10 Photoshop Techniques You Can't Work Without:

 

5. Convert to Smart Object:

Summary: Every scale and transform operation done on a raster image (jpg, gif, bmp, etc.) in Photoshop reduces its quality. If you plan to scale or transform an image multiple times, convert it to a smart object first. Smart objects degrade only once no matter how many times they're scaled or transformed.

Tip: As soon as you import a high-resolution source image into a composition, transform it in smart object. This way you don't have to worry about when it comes time to rescale, and unless you're perfect, you'll always want that flexibility.

 

 

 

Shown: Here we have a layer containing an image of a $100 bill stack.

 

 

Step 1: Right-Click on "Layer 2" and select "Convert to Smart Object".

 

 

Shown: This layer is now a smart object. Notice the smart object icon visible in the layer's thumbnail.

 

 

Step 2: Scale and rotate the smart object. The diagonal lines indicate that the image is no longer a bitmap but a vector.

 

 

Shown: The $100 bill stack has been transformed twiced, but degraded in quality only once.

 

 

Shown: The $100 bill stack has been transformed again (a fouth time), but has still degraded only once.