Using Smart Objects in Photoshop

When you have a photo where global edits in Camera Raw cannot process detail in highlights (sky) and shadows (landscape) or other similar situations without blowing away details in one or the other... Use smart objects to merge a blending of 2 copies of the same image, one processed for highlight recovery and the other mid-tones and shadows.

When you send a Smart Object from Camera Raw to Photoshop you also send the raw data embedded in the file, so when you save the file from Photoshop with smart objects you save the raw data and don't have to worry about re-linking to the raw data to the original file.

Process the raw file in Camera Raw to recover the highlights, using Exposure and Recovery...

Send to Photoshop as a Smart Object. Make sure you have checked the box for "Open in Photoshop as a Smart Object" in the Workflow options... You can access the workflow dialogue box by clicking the blue underlined text at the bottom of the Camera Raw page. Check the box and Click OK. Now at the bottom right of Camera Raw click the "Open Object" button.

In Photoshop Create a new smart object ... Choose "New Smart Object via Copy" from the Layer Menu in Photoshop. Layer > Smart Objects > New Smart Object via Copy

You can access that same menu item by (Right Clicking if you use a PC) - or - (control-clicking on a Mac) on the blue highlighted (selected layer) in the layer palette.

When the new smart copy shows up in the layer palette, Double click on the icon (image) this will send the new copy back to Camera Raw.

In camera raw process this copy for details in the shadows and mid-tones ...

Send back to Photoshop by Clicking on OK in the bottom right corner

You now have 2 layers in Photoshop, one Raw processed for highlights, the other Raw processed for the shadows/mid-tones.

In this state (Editing Smart Objects in Photoshop) you cannot do any "pixel" editing... but masks work just fine!

Create a layer mask to blend through the recovered highlights. (The toggle button for layer mask is at the bottom of the layer palette) you can use opacity to adjust the blend... If you need to create a detailed mask for other parts of the photo that were enhanced for the shadows, you can do that too... using the various selection tools and masks... If need be you can make a third (New Smart Object Via Copy) process in camera raw and mask that too...

To make the "blend" using a layer mask, click inside the white mask so it is highlighted, choose a "soft edged brush" and paint on the canvas with "black". You can change the opacity of the brush and the opacity of the layer mask to get the blend you want. You can make the brush smaller or larger by toggling the left or right square bracket keys, just above the enter key (PC) return key (Mac)

If you save the Smart Objects before you flatten the image as an RGB File-- the resultant file will be really huge as it contains Raw data for all versions of the photograph in the layers palette and the RGB data that Photoshop needs to display the photos.

Have fun!

Flatten the image

Now You can now pixel edit as the raw data has been converted to a single full RGB pixel file.

Save the resultant photo as a Tiff or Photoshop file and print...