How To Duplicate A Photoshop Project

This chapter is from the book 

Duplicate Anything

Indistinguishable an Entire Document

I sometimes want to make a quick copy of a document so I can try out an idea. Is there an easier way than closing the document and duplicating it on the desktop?

No need to run off to the desktop; you can indistinguishable a document from within Photoshop. Choose Paradigm > Duplicate, name the duplicate, select Indistinguishable Merged Layers Only if yous want the duplicate to be a flattened version of the current document, and click OK. The duplicate document appears equally a new window.

Or fifty-fifty faster: Add the Option/Alt key when you choose Image > Duplicate and you lot'll get a copy without the annoying dialog box!

A document you create with the Duplicate command doesn't exist as a file until you relieve it, even though y'all meet a named title bar at the top of the duplicate document.

Duplicate documents tin exist useful for creating variations on a document, or for apace experimenting with techniques on a flattened or downsampled version of a certificate.

Duplicate Layers

What's the best mode to duplicate a layer? And can a layer be copied to another document?

In that location are lots of ways to indistinguishable a layer, depending on what yous're trying to achieve.

To indistinguishable the current layer using the Layer carte, choose Layer > Indistinguishable Layer. In the Duplicate Layer dialog box, you have the option to create the duplicate in another open document or in a new document. This is a great way to "send" a layer to another document. The Duplicate Layer control also appears on the Layers palette card.

Another, faster way to re-create a layer is to select the Movement tool and Selection/Alt-drag anywhere in the epitome. This is a expert option if y'all don't desire the indistinguishable to be in the exact same position equally the original layer.

Or, to duplicate the current layer using the Layers palette, drag a layer to the New Layer icon.

A type object exists on its ain layer, and so you tin apply any of these methods to indistinguishable a type object too.

Indistinguishable a Path or Shape

How can I duplicate a path or shape without duplicating the entire layer? I just want to make a copy of the vector object on the aforementioned layer.

It's a simple matter of changing the tool you're using to select. To copy a path or shape without making a new layer, Option/Alt-drag the path or shape using the Path Pick tool (the black arrow tool), not the Movement tool ( Figure 3.34 ).

Figure 3.34 Duplicating the original path (height) by Option/Alt-dragging the path with the Path Selection tool (bottom).

Create a Step-and-Repeat Layout

I don't accept a layout program and I sometimes need to create step-and-echo layouts, like a page total of business cards. It's piece of cake enough to copy layers, only when the original needs to exist updated, I take to fix the copies all over over again. Is at that place an easier way?

Thank you to the new Smart Objects feature in Photoshop CS2, it's now practical to create footstep-and-repeat jobs right in your favorite prototype-editing program. Y'all can create a single graphic, brand a Smart Object out of information technology, and duplicate the Smart Object as needed. If you edit the contents of the Smart Object, all of the Smart Object duplicates update automatically. Here'southward how it works:

In the Layers palette, select the layers y'all want to repeat, and cull Layer > Smart Objects > Group Into New Smart Object ( Effigy iii.35 ).

Effigy 3.35 The layers of the design (left and center) combined into a smart object (correct).
Make certain the image canvass is large plenty to contain all the duplicates you're going to make (see "Prototype Size vs. Sheet Size, earlier in this chapter). Or, probably meliorate, simply create a new document large enough, and drag your new smart object layer into it.
Using the Move tool, position the Smart Object in the top left corner of the certificate.
Using the Move tool, Choice-Shift-drag/Alt-Shift-drag the Smart Object to make and position a indistinguishable next to the original. Repeat until you lot've created an entire row of duplicates ( Figure three.36 ).

Figure 3.36 The smart object Choice/Alt-dragged across four times to create a complete row.
If you didn't space the layers evenly while drawing, you tin do it now. Select all of the layers making up the row and cull Layer > Distribute > Horizontal Centers.
In the Layers palette, select the layers you created. Choose Layer > Grouping Layers The layers are now grouped in a folder in the Layers palette.
You can now Pick-Shift-drag/Alt-Shift-elevate a re-create of the group downwardly from the original, repeating until y'all have the number of rows you lot want.
To update all of the smart objects at once, double-click whatever of them in the Layers palette, or choose Layer > Smart Objects > Edit Contents ( Figure iii.37 ).

Figure 3.37 The Edit Contents control on the Layers palette menu (left) opens a smart object for editing. Here, the groundwork image in the smart object was flipped (above). Saving this smart object updates all instances of that smart object in the certificate.
The contents of the smart object open in a temporary window. Edit it as needed and so salvage it and close the window.