Request: Smart Objects PSD to replace layers

[filipekids]

I'm loving using Affinity Photo on my iPad, it seems to be a great replacement for Photoshop, and I'm using beta versions with TestFlight. However, there is one feature that I really miss and forces me back to Ps eventually: Smart Objects. Every time I import a PSD file into the iPad Affinity Photo that has Smart Objects, the app recognizes it as a simple layer of pixels. I work daily with mockups, and it would be very useful to be able to replace the layers easily.

 

 

I hope that comes to the app soon, thank you, keep up with the good job!

[LCamachoDesign]

I've been asking for this for quite a while, it's the main thing preventing me to switch full time.

[who8mypnuts]

I was just researching this as well. I want to make the switch completely from photoshop and this is really holding me back. I have a ton of mockups that I utilize to help my clients visualize designs.

 

Any ideas on a time frame here?

[Tronam]

As a longtime Photoshop user I would love this as well, but are we sure this is even possible? How much of the PSD and PS document formats are open for appropriation by other developers? There are so many things that can be done with Smart Objects from stacking modes to 3rd party plugin recall, not to mention objects within objects. I have yet to run across any alternative graphics application that can interpret Smart Objects, so I'm wondering if this might be outside the realm of possibility. In the meantime, my migration strategy has been to simply start new projects outside of the Adobe ecosystem.

[LCamachoDesign]

You do raise a really good question, Smart Objects covers a lot of things in Photoshop, including embedded Illustrator content, and 100% compatibility is out of question. But the same can be said about the PSD format itself, you can use Photoshop to do 3D modelling (WHY??) for example and no one is expecting Affinity or anything else to be compatible with that. That said I hope that a more lightweight compatibility is possible, limited to just embedded pixels and linked files, with distortion and perspective transformations. That would cover most of the usual Smart Object usage, but the inexistence of third party software doing this seems to indicate it's not doable?

Lastly, like you I also think it's best to start new projects outside Adobe, and it's also relatively simple to redo the Smart Objects content within Affinity using it's file placing function. It does however need to be extended to be truly useful. As I've mentioned countless times, adding Mesh Warp Live Filter and Linked Files (or even just the ability for Macros to replace files) would be an immense boost for anyone doing mockups for clients. It would even help with getting Affinity Photo content into stock store like GraphicRiver.