna walk them -- the -- the -- edit transform and the state -- I got this and I'm gonna choose what he custom work forget we're here -- this arch. It's created that -- strong stomach to bring down the number to about maybe 20% that looks good. That we've got nothing to do that and -- and go ahead and -- Oops sorry about that -- that. Then again work. I would say -- and you can see conceive again. It was set it to to any. It and do it. So now. I have read these guys down. Made about there like that so we have this nice little effect writing they're like that and all right so now. We add this flu -- down here and have been to type up to the top and then we had this. Cool little effect going on here but you none -- I look at it. We have does -- is right type and we have this nice bright the color back here. And his stay in Amsterdam is kind of like a foggy day let's just move it over a little bit centered little better. And maybe bring it up just a -- It's kind of foggy it doesn't look is nice set a time to remember yet it's kind of foggy. Yeah I just remember that that's a really nice and these shots of the canals of Venice. Little sunnier than these canals and -- and so what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go in here and I got my smart objects selected right there. And I'm gonna go in here and say. My smart object. Edit the content. Edit the contents. Of that -- look about the OK and here we are now right here. It brings them to the original before it's been distorted and so want I'm gonna select my. The guy right here is the long would it straight up on top. And a billionaire and say smart object. Replace. The contents. Now is a little me some pictures -- nice and sunny much nicer I already went ahead and made it contact united OC. I gotta write bits and -- these guys are ready made contact he. Just to save some time if they go ahead and use that and look -- automatically replace all the images including the ones on here that will rotated. So -- do it I'm gonna go ahead and and save this. And done. Look at that."
" It immediately change all the images Andy and not finished image. Completely the distortion. Compete with the reflections everything that we needed it's all been done automatically. So we see that these now have been nice to the band and then suddenly instead of the gloomy wants them before. And it's just too -- the originals this to you Wednesday following the same shape I didn't have the going to do all that stuff following get the had to do was to create a new contact sheet. With the you -- pictures from -- and it immediately replaced everything inside the entire scene. What's happening here is that the up the smart objects make it really easy going there and make adjustments. I president's just say you brought something in ninjas from it down. -- manual and it -- it's good to back up again well is just talk about new awesome David it going to -- to back up. It looks a little pixelated start -- look a little fuzzy it's not as good. But as smart objects they're not really there and it just -- kind of place holders they're referring back to the regional. Image or file wherever it came from -- illustrator or wherever. And refers to that so when you make that you stretch it's looking at the original information and say okay now it's decides based on that information may be really easy to make those changes. In case you need to make the changes. So I gave a little idea of other smart objects -- it also. But I didn't see how. I twisted these things around and made all kinds of combinations of them and Google contact sheet which is still there and -- awake it's nice and then went to go away I don't know. But anyway it night to see how it works. Members lot of stuff in there you can change it around and do what you need to do. Hope you learned something from all that stuff is there anything you'd like to see and the show email me expert at revision3.com. Also you can check out the form that revision3.com. Forward slash forums where you can join discussions about the show. Thanks again to -- from Ireland for submitting our background image. But that. Okay if you want your artwork that you back here. Send me your images and divert at revision3.com. Your background should be 1280 by seven -- officials and they JPEG. See you next time."
" Yeah."
" Wow."
" This episode of pixel perfect is brought to you by game fly and godaddy.com. Am -- welcome the pixel -- it would be Bert on right. On today's show look at smart objects with a whole bunch of things make a window smart objects twist him around to all kinds of weird stuff to them. But. Before we do that let's talk about his background who want to really take this thing out. This it was sent to us by Ronan all the way from Ireland. But of this thing. That is really sweet nice job -- Okay. Let's talk about our sponsors and then we can get into the cool stuff. If you wanna make an impact online godaddy.com. Has what you need. Dot com names for as low the dollar and 99 plus the world class hosting fast and easy web site builders and so much more. Plus and the -- pixel eight. To get an additional 10% off any order. Find all of our GoDaddy discounts at revision3.com. Forward slash GoDaddy. You should check out revision3.com. Godaddy for all the pixel perfect godaddy deals and codes there's a whole bunch of them on there. Also I think game fly. They are the largest online video game rental service and offer you a choice from over. 7000. New and classic titles across all consoles and hand -- With plans starting at fifteen dollars and 95 cents a month. Game -- members can rent up to four games at a time and keep them for as long as they'd like. There are no late fees no due dates and shipping is always free. Once you're done playing a game send it back in game -- the next available game on your list if you really leg game you're playing some big click keep it on the game fly website and the game is yours. And at a discounted price game -- even know unique case and manuals free of charge. Pixel perfect fans can get a two week free trial when they go to www. Game slide dot com forward slash pixel perfect are right. Now on to the show. But we do today is we're going to take a bunch of images turn to smart objects and do stuff that. All -- that twists and turns for a for possibly some kind of video website picture whatever whatever is who wanted to do remember it's not. Exactly what I do it's how I did that's important because a few changes here and there number of images of settings and you can create whatever you want. So now the first you gotta do is we're gonna go in there and we're gonna create a -- contacts you could have a whole bunch of images. Set aside that I wanna use this I'm gonna come over here to filter the file put on -- automate and go to contact sheet to. I did it now if you're following along and you just what that I think think yours is not there. It's not there you don't have contact sheet and that's because Adobe took about a couple versions ago. But it's still available they just took it out of the program when it comes out of the box on your disks that the second and boxes of goodies this. Right in there there it is me up -- plug in called. Contact sheet now. If you don't have that -- he's just for some reason whatever you -- the -- and the whatever. Go to the Adobe dot com site and there you'll find a download for now there is a direct. I URL for it right there on the screen right now it's pretty long so I'm gonna just hang out you hit the pause button and write down that -- just hang out of a few minutes. Okay got it directs and out go to Adobe dot com download that port."
" I guess again if you go these disc and then would you do if you're going to your applications folder right here you'll see that I got my applications folder right here and go down to. Photoshop CS war. And I go into my plug ins folder right there and -- you would automate. That's realistic -- plugin just drag and drop it right in there now you notice that might already have it because I installed it. It forced on the show because of course disposed of them have to be there and I needed for this particular segment. So now here's what we're gonna do. And we go into my file automate and contact sheet to. And let it go in here and I'm gonna -- filter rather a folder I'm gonna choose -- right -- I've got this little political Amsterdam it's got eight images and some percent open that and that let's say I want a twenty -- is by eight inches is 72 and I want to be four. Columns and two -- phased array being you can see the set -- I got right there so when I click okay it's gonna go in there and find those images from that folder and this is it's -- on the screen here is that it's funny each of those images and it compiling them into a context she. So given a second to do all those and that the artist might eight. Images and does -- the little name -- it's like a real context and that you have up in the old days when you dealt with. Good old photo matter whatever and -- contact easy to see your pictures well that's what you got here. And how it goes into eight layer as you can see -- liquid layer on top of this on competent player. And that what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go in here and I'm gonna take my. Rounded corner. Permitted here rounded corner one and I have it and a set of radius to twenty get a nice rounded corner. And this -- third choice appear to what it's gonna give me -- filled pixel shape. -- gonna draw a box right around this guy right here in that first. Over that first image right so now going to do it I'm gonna turn to sort of like command clicking and opening on CDC. And -- hit option command T which is gonna give me the transformed tools and I would do is hold down my option command. I just drag it over making a copy and shift the constrain it voted straight on top -- the other one right there like that. I'm gonna hit enter return -- when it's done so and I wanna do is I'm gonna hit. Option command shift and T as going to be doing the same thing said that if they're gonna go and one more time you see that I've got war form. They don't created for boxes that impose those. Little guys make it look like they're on a job. -- little TV set which right now -- of black babble Wilson's TV set effect in the second Anderson asked when you know maybe a little bit off limits to us. Kind of selected we here. I mean and over just those little bit over to their -- that looks better and our good good I'm gonna select -- fourth command click on that. And I'm just gonna option click drag them straight down. The company guys at the bottom right there. Click okay. And downloaded drag that layer below the layer with the up. With the contact sheet and it is a option or open a PC put between the two to turn them into clipping group. And they can see that now they are enclosed inside that area right. Right so now I'm gonna do and I'm gonna -- that contact sheet. -- that he would go here to my layers and say turn it into a smart object convert to smart object. And -- little icon right there instantly -- that is now a smart object. All right so now. I'm going to do is I got myself another file here. And -- to get this guy over here to the side that the other file back here as previous guidance of their old nice individual file that you'd see them separately. And this guy you would distort -- where we don't dispute that. Don't say that again we have our other two files in back here. And there -- got this guy. And we got. My contacts you right here so I'm gonna do it and I think both cities layers of the -- select both. Just gonna drag -- into here let's -- I -- right into the file right over here. And there are falling right at the place which I can now bring it up into this area right up in here like that date and difficult to start from now wouldn't see the type. That's that's a detective about going to play it would just a little bit. -- here it is so now what we're going to do it I'm gonna take those two that's still select it. An option to drag them over here so we've got the bar appears at the top which means I'm about to make a copy of those -- they are just copied them. And wanted to do these -- and I'm gonna go in there and say. -- And yup you guessed it things are gonna be a reflection down below. Right here did little reflection down in the based down here. So what I'm gonna do -- those now is I'm gonna give them a little layer mask and the -- guy right here. Given little layer mask so I can kind of hide -- bit. Just create respectable affect benefits as speeding and bring them to -- before it also that it becomes as little reflection down here. So now I'm gonna do it with select all four of these. All four -- them right there. I got all -- selected and I'm going to turn them all into. A smart object. I've converted all four into a smart object so now wanted to do these guys. Spasm when it victim and I think I'm gonna go go in here and I'm gonna walk them -- the -- the -- edit transform and the state -- I got this and I'm gonna choose what he custom work forget we're here -- this arch. It's created that -- strong stomach to bring down the number to about maybe 20% that looks good. That we've got nothing to do that and -- and go ahead and -- Oops sorry about that -- that. Then again work. I would say -- and you can see conceive again. It was set it to to any. It and do it. So now. I have read these guys down. Made about there like that so we have this nice little effect writing they're like that and all right so now. We add this flu -- down here and have been to type up to the top and then we had this. Cool little effect going on here but you none -- I look at it. We have does -- is right type and we have this nice bright the color back here. And his stay in Amsterdam is kind of like a foggy day let's just move it over a little bit centered little better. And maybe bring it up just a -- It's kind of foggy it doesn't look is nice set a time to remember yet it's kind of foggy. Yeah I just remember that that's a really nice and these shots of the canals of Venice. Little sunnier than these canals and -- and so what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go in here and I got my smart objects selected right there. And I'm gonna go in here and say. My smart object. Edit the content. Edit the contents. Of that -- look about the OK and here we are now right here. It brings them to the original before it's been distorted and so want I'm gonna select my. The guy right here is the long would it straight up on top. And a billionaire and say smart object. Replace. The contents. Now is a little me some pictures -- nice and sunny much nicer I already went ahead and made it contact united OC. I gotta write bits and -- these guys are ready made contact he. Just to save some time if they go ahead and use that and look -- automatically replace all the images including the ones on here that will rotated. So -- do it I'm gonna go ahead and and save this. And done. Look at that."
" It immediately change all the images Andy and not finished image. Completely the distortion. Compete with the reflections everything that we needed it's all been done automatically. So we see that these now have been nice to the band and then suddenly instead of the gloomy wants them before. And it's just too -- the originals this to you Wednesday following the same shape I didn't have the going to do all that stuff following get the had to do was to create a new contact sheet. With the you -- pictures from -- and it immediately replaced everything inside the entire scene. What's happening here is that the up the smart objects make it really easy going there and make adjustments. I president's just say you brought something in ninjas from it down. -- manual and it -- it's good to back up again well is just talk about new awesome David it going to -- to back up. It looks a little pixelated start -- look a little fuzzy it's not as good. But as smart objects they're not really there and it just -- kind of place holders they're referring back to the regional. Image or file wherever it came from -- illustrator or wherever. And refers to that so when you make that you stretch it's looking at the original information and say okay now it's decides based on that information may be really easy to make those changes. In case you need to make the changes. So I gave a little idea of other smart objects -- it also. But I didn't see how. I twisted these things around and made all kinds of combinations of them and Google contact sheet which is still there and -- awake it's nice and then went to go away I don't know. But anyway it night to see how it works. Members lot of stuff in there you can change it around and do what you need to do. Hope you learned something from all that stuff is there anything you'd like to see and the show email me expert at revision3.com. Also you can check out the form that revision3.com. Forward slash forums where you can join discussions about the show. Thanks again to -- from Ireland for submitting our background image. But that. Okay if you want your artwork that you back here. Send me your images and divert at revision3.com. Your background should be 1280 by seven -- officials and they JPEG. See you next time."
" Yeah."
jackierulesall
Started discussion: December 28, 2009 @ 9:54am GMT
Episode 158 - Make Smart Contact Sheets with Photoshop's Smart Objects [Discussion]
Learn to make an automated contact sheet in Adobe Photoshop, and check out Bert Monroy's tricks to instantly updating images with Smart Objects.
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